Conditions Report: Winter Wonderland

December 15, 2021

Is it Christmas yet? It sure feels festive out there with all this snow we’ve had! What a great week it’s been for sledding in Golden. We’ve officially been open for over a month now – hard to believe it’s not even ‘officially’ winter yet! While other riding areas have been lacking in snowfall, we’ve been lucky to be enjoying lots of the white stuff! It is deep and fresh out there so there’s not much to complain about (except for parking!).

Photo: Monica Rosenberg / Rider: Ben Cote / Dec 12, 2021 Quartz Creek, BC

Thanks again for everyone’s patience while we wait out the logging situation at Quartz Creek. We are back parking at the 9km, but there is a decent amount of space up there for trucks. In case you haven’t heard already, taking a trailer up there isn’t the best option, so leave it behind if you can!

Reminders, make sure you have a VHF radio with you and call your kilometers. The Quartz road is narrow so the Gate Staff will hold back vehicles when logging trucks are coming down the road.

Silent and Gorman are in great shape! That new parking lot at the 31k up the Silent Road has been getting RAVE REVIEWS. Go check it out 😉

Snow and Weather

The accumulation this past week has been steady and the conditions are awesome. What more can we say? There are still a few hazards lurking but they are quickly fading with the consistent snowfall. There’s not a ton of snow in the forecast this week, but we should see a bit of a refresh on Saturday if we are lucky! There’s still lots of good riding to be found in the trees and meadows above 2000m.

Avalanche

Don’t forget to check the avalanche bulletin before you go out each day. Golden is in the Purcells region on Avalanche.ca. Always remember to take your backcountry gear with you, including shovel, probe and transceiver! If you haven’t taken an AST 1 course yet, check out our website and find a provider that fits your style.

Conditions are constantly changing out there so always watch for recent avalanche activity, especially this weekend as we get more precipitation!

Spring Swag Giveaway | Been out for a rip lately? We’d love to hear from you! Consider sharing your insta-worthy adventure with our online community! Submit your BEST photos to media@snowmobilegolden.com. Your photo submission will qualify you for a ballot in our Spring swag bag giveaway!

SledGolden Swag | When picking up a pass at one of our gates, treat yourself to some SledGolden swag! We’ve got tuques, tees, hoodies & more available for purchase at our gates!

Old Man?!

Been waiting for Old Man to get a groom?!

Well, you’re in luck; It’s ready for ya! This photo was taken during the inaugural trip, so go get it! The groomer will be heading back up to the 9km parking zone to take care of the Quartz trail, but feel free to check out a new zone if you’ve never been out there before. It’s worth the trip.

Trail Area Conditions Reports

Quartz Creek

Conditions: Excellent early season. Logging will continue into this week at Quartz,

Grooms scheduled: As necessary! And when avalanche danger permits.

Fees: $25

Parking: Parking at the 9km mine area unless otherwise notified by Gate Attendant.

Road: Graded and plowed. Travel with trailers is not recommended during the logging.

Additional notes: Great conditions at Quartz, lots of parking midweek. Weekends can get pretty hectic in the 9k quartz lots right now. If you can get by without a trailer on the weekends, please do!

Gorman Lake

Conditions: Great riding in the upper bowls

Grooms scheduled: As needed and as permitted by the Avalanche tech!

Fees: $25

Parking: Parking lot plowed at the 3k.

Road: Road is in great shape!

Additional notes: Keep it tight up there with the parking! There’s quite a bit of space but please “park smart” to make it work for everyone. Appreciate it!

Silent Pass

Conditions: Great shape and there haven't been too many people there yet...shhh

Grooms scheduled: As needed

Fees: $25

Parking: Canfor has built us a nice parking lot at the 31k, so please use it!

Road: Road is being graded and plowed regularly. Currently not being logged, but will be in the New Year.

Old Man

Conditions: Good early season

Grooms scheduled: As needed

Fees: $25

Parking: Quartz Creek main parking lot at the highway.

Road: N/A

Additional notes: Old Man got groomed Wednesday! Go get after it!

Westbench Trail

Conditions: No information yet

Grooms scheduled: None

Fees: No fees

Parking: unknown

Road: n/a

Additional notes: Westbench will remain under construction for the entirety of the 21/22 season. Due to this, the trail will not be able to be ridden from Gorman to Quartz or vice versa. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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.