Conditions Report: Deep and Sketchy

Golden has seen heavy snow and big temp fluctuations this past week and often these two make for a sporty combination.  There’s currently a SPAW (special public avalanche warning) out for Interior BC (till January 2), that you’re going to want to take special note of. All 3 of our staging areas are operating and the grooming staff has been doing a great job keeping the trails flat in the warm conditions. Temps should cool this week coming up and there’s lots of people enjoying great rides out there; the key is to play it safe.
Keep reading to hear more about sledding in Golden this week.

Enjoying some sun and pow!

Deep snow in Quartz on Dec 26, 2022

Travel

TCH-1 Highway

Highway is OPEN east of Golden. Looks like there are no stoppages between Dec 22 and Jan 3. It’s always good to check : Kicking Horse Canyon Calendar 

SNOW AND WEATHER

Golden had approximately half a metre of snow in the last week, which has made things a lot better for riding. The conditions are pretty good as long as you stay in the main areas but if you cut anything off the beaten path, it can still be really rocky and there’s still lots of stumps around.

The temps seem to be cooling for the week coming up so that should stabilize the snow a bit.

Avalanche

This week there is a SPAW out from Avalanche.ca for our area. Please make sure you check  Avalanche.ca  everyday you ride.

“The recent storm and subsequent weather conditions have destabilized a weak snowpack.

A prolonged cold and dry start to the winter created a number of persistent weak layers in the snowpack across the interior ranges of BC. The recent storm and warming temperatures have now destabilized that weak snowpack, making large, human-triggered avalanches likely.

The storm cycles that hit western Canada over the past weekend added significant snow on top of an exceptionally weak lower snowpack. This has brought the conditions to a tipping point where dangerous avalanches are likely.

While avalanche danger ratings may start to decrease as the weather improves, there will still be a chance of triggering a large avalanche.

Making conservative terrain choices can help manage this risk. Sticking to lower angle slopes and choosing smaller objectives that minimize the consequences of an avalanche are examples of how to reduce the risk. ”

 

Grooming

Grooming operations for all 3 staging areas Quartz, Gorman and Silent are in full swing for the Holiday season. Grooms are scheduled as needed. The DFD mobile warming cabin has been placed in Gorman on Dec 8.

We’re going to try to get Oldman and East Quartz done next week.

Trail Area Conditions Reports

Quartz Creek

Conditions: Deep in spots, still a bunch of hazards underneath.
Grooms scheduled: Regularly / As needed. Wed/Fri/Sun
Fees: $30
Parking: At main lot - Trucks in the upper west, Trailers in the upper lots to the east.
Road: groomed
Additional notes:

Quartz is  fully operational. Regular grooming to the cabin is occurring. Day tickets will be sold and passes checked 7 days a week.

Lots of traffic over the holiday season.

Gorman Lake

Conditions: still thin but getting better
Grooms scheduled: Friday
Fees: $30
Parking: 3.5km lots
Road: Watch for ice spots
Additional notes: DFD warming cabin has been installed on Dec 8. Very thin snowpack.

Silent Pass

Conditions: Powder and packed powder
Grooms scheduled: Thursday/Saturday - as required
Fees: $30
Parking: 31km - leave room for large trailers to turn around.
Road: active logging on road.

East Quartz

Conditions: Early season but doable
Grooms scheduled: next week
Fees: $30 as per Quartz
Parking: Main Quartz
Road: N/A
Additional notes: The road to East Quartz has not yet been groomed this season but several groups have been up there. We’re hoping to get it done next week.

Old Man

Conditions: unreported
Grooms scheduled: next week
Fees: $0
Parking: At Quartz Creek upper lot
Road: N/A
Additional notes: We hope this new snow will allow us to push into Old Man next week.

Westbench Trail

Conditions: not passable
Grooms scheduled: N/A
Fees: $0
Parking: Gorman or Quartz
Road: N/A
Additional notes: not open at this time

Grooming Map

The map below is linked to the safety InReaches we have in our groomers and we have been able to make the tracks public.  How to use the map: (works on Chrome but may not work on Safari. iPhones may or may not work properly)

  • Press on the + next to the groomer/zone you want the latest information for.
  • Once the line is visible, press on the line to see the date & time the groomer was last in action.

This map only shows the most recent groom. You can inquire at any of our trailheads for additional grooming information, including number of riders since the last groom.

Weather & Avalanche Conditions

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