Yak To Nak & Back

Andy Traslin just checked in with this post from a recent adventure...

The Coqhuilla is a great area to check out for anyone living close to Vancouver. The peaks are part of the Coast Mountains but further inland, where it seems to be a little colder on the summits and the snow a bit drier. No logging road approaches, just steep, short & steady climbs to the summits.

We toured up Nak Peak and made quick time. Yak Peak is a short descent down the through the trees. We kept our distance as we traversed the headwall of Yak peak. Yak peak is more know for alpine climbing on the main face, but it was cool to ski off the summit, which I hadn't planned on skiing.

We did a long fall line ski through to the steep trees, which cost us, because the mid day sun had warmed the snow up enough to form a crust. We groveled up from here in deep snow and many kick turns due to the nature of the terrain and low snow. We climbed once more back to the sub peak between Nak and Yak then descended back to the road.

It's a cool link up that doesn't require too much travelling distance.

Skiers: Andy Traslin, Alex Gibbs, Liam Benson

Photos: Andy Traslin, Alex Gibbs

Author: Andy Traslin

My parents got me into skiing and the mountains at a young age. My training followed a traditional ski racing path that progressed to freeriding the front country. It didn’t take long for me to pursue powder stashes and develop a longing to keep going farther and farther to see what would be around the next corner. That, combined with the fact that I like to push myself to the maximum in the mountains and test the limits of my physical abilities, drive me to race. I have been racing in the Pro/Elite category as both a ski mountaineer and mountain biker. Even in non-race mode, every day on the mountain brings out a drive to attain greater distances and speeds in pursuit of steep skiing and speed traverses.