Ref: Steven's Peak-Bagging Journey
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This unnamed pull-off is just east of the Zopkios Rest Area.
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Ski
touring: RT 4.0; 2.25 up. Nak
Peak is a popular ski tour in the Coquihalla Region. When the
opportunity arose and avalanche hazard was at its lowest, I decided to
venture that way. Ski touring isn't an activity I
typically do solo but I felt okay
doing this trip alone as I trusted snow stability and there was a
strong
possibility of other skiers being present.
Furthermore, this straightforward ski tour is very direct and most
likely the shortest one around. I drove out early morning and made it
to the unnamed pull-out in 2.5 hours; there were already several
vehicles
parked. The weather was nice and I was thrilled to be undertaking my
first ski tour in this area. I followed the obvious uptrack and
gained height fairly quickly. It was great to see these mountains under
a blanket of snow. Higher up, clouds rolled in and it began to snow a
little. I didn't mind, the scenery was just as beautiful with the sun
filtering through the
fast-moving clouds. I stayed at the top for over
half an hour before putting my skis on. The
skiing at treeline was actually very pleasant but I wish there would
have been more freshies on the lower terrain. The loose snow was mostly ankle-deep but near the bottom the
conditions would have been best described as "dust on crust". I really enjoyed Nak
Peak, it is a short tour but far from boring; it's quite steep!
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Very short approach on the cutline.
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Climbing steeply from the get-go.
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Typical terrain.
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Looking back.
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The ascent route I followed veered skier's left to access Nak's western aspect.
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Climbing nice open terrain towards a saddle.
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Yak Peak's double summit behind a highpoint.
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Nak Peak from the saddle.
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It looks like the north side of the saddle could grant a delightful ski down towards Falls Lake.
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Beautiful scenery along the way.
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Yak Peak from higher up.
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Markhor and Needle Peaks across the highway.
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Standing on the summit.
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The sun filters through the cloud layers.
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Yak Peak's 400-meter vertical north face is apparently still unclimbed!
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To the east, Thar Peak is another popular ski tour.
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A bit of fresh snow higher up made skiing enjoyable.
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The summits of Markhor and Needle Peaks remained obscured.
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Powder isn't deep but still nice nonetheless.
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Last decent turns before traversing back on the lower southern slopes.
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