Conditions Report: Golden Hour
Getting some sunny pow on March 8, 2023
Quartz Cabin on March 2
Finding some fresh in the alpine on March 8.
Riley Suhan Backcountry Race
Only 23 sleeps left until the most awesome event in snowmobiling! Registration is OPEN for the 4th Annual Riley Suhan Backcountry race on April 1, 2023. Check the link for more info. Only 50 spots left!
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
We’ve been getting a lot of snow lately and another 30 cms arrived last week. The mountains are generally well coated and it’s full winter conditions for riding. Another 20+ cms is forecast this week and that should fill in some areas even more.
Looks like temps will remain cool, so the snow will stay preserved.
Avalanche
Please make sure you check Avalanche.ca everyday you ride.
The alpine continues to be the main area of concern.
“The snowpack remains weak, requiring users to carefully select conservative terrain for a safe day. Avoid shallow rocky terrain where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin and you are more likely to trigger a large destructive deep persistent slab avalanche.” – copy and pasted from Avalanche.ca on Mar 9
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.
They have plowed a truck lane up to the 1km at Quartz, so people need to stay on the side trail and be aware of any traffic. No public traffic beyond the kiosk.
East Quartz got a pass up to the start of the slidepath, Oldman is getting a pass tomorrow.
Trail Area Conditions Reports
Quartz Creek
Quartz is fully operational. Regular grooming to the cabin is occurring. Day tickets will be sold and passes checked 7 days a week.
The main paths are compacted but there’s some good pockets to be had.
They have plowed a truck lane up to the 1km at Quartz, so people need to stay on the side trail and be aware of any traffic. No public traffic beyond the kiosk.
Gorman Lake
It’s a thin year in Gorman area but it’s starting to feel like normal. The tree line and below hold the most snow. The alpine slopes should be considered very suspect for stability.
DFD warming cabin has been installed.
Silent Pass
Silent has a lot of good spots left. The main trails have been compacted.
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
Old Man
Westbench Trail
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.
