Coquihalla - Markhor - Feb 21 2008
words
by Sharon Bader, photos by Trevor Hawkins and John Baldwin.
|
Coquihalla - Markhor - Feb 21 2008 words
by Sharon Bader, photos by Trevor Hawkins and John Baldwin. |
So Lee says to me the other day - Hey - can I borrow all your extra touring gear tomorrow to go skiing with John up the Coquihalla? Um, I think - Why don't I use my touring gear and ski with John in the Coquihalla! Oh - he says. So he managed to borrow some gear from John and slap some bindings on some extra skis he has. We then told Trevor - who is recently unemployed, and Tyler - who is recently getting into touring with this split board that we're heading up for a day in the Coq!
Park at the sand shed off the Coquihalla where you would park for Needle.
The skin up was quick! about 1 -1/2 hours to the ridge! I could have used my ski crampons since it was pretty wind hammered with icy spots. The wet slides on Yahk across the valley was more evidence of the warm week we've been having!
We get to the ridge of Markor peak and go for a ski on the south side.
Looking down the South side of Markhor. There is an abandoned railroad in the valley of the Coquihalla river.
We then skin back up for a couple more runs. The sun was BLASTING us here! In February!
We head back to the ridge when John decides to summit Markhor, Lee was going to follow but he destroyed in snowy boot pack up the ridge. So we did one more run down the south side.
Photo by John Baldwin
Tyler rippin' it on his split board. He's just getting into this touring thing and we think he likes it!
Lee heading down.
Needle Peak from the top of Markhor.
Looking North from Markhor you can see the Coquihalla meandering through the valley with other potential ski areas across the way.
On the way out we went by this rocky slab that couldn't hold its load in the heat.
