TR: Emma Burr Mountain (10 June 2016)

Skiing in late spring can be incredibly fun – especially because access can become much easier. Suddenly, a peak that is tucked miles and miles away up valley during winter might become nearly effortless to access as dirt roads melt out. Once such example is Emma Burr Mountain.

Yep, that’s right Emma Burr Mountain. Most of you have probably never heard of it. No, it’s not this huge ski mountaineering destination. But, tucked away in the middle of the Sawatch Range, Emma Burr Mountain can hold its own. We certainly had some fun skiing there. And admittedly, it bears the same first name as one of my grandmothers, so I took an instant liking to it.

Natalie and I met the night before and camped up the road past Cottonwood Lake. We went for a moderate alpine start.

Yep. Me with Emma Burr behind. And, oh yeah, a toad crossing sign!

It didn’t take long for us to reach the head of the valley and begin ascending the slopes of Emma Burr. Natalie.

Once we reached the ridge, we had some talus hopping to do.

We made friends with this ptarmigan.

Nearing the summit.

And some scrambling was needed to reach the top.

We enjoyed some leisurely time on the summit of Emma Burr Mountain. Me checking the GPS on my phone – I use the Gaia app.

Girls on top!

Looking down valley at our exit route.

And another one looking toward Crested Butte, a couple green valleys away.

We downclimbed about 100 feet from the summit to reach the snow and skied the line slightly looker’s right of the summit. But, the skiing was definitely good! Me.

Natalie.

Another look at Emma Burr Mountain as we descended.

And we were able to ski pretty much all the way back to our car…. well, if you can call this skiing.

If you’re looking for something different to ski in late spring and even into early summer, you might wanna check out Emma Burr. It’s a fun mountain!

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Brittany Walker Konsella

Aside from skiing, biking, and all outdoorsy things,Brittany Walker Konsella also loves smiles and chocolate 🙂 Even though she excels at higher level math and chemistry, she still confuses left from right. Find out more about Brittany!

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Summary

Article Name

Skiing Emma Burr Mountain

Description

Late spring skiing can make mountains like Emma Burr more accessible. Find out what it's like to ski this fun Sawatch peak!

Author

Brittany Walker Konsella