Feb 18, 2016 – Golden BC Snowmobile Conditions and Conditions Report

Almost 50cm is on deck for this week so get to Golden! The snow is holding out up high and staying persevered, and the mild temps down in town are making it feel like spring; this winter is turning out to be an epic one. There has been some brisk winds up high forming wind slabs that are causing a bit of a problem, a couple small slides were kicked off on Holt creek and with the new storms rolling in this week the wind slab problem will be compounded. www.avalanche.ca is your best bet for staying on top of avalanche conditions.

There is a bit of an unwritten courtesy rule between sled skiers and sledders: if a group of skiers or snowboarders is in an area, there is no need to highmark above them or sled on their runs. There is plenty of terrain for everyone to ride and not interfere with each other, and the snowboard/ski runs are pretty small in comparison to the entire area that can be sledded in.

Grooming and Fee Schedule

Grooming is staying top shelf thanks to the hard work from Fast Cat grooming, the warm temps can be hard on equipment and the trail doesn’t stay whoop free for long, but SledGolden is committed to the best grooming we are capable of.

The grooming and fee collection schedule is as follows:

Quartz Creek
Grooms scheduled: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (evenings).
Fees: Everyday  ($25/rider)

Firewood for the Quartz creek cabin is in the trailer on the opposite side from the outhouse; the axe, hatchet, and chopping block are all on the deck. Thank you to everyone that has been lending a hand and cleaning snow off the deck and keeping the cabin tidy. The cabin is for everyone to enjoy and because of its remote location in the backcountry, maintenance and repairs are more difficult to organize than a building in town. The cleaner the cabin in Quartz is kept the better our chances will be for getting permission to build a cabin in Gorman. Oops, did we just let the cat out of the bag?

Gorman Lake

One of the best areas for late starts to a day of sledding around Golden is Gorman Lake riding area; its close proximity to town makes it perfect for the days you feel like sleeping in or you have to stop and pick something up from the sled shop before you head out. If you plan on heading to Golden from Calgary early Saturday morning and still want to ride, you can still get a full day in at Gorman even if you show up at the parking lot at 11. Or if you want to head home early on Sunday, an early start at Gorman ensures you will have first dibs at the freshly groomed trail and can be back to town before dark to gas up and head back home.

Grooms Thursday, Saturday (evenings).
Fees: Thursday-Monday ($25/rider)
Parking is at the 3.5km.

The road up to 3.5km parking lot has been very icey lately. It is scheduled to be graded down to the gravel on Feb 18.

Silent Pass
Grooms  Thursday (afternoon), Saturday (evening)
Fees: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday  ($25/rider)
Parking is just past the 45 km turn off to Mcmurdo Creek

Please call your radio markers.

West Bench Trail
Last groomed Feb. 12th
Fees are paid at Gorman and Quartz toll booths.

Susan Lake
Groomed Thursday Jan 28.
No Fees

BlaeBerry
Groomed Wednesday Feb 3.
No Fees

Support Our Sponsors

If you want to stay out late and fraternize, sleep in and get a crack of noon start to sledding, the Riverhouse Tavern is a great place to negotiate a head splitting, debilitating hangover. They also have a great food menu featuring the best donair in town and kids are allowed till 10 pm.