Heath ascending the skin track that initially was completely in the larch forest.

I needed some more ski practice out in the backcountry before the Wapta, so I decided to go into the Wolverine Ridge area and check things out. The avy was considerable on this day so I didn't think we could ski anything too exciting.

When we got into the valley the only recent skin track went to some ski slopes off Wolverine Ridge. Several people were going up and one group had just come down the slope. These things in themselves of course, in no way indicated that it was safe. So I pondered the terrain from the last large stand of larches for a while before consulting Heath. We decided it was mellow enough to not trigger the deep instability and to give it a try. Ascending until we met even the slightest indication of wind affected slopes or saw any instabilities.

Not seeing the point of skiing up the open slopes we took to an older track in the larch forest instead. This eventually took us out into the open for the final ascent but the snow remained completely un-wind affected right to the top. There were no new wind slabs in the area. The wind was blasting up the other side though. The only reason this slope appeared safe on this day, was because the ridge was wide at this point and therefore the wind was not depositing snow over the other side.

After touring around to the summit and a few photos we descended. Waiting until a larger group had gone down. I wasn't entirely sure they wouldn't drop off anything unsupported to either side of the mellower area, so I was not going to go before them. The skiing was good. Too bad I am so bad at it...

Oh, and I'm not sure why this counts as a separate peak? It has all of what, 15 meters from the col with Purple Mound Peak? However if everyone else counts it then....