Winter has arrived! It is tough watching the weather forecast all week in anticipation of a great early season day. It was a late night with probably a few too many beers. After watching a slide show hosted by a ski partner of mine, Pat Mulrooney, the stoke was high after reliving some of the best days of last year (if you haven't ever visited Pat' blog click the link to see some great photos of the coast mountain)
This week's trip was to Thar Peak (PG. 200 Exploring the Coast Mountains)
Having heard this is a good area and only skiing the nearby Needle Peak, it was about time to explore some more of the Coquihalla. Man was it worth it! The pitch of the area is more consistent than Needle Peak but with a slightly longer approach.
The COQ has snow!! About 125cm of it in fact. We were greeted with 30cm of light density snow and quickly realized that it was going to be a great early season day.
Despite the -10 degree Celsius conditions the sun warmed our souls.
Slaying the POW!! Great open glade skiing. The sun was cooking the lower 500 ft of the run. But the first 1000 ft was as good as it gets!
Having never skied here before it was a challenge finding the best descent route. We ventured too far skier's right nearing the end and had to billy goat alder at the bottom.
This area is a good option for the Coq and we will be back!
Area Rating:
Ski Quality: Steep fall line skiing with nicely spaced trees and plenty of hallways!
Ease of Access: 2.5 hr drive from Vancouver on the highway
Crowd factor: We were solo on Thar itself but 6 other people in the area
References: John Baldwin (Exploring the Coast Mountains on skis)Labels: Coquihalla
