March 24-25, 2012, Coquihalla Weekend

The Coquihallas ... " A place beyond Hope" according to the locals,  delivered blue sky, bountiful powder, and stable conditions for our intrepid party of Americans making a quick weekend foray into Canadian powder territory. The Canadian customs officer was initially suspicious of our stated ski destination ("no ski areas there") until he clued into the bindings on our skis, and decided we were OK even though lift skiing made far more sense to him.  Saturdays tour was  to Needle Peak and the environs of the Flat Iron. Sunday we fell in with a friendly local CAC group from Vancouver and skied on the north side of Knak which is next to Yak (and which are both just fun to say) and finished with a circumnavigation of Thar. Our basecamp was out of a motel in Hope, just 20 miles down the hill, but we discovered the locals were partial to the more rustic Coquihalla Lakes Lodge. Not sure we are entirely convinced, as many choices for dinner and brews in town  provides excellent recovery for the following days tour. -- Steve