Sasquatch ski area (Hemlock)

What a day!  Lots of ups and downs! But it ended up great!  Sasquatch is definitely worth visiting. It's a pity few people know about it, because it is relatively close to the US border, only about an hour from the Sumas border crossing.

Sasquatch was known as the Hemlock ski area until just a couple of years ago, but the name Sasquatch is not new to the area.  There is also a Sasquatch Inn and some other businesses with that name.  The ski area is located approximately half way between the towns of Abbotsford and Hope, but you cannot access it directly from some point on the Highway 5 freeway that is half way between those two.  The best access is either from Abbotsford or from Hope.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, this ski area - like so many others in British Columbia - has a small village at its base.  In this case, it is not a village with shops and restaurants, but there are a number of condos and also what appears to be some private homes.

The two main lifts serve two adjacent hills.  A triple chair serves mostly blue (intermediate) trails as well as some tree skiing.  A double chair serves the more advanced hill that offers mostly advanced, black diamond terrain and lots and lots of tree skiing.  There are also 2 shorter beginner lifts. And there is even night skiing on certain days of the week, but the night skiing is mainly on the beginner terrain.

The total vertical is 1,300 feet.  That is about 50% more vertical than Anthony Lakes. Plus, Sasquatch has two hills, not just one.   I am comparing it to Anthony Lakes, Oregon, simply because our ski club has skied at A-Lakes so many times, so we can use it as a point of reference and comparison. 

My day began on a gloomy note. It had rained all night and it was still raining when I started from Abbotsford.  It rained almost all the way to the ski area, with a temperature of 41ºF.  I thought the lifts might not even operate this day because of the rain.  But then, within the last 12 - 15 miles, the road starts climbing at a steep and relentless pitch.  Good thing it was relatively warm, because this road could be dangerous if it was icy.

The temperature started dropping rapidly during those last few miles, almost a degree per mile. Within the last 2 miles before reaching the ski area, the rain had turned to snow.  At the main parking lot, it was 32º and snowing.   And there were already about 20 cars in the parking lot.  It was a rainy Friday, so there were no crowds.  Still, by about noon, the number of cars in the parking lot had doubled.

There were 3 - 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground, so even the groomed trails were covered with snow that kept falling all night.  It was wonderful.  One of my powder runs was particularly joyful and memorable. It was on a trail called "Bigfoot".  That was one of the highlights of the day, leaving my signature in all that fresh powder!  All my runs were in powder, but this one was somehow more joyful than the others.

Not far from "Bigfoot" is a trail called "Big Dog", a black diamond.  I am not mistaken, because I took a picture of the trail's name.  But when I consulted the trail map, that trail wasn't there!  Hmmm! A mystery worthy of a ski area named after another mystery - the big hairy guy himself!

Most of the day, I had a feeling that someone was watching me.  And then I finally came across the big guy!  Not only were his feet big.  He also has very large hands!

Here I am, blissfully unaware that Sasquatch is right behind me!

After lunch, unfortunately, the temperature had warmed up just a tad, from 32º to 33º, and that tiny difference was enough to turn the snow into rain, at least at the base.  So, suddenly, I felt simply too wet.  It was time to get in the car and drive to Hope, where I'll spend the night.  Tomorrow, I'll visit Manning Park ski area, which already has a lot more snow than Sasquatch does.

I would recommend Sasquatch ski area to anyone, especially if you are a powder skier.  On a good powder day, Sasquatch offers some amazing skiing.