Conditions Report: Spring Daze
Milking the late evening light to get one more jump in. March 19
Spring turns on March 19.
Evening light is the best. Run turns on March 19.
Riley Suhan Backcountry Race
Only 9 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 44 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
It has been mostly blue bird skies this past week and not a lot of snow fell. This week coming up it looks like 19cms in is in the forecast and a mix of sun and cloud.
The sledding has been excellent and there have been many high fives thrown. Look for this to continue for the week to come.
March 14 in Quartz
Avalanche
Please make sure you check Avalanche.ca everyday you ride.
The alpine continues to be the main area of concern.
“Danger ratings have declined but the inherently weak and dangerous snowpack structure remains.
A moderate rating reflects the possibility of large, high-consequence human-triggered avalanches. Remain diligent in your terrain selection by avoiding steep, rocky, wind-affected terrain and choosing small, low-consequence features.” – copy and pasted from Avalanche.ca on Mar 23
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.
Spring afternoons mean there may be some grooming restrictions due to increased avalanche danger but our grooming crews are working around these as best they can.
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 got groomed last on March 16.
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.
road for first 1km. expect it to be plowed for trucks and groomed on the other side.
parking lot looking good on March 14
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.
Avalanche activity in Gorman on March 11
pow in Gorman on March 11
DFD warming cabin has been installed.
Silent Pass
Silent has a lot of good spots left. The main trails have been compacted. It’s deep where no one has been.
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.
Please stop in at the kiosk even if you are not going to be riding Silent.
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.
