A snow squall over peaks of the Golden Ears Ranges near sunset – viewed from south Langley near High Point Estates.
A few years ago I found a new spot in the southern part of Langley, British Columbia (near High Point Estates) to view the mountains to the north. Mount Blanshard (The Golden Ears) is the most prominent from here, as it is from most of Langley. Mount Robie Reid (right) is also frequently seen from various parts of Langley and Abbotsford. I waited until there was a good snowfall on the peaks and photographed the scene in February of 2022. Unfortunately, it was about -5°C and very windy so my large lens acted a bit like a sail and I wasn’t able to get any sharp images. This year I went back after a good snowfall in the mountains with much more success. Some of the snow I’d seen earlier in the day on the lower elevations had melted, but there was still some snow sticking on this evening in late March.
The panorama above shows a snow squall dumping some fresh powder during some sunset light on the Golden Ears Ranges (part of the Garabaldi Ranges) peaks, to the left of Mount Blanshard. To the right of Blanshard is a smaller peak called “The Defendant” (1884m / 6181ft), and then Mount Judge Howay (2262m / 7421ft) peeking out to the left of Mount Robie Reid (2095m / 6873ft). I was hoping for some interesting clouds but wasn’t counting on a snow squall like this. I watched it move westward, behind Mount Blanshard, and then get into a nice position just as some subtle sunset light warmed the colors up a bit.
The Golden Ears at sunset as seen from south Langley (Purchase)
I made a number of panoramas here as the scene was perfect for it, but I also made a few “mountain portrait” style photos of some of the individual peaks. First up, Mount Blanshard aka the Golden Ears in the photograph above. I have many photographs of this mountain, from the south (Langley/Maple Ridge), the east (Port Coquitlam), and the west (Golden Ears Provincial Park). I like this view as I’m able to show more of the mountain itself than I am when I am a bit closer. From this vantage point I’m actually about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Blanshard.
This next photo is mostly of Mount Robie Reid, but there is a bit of the more abrupt Mount Judge Howay showing up to the left of Mt. Robie Reid.
Mount Robie Reid and Mount Judge Howay (Purchase)
The photograph below shows some peaks in the Chehalis Ranges with some nice sunset light on them. These are photographed from the same spot as the photos above, but they are approximately 70km (44mi) from that location. I was lucky to have some really clear air on this particular evening! Peaks here include Mount Clarke (2159m / 7083ft), Stonerabbit Peak (1858m / 6096ft), Mount Ratney (1967m / 6453ft), and Mount Bardean (1926m / 6319ft).
Chehalis Range peaks including Mount Clark, Stonerabbit Peak, and Mount Ratney (Purchase)
For more mountain photographs please visit my Mountain Photos Gallery.
