Conditions Report: Game On!

February 9, 2023

We’re happy to report that snowmobile conditions are legitimately awesome in Golden right now. We’ve had 25-35cms of new snow in the past week and there’s 11 more cms in the forecast. Temps remain cool and there’s sun in the forecast. The recommendation is still to stick to low consequence terrain but there’s lots of fresh around so it’s a good time to visit. There’s a new parking pass system at Silent Pass and the Riley Suhan Race sign up is ready!

Keep reading to hear more about sledding in Golden this week.

Feb 7 in Gorman

Night ride into Quartz this week

Riley Suhan Backcountry Race

The 4th Annual Riley Suhan Backcountry race will take place on April 1, 2023. Check the link for more info.

Travel

TCH-1 Highway

Highway 1 is open east of Golden with scheduled stoppages and overnight closures. It’s always good to check : Kicking Horse Canyon Calendar

SNOW AND WEATHER

There’s been some great days this week and the snow is remaining cool with the temps as they are. There is lots of fresh out there that you don’t have to look too hard for right now. Looks like some sun in the forecast so it’s going to be a great weekend.

Avalanche

Please make sure you check Avalanche.ca everyday you ride.

“Persistent slab avalanches continue to be reported in this region. The message remains the same – a complex, and generally weak snowpack is best managed by continuing to stick to lower angled, low consequence terrain.” – copy and pasted from Avalanche.ca on Feb 9.

There have been 5 avalanche deaths this year in Canada. Our thoughts are with those affected and we urge continued and utmost vigilance when riding.

Grooming

Grooming operations for all 3 staging areas Quartz, Gorman and Silent are in full swing with grooms on the main trails scheduled as needed.

Trails are seeing a bit more action with the warm temps and traces of snow, but the guys are keeping them flat:)

Trail Area Conditions Reports

Quartz Creek

Conditions: Fresh snow

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.

All the low hanging fruit got a good reset this week. Game ON!

Gorman Lake

Conditions: Fresh but still rocks

Grooms scheduled: Friday

Fees: $30

Parking: 3.5km lots

Road: Watch for ice spots

Additional notes:

DFD warming cabin has been installed.

Gorman has fresh snow but there’s still rocks that are lurking.

Silent Pass

Conditions: Fresh - really good

Grooms scheduled: Thursday/Saturday - as required

Fees: $30

Parking: 31km - leave room for large trailers to turn around.

Road: active logging on road.

Additional notes:

Silent is pretty good right now.

Please note that the kiosk will now be issuing parking passes for the Silent Pass parking lot. Vehicles in the parking lot will be cross checked with pass purchases to help ensure that we can continue to pay for operations in this area.

Silent Pass Parking

East Quartz

Conditions: Fresh

Grooms scheduled: waiting for avalanche clearance

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 waiting on avalanche clearance to proceed.

Old Man

Conditions: Fresh

Grooms scheduled: Waiting for more snow

Fees: $0

Parking: At Quartz Creek upper lot

Road: N/A

Additional notes: We took the cat up Oldman without the drag but it’s not ready yet for a groom. We will access as we get more snow.

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.