Conditions Report: Here Comes Winter!

November 17, 2022

Have you had your first ride yet? Lots of people have been sledding in Golden BC this month but it’s still one big dump from being good. That being said, we are going to try to groom Quartz this week so let the winter begin! Things are pretty thin and it’s hard to say that we recommend going out but it really comes down to how badly you want/need it! There’s certainly been a lot of people out in Quartz and there are some honey holes to be had.

Quartz Nov 10, 2023. @TGfG_

Quartz Nov 10, 2022. Rider: Aaron Bernasconi Pic: @TGfG_

MEMBERSHIPS NOW ON SALE

Have you bought your trail pass club membership for the season? It’s the best bang for the buck you can get. Memberships also help us with grants applications by showing how many people are involved, so thanks for supporting.

Travel

TCH-1 Highway

Highway is CLOSED east of Golden until Dec 1. If you’re coming from the east, you’ll have to use the detour via highway 93S and highway 95 : Kicking Horse Canyon Calendar

Quartz Construction: Also worth noting is that there is a significant amount of construction happening right around the turnoff to Quartz Creek. So far the delays have been minimal but they’ve got signs up that say to expect them.

Construction near Quartz turnoff. Nov 10

SNOW AND WEATHER

We wish we had better news here, but it looks like the drought continues for a bit. When it first came, there was snow heights of about 80-105 cms all around Quartz. But it hasn’t snowed significant amounts in over a week and there’s quite a bit of settling that has occurred. On the plus side, there’s a lot of blue sky in the forecast so the views will be A+.

Avalanche

There’s currently no official danger ratings published by Avalanche Canada yet. Don’t forget Av Canada is having a snowmobile raffle fundraiser.

Grooming

We are going to attempt to groom, or least track pack, in Quartz this week. We’re not sure how this is going to work out so please stay in touch on Facebook to get the most up to date info.

Trail Area Conditions Reports

Quartz Creek

Conditions: thin!

Grooms scheduled: none

Fees: $15-$30 once (if) we groom and dependent on how good the trail is.

Parking: Parking on the side of road 1.5km up.

Road: Active gravel pit mining occurring from the 1.5km down. Watch for big trucks and don't block their way

Additional notes:

Active mining taking place at from the 1.5km.

There’s a new drying rack up at the cabin. Thanks to Golden Snowmobile Rentals for installing it.

New drying rack is being installed at the cabin

Quartz Cabin Nov 10, 2022

Gorman Lake

Conditions: unreported

Grooms scheduled: none

Fees: $0

Parking: no info

Road: no info

Additional notes: not recommended.

Silent Pass

Conditions: N/A

Grooms scheduled: none

Fees: N/A

Parking: not sure.

Road: active logging up to 30km on FSR

Additional notes: Canfor is actively logging in the area and that’s about all we know. More info next week.

East Quartz

Conditions: unreported

Grooms scheduled: N/A

Fees: $0

Parking: As per Quartz,

Road: N/A

Old Man

Conditions: unreported

Grooms scheduled: N/A

Fees: $0

Parking: At Quartz Creek upper lot

Road: N/A

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:

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.