Conditions Report: Low Hanging Fruit
Quartz Feb 15, 2023
Quartz on Feb 15
Lang Feb 14 2023 @TGFG_
Riley Suhan Backcountry Race
Registration is OPEN for the 4th Annual Riley Suhan Backcountry race 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
We’ve received 40-50 cms in the past week and there’s 14cm in the forecast. The snow has been high quality because of the cooler temps. There has been quite a bit of wind so the alpine is a bit touched and the cornices are large and dangerous. There’s a mix of sun and clouds coming up.
Avalanche
Please make sure you check Avalanche.ca everyday you ride.
“The best way to manage a complex snowpack like the one in this region is to stick to smaller, low consequence terrain. Don’t let your guard down as large persistent and deep persistent slab avalanches are still being reported every two or three days.” – copy and pasted from Avalanche.ca on Feb 16.
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.
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.
All the low hanging fruit got a good reset this week. Time to pluck a ripe one off the vine.
Gorman Lake
It’s a thin year in Gorman area. The tree line and below hold the most snow. There was some wild wind this week but it’s deep where it’s loaded.
DFD warming cabin has been installed.
Silent Pass
Silent is 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
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.
