March Powder Fest

This season snow coverage was sub-standard for a long time but in March the white stuff finally started flying. Pete and I took a day off to visit the Needle Trees on the Coquihalla. We started breaking trail in 50cm fresh snow, getting deeper as we got closer to the skiing meadows at 1400 meter. Because it was so good I went again with a friend two days later. In two days it had snowed enough to cover our tracks completely. Skiing was even better so I went for a third trip with yet another friend. Only one or two other parties had been at Needle during the week and there were still plenty fresh tracks left for us. Yea to the weekday warriors (and sorry to everybody on a fixed work schedule).

SNOvember 2009

Another November trip up the Coquihalla for turns on Needle Peak on November 22nd. A bit more filled in, but snow was not quite as nice as last weekend. Good fun anyway!



This month has been called 'SNO-vember' with its record-braking snowfall. Mt Baker opened November 12 with the deepest opening base in their history (64 inch or 163 cm). Whistler recorded 418 cm from November 1 - 19 and opened November 14.

Pow and Airtime – April 4/5

On Friday the Coquihalla webcam showed lots of snow in the trees, so we drove up to Needle Peak Saturday morning to see for ourselves. And yes, there was fluffy powder, all the way down to the road. Did several runs in the trees to a total of 1100 m in knee-deep pow – maybe last pow for the season? By 1 PM the sun was high enough to hit the north facing slopes on top making the snow sticky, so we packed it in to meet up with the Deimos crew at Mt Woodside. Pete had a stellar flight thermaling up to his personal record height around 1800 m and despite a strong East breeze made it past Harvest Market LZ together with Paddy. I didn’t have so much luck with the thermals and ended up with two shorter flights. Maybe a good thing – Pete reported rather exciting conditions up high.


Yak snowed in again


Pete happy with the conditions




I like it too!






Riverside LZ below Mount Woodside

Needle Peak in Summer - August 24

Due to lots of paragliding (and parawaiting), we haven't done much hiking all summer. Finally the forecast was so bad for the valley that I could convince Pete to leave the wing in the car for one day.


Needle is the highest point to the right



Sampling berries on the way up.


Pete scrambling up the summit block. Flatiron Mt in the back.


On Needle summit. Yak Peak right above my head




You can see the front of dark clouds approaching but we were lucky and got off the granit slaps before it started raining.

Powder Season Starts - January 27

Yeah, back in business! First ski weekend of the year for me. We paid a visit to Needle Peak on the Coquihalla and found hero conditions in the back bowl. Fifteen to twenty centimeters soft fluffy pow on a solid base – lots of fun and good turns.


Looking across Coquihalla Highway


Pete leaving a trail of cold smoke


On the way home after a good days work

I snuck (sneaked?) in a short trip up to Heather Meadows in November the day before I hurt my shoulder. May 28 to November 24 that's less than 6 months without skiing over the summer. Unfortunately I missed the first 2 months of this season - but the snow wasn't that great anyway... or was it?