Conditions Report: Challenging Times
Sledding in Golden has been enjoyable in the past week but there’s also a lot going on and SledGolden has had its hands full managing all sorts of things.
Silent Pass – Dec 4 | Rider: Brandon Wiesener | Photo: Tim Grey
There’s public health travel advisories, there’s still active mining in Gorman, the Silent Pass trail got partly ruined by a truck with chains and the parking lot is now at the 30km, Oldman has seen a groomer and Quartz is full of beginners who apparently have no clue. Please keep reading to find out more and how you can be a part of the solution.
Conditions
Sledding conditions continue to be quite good in the Golden area. All zones received a nice reset of snow this week as anywhere from 20-30 cms fell on Monday and Tuesday. Many locals were worried about how reactive this new snow would be as it fell on a significant layer of surface hoar crystals from drought like conditions the previous 8 days. This continues to be a concern that should be watched closely. The possibility to enjoy the new snow and to operate safely is achievable right now but there’s also concerns. We’re still calling it ‘early season’ which means that creeks can be open, stumps aren’t that deep and what’s white might not be after you roll over it. We urge you to error on the cautious side for mountain travel.
Snow and Weather
Looks like we’re in for a mixed bag of weather that will trend on the cooler side. It’s possible you might get an amazing sunny moment followed by a complete white out 15 mins later. There’s not a lot of snow in the forecast. It’s also likely that the temps will feel cooler than they are when the wind picks up. Riding in the morning or evening on shaded trails can lead to frostbite quickly as it’s cold at valley bottom.
Avalanche
We want to spend an extra amount of time on this section this week. We’ve been notified by several long term members this week who are concerned by the increase in sketchy behaviours occurring in zones accessed by SledGolden trails. To be honest, it sounds like a shit show out there and SledGolden wants to do as much as we can to promote safe backcountry .
Thursday Dec 10, there is an online webinar by Avalanche Canada specifically for snowmobilers.
You need to pre register https://www.avalanche.ca/events/choosing-terrain-for-snowmobilers-webinar
Are you new to the backcountry?
Check out Avy Savvy, a newly launched program designed to be a precursor to the Avalanche Canada Training program.
Two factors worth noting about mountain safety this year are:
We are seeing an increase of new backcountry users and many are not experienced in mountain safety. It’s reported some of these people are not willing to learn and are acting dangerously.
There is a deficit of avalanche input information this year due to the fact that many commercial ski and snowboard operations are not operating due to COVID.
What this means is that you must be extra vigilant for your safety, the safety of your riding partners and the safety of everybody else riding around you. You might think you’re super rad and don’t care if you’re in a slide… but the fact of the matter is that slide that you’re in, or you trigger, is likely going to take out lots of other people on a busy day. Then what? We’re all in the backcountry together and that means taking a little extra time to think about what your actions will do to others. Many will lament that some of our zones are “not like they used to be,” and that may be the case. A big thing right now is to make sure you’re aware of all the other people operating around you: above, below etc…
As always, we ask that you check https://www.avalanche.ca/ for all updated avalanche forecasts.
Also, we feel the need to point out that SledGolden is not an avalanche forecasting body and it is beyond our legal reach to make avalanche forecasts or advisories. We always urge caution, we have an active beacon checker at the Quartz trailhead, there’s safety signage at our trailheads and we always recommend you to check Avalanche.ca, which is a legal avalanche forecasting organization. Further than that, we just want to say that absolutely no one involved in SledGolden wants a mountain safety accident in Golden. We take safety seriously but it’s your responsibility to do so too. That may mean taking a course, being more aware of others, hiring a guide, or posting media of your adventures that doesn’t lead others astray. We really are in this together. Let’s all do our part.
COVID Protocol:
Just in case you didn’t know, the latest orders, restrictions and advisories for COVID 19 are here for both BC and Alberta
AB: https://www.alberta.ca/enhanced-public-health-measures.aspx
The club has posted our COVID protocols here
Please advise yourself and abide by all provincial public health advisories. Sled Golden has a strong contingent of local members and we are focusing on serving them.
Trail Area Conditions Reports
Quartz Creek
Gorman Lake
Silent Pass
East Quartz
Old Man
Westbench Trail
Silent Pass Road & Parking
Last Saturday some asshat decided it was a good idea to chain up and pin it on the groomed trail all the way to the 47km. This made a huge mess of expensive grooms we put in and ruined the trail for hundreds of people…sigh… We can almost understand the challenge of the mission but honestly, that was seriously selfish…
The loggers working west of the 27 km point have asked us to please NOT park at the 27km. We’ve made a good turn around at the 30 km mark but ask that people do NOT park in the turn around.
Reminder, give loggers the right of way. Call your KMs on your VHF radio! Channel RR-3
