Feb 23, 2017 Golden BC Snowmobile Conditions

February 23, 2017

It’s pretty good in Golden right now for snowmobiling. We’ve had between 30-40 cms of snow this week. There’s been some great days out and there’s still some powder to be had. The temps have cooled things down but it’s felt like spring is knocking on the door this week.

Breaking in to Zippermouth creek. photo @ColinsPlanet

Snow Beta

We had 36cms reported at KHMR over the week. The best snow is sitting in the trees where alpine winds and lower elevation warming have not effected things as much.

Kicking Horse Resort snow report on Feb 23.

The lower elevations have seen the largest temperature fluctuations as of late and it’s mostly crusty below 1800M (5,900ft).

Avalanche Conditions

Please always check Avalanche.ca for the latest updates.

Avalanche.ca avalanche forecast on Feb 23, 2017 for the Purcell mountains.

Weather

There’s not a lot of snow in the forecast but there is some cold temps. Do a dance for the sun as it may be hit or miss with the giant yellow orb in the sky this week.

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Travel and Active Forest Road Safety

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Highways haven’t been too bad this week. Please travel with care. Check out DriveBC for current conditions.

Logging Road Travel

There have been numerous incidents in the last couple of years between logging trucks and snowmobilers. Please read the following guidelines and watch the video we made.

When entering onto an active logging road proceed with extreme caution.
Never attempt to pass a logging truck. If it pulls over, it is most likely preparing to meet another truck.
Every log truck has radio communication. If you do not have a radio, you are safest to follow behind a log truck and it will call your position for you.
If using a radio, call your kilometre locations and indicate whether you are traveling â€˜upâ€™ or â€˜downâ€™ .
Always call your location when starting out from the parking lot, starting onto a new road and at the â€˜must callâ€™ signs.
Always yield the right-of-way to logging trucks.
There are many wide spots along the way. Anticipate the location of the loaded truck and pull into a wide spot before you meet and wait for the truck to pass.
When pulling over into a wide spot, park as far up as possible to leave room behind you for others.

Looking to buy a VHF radio so you can communicate properly on forest roads? Please call Alpine IT in Golden BC.

Riding Areas

Quartz Creek

Conditions: Powder and packed powder up high. Icey down low.
Grooms scheduled: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday evenings (Fridays and Wednesdays, if needed).
Fees: Everyday ($25/rider).
Parking: Parking lot will be cleared as needed. Lots of room for enclosed trailers. Portable toilets in parking lots.
Propane and firewood have both been restocked in upper cabin. Please use conservatively.

Gorman Lake

Conditions: Powder, wind effected powder. Icey down low.
Grooms scheduled: Thursdays and Saturdays
Fees: Everyday ($25/rider).
Parking: 3.5km lower lot. There’s plenty room for enclosed trailers.
Road: Road is being regularly sanded but not graded. It’s very icey in the morning and evenings even if we sand it. We’ve had 3 trucks off the road on the Dogtooth FSR (Gorman Lake access) this year. Gorman is a steep, winding, mountain road with big exposure off the sides. By the time you realize you’re going too fast, it’s too late. The smart driver pops it in the 1st gear and lets their engine do the breaking.

Silent Pass

THE ROAD HAS BEEN CLEARED! We’ve had some issues with the quality of the road into Silent Pass this month due to a huge winter storm and the early pull out of the logging interests in the area. We paid for a road clearing on Feb 22 and our regular groomer should be able to maintain the road from now on.

Conditions: Powder. Incredible in spots. Icey down low.
Grooms scheduled: Thursdays (Saturdays if required)
Fees: Everyday ($25/rider).
Parking: Parking is about 100m after the McMurdo turn off at 46.5km. Try not to box anyone in. NO PARKING on the main road on weekdays please.
Road: Road is in good condition as we graded it on Feb 22.

Please watch our road safety video.

West Bench Trail

Conditions: Groomed all the way from Gorman to Quartz on Thursday, Feb 23, 2017
Grooms scheduled: As needed
Fees: Everyday ($25/rider) payable at Gorman or Quartz trailhead.
Parking: Park at Gorman or Quartz parking lot.

Mt. 7

Groomed on Jan 28, 2017 to the main paragliding launch. It’s snowed since but the conditions remain good.