We went out to ski Esha Peak out of Crowly Lake on 1/23. In retrospect the best mode of travel would have been a pair of verts with your boards on your back. The snow on the approach was ultra wind hammered with a 3" crust with a sugarary ball bearing like surface that was only breakable by kick stepping. What would be an enjoyable skin straight up turned into a nightmarish side hilling slipfest requiring full body tension just to keep from sliding back down.
Once at the base of Esha Peak, we took a lunch break before heading up the center couliour straight to the summit hoping for some improvement in snow conditions, but we received no love. Taking into consideration several things(#1 being "Panty Chaffing") we opted to eliminate the "What if?" and left our packs & skis part way up the couloir at a point where the fall would still be fairly safe. We then booted up to the summit only to have Murphey join us shortly above where we had left our packs & taunt us with better snow. Beautiful views on a near windless & fairly clear day, when I understand it rained all day back home in Tahoe.
The snow in the couloir was definately edgable, but not that carvable chalk love that gives that confidence to get you through the no fall zones.
Fun low angle fast snow on the way out skiing right back to within a few feet of the car with ease, even on a splitboard.


egss tebbie

Nice report egss!
Try a pair of the splitboard crampons...you'll love them in conditions like these.

How wide are those splitboard crampons? I have a prior 172 swallow-split. Voile hardware. Just wondering if they'd be compatable.. Not that I've really gotten a chance to get out and ride much on this deck though. I've always thought that if the snow was hard enough to warrant some sort of crampon, I'd rather have a 1 piece board to ride on...



Greg aka NoKnees
Bay Area Boarder

Edited by - NoKnees on 01/27/2003 22:15:53