Trail Conditions in Golden BC

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country

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Author	Message

BlackCrowe

Posted: Apr 26, 2009 at 14:02

Quote

Golden, BC is in the midst of a mountain biking renaissance. I've never seen so many bikes around town. Some of you may know me from my connection to the downhill scene at Kicking Horse, but I'm also an avid xc enthusiast. And, to put all my cards on the table, I also work for Tourism Golden, so I have a professional motive to entice bikers to this mountain town.
So I thought I would start a thread where I could let you know how the xc trails are doing, and others could post to give their opinions.
Yesterday (April 26) I went out to the Moonrakers for the first time this season, hoping the snow was all gone from this western bench trail network. Oh my god, it was amazing. The trails are in fantastic shape: dry but tacky, perfect temperature and no bugs. We rode Arrowhead, Moonraker and Wapiti Ridge. We avoided the more shaded trails like Cedar Snag and Northstar, suspecting they would still be moist. But after seeing what we saw, I suspect even those trails are good to go. And the weather forecast for this week is all sun!
Meanwhile, across the valley on the sunny side, at the base of Mt.7, an insane network of new trails is opening up. We have been riding there for almost three weeks already. I'm hesitant at the moment to go into too much detail as there are some land access issues that are unclear, but if you contact me directly I'll give you the lowdown. I'll keep you up-to-date on developments. These trails are so good I want to cry, except it is hard to steer with tears in my eyes.
Have a great Spring!

BlackCrowe

Posted: Apr 27, 2009 at 20:54	Quote
April 27: Rode Northstar today. There was a bit of snow and a few minor puddles near the north end. Also a couple of trees across the trail, but I suspect those will be cleared away by this weekend. Otherwise it rode great. Heard my first loon of the season as we passed by a lake. What a beautiful sound. I was feeling a bit tight until that then I loosened up and enjoyed a great ride.

crosscheck

Posted: Apr 27, 2009 at 21:05	Quote
Ah, you're killing us! Here in Calgary we are bracing for more snow and freezing temperatures. You should drop a note in the Alberta trail condition thread as the boys in there are bouncing off the walls waiting for the snow to melt. Happy Trails!

BlackCrowe

Posted: Apr 27, 2009 at 21:13	Quote
Good call. Thanks for the heads up. See you out here!

foxrider7

Posted: Apr 27, 2009 at 21:31	Quote
Mt7 is heaven

downhill101

Posted: Apr 27, 2009 at 21:34	Quote
so how far up mt.7 can you ride now? we were their a couple weeks ago and only up to the 3k mark was dry

freeride661

Posted: Apr 27, 2009 at 23:47	Quote
oh god I can can't wait to get out there this summer on my new rocky! I hate snow I just won't leave here I'm edmonton it's snowed everyday for the past 5 days then it stops @ about 6 I would kill to b out there right now

pinkrobe

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 8:00	Quote
My wife and I were thinking of heading to Nelson or Kamloops near the end of May, but it's starting to sound like we won't have to drive so far.

BlackCrowe

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 13:53

Quote

downhill101 wrote:

so how far up mt.7 can you ride now? we were their a couple weeks ago and only up to the 3k mark was dry

Not sure. Must be good to 10k by now. But those are DH trails and this is a XC thread.

w-e-w

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 13:57	Quote
thanks for starting this thread blackcrowe.. i haven't tried the xc in golden, i'll keep an eye on conditions here!

devonvig

O+

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 14:09	Quote
Where could I get an XC trail map for the Golden area? I'll be there quite a bit this summer and it would be nice to ride something other than Mt. 7 and Kicking Horse (as great as they may be). Thanks

trevorwg

O+

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 14:40	Quote
Right here: http://www.tourismgolden.com/activities/summer/biking

BlackCrowe

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 14:45	Quote
You can also pick up a FREE map of all the trails (well, all the ones on the map anyway) at the various bike shops and the visitor centre at the top of the hill off the highway before you drop down onto the valley bottom. Did I mention FREE? And that they are AWESOME?

downhill101

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 at 16:40

Quote

BlackCrowe wrote:

downhill101 wrote:

so how far up mt.7 can you ride now? we were their a couple weeks ago and only up to the 3k mark was dry

Not sure. Must be good to 10k by now. But those are DH trails and this is a XC thread.

ya sorry i didn't see the xc part until after i posted

BlackCrowe

Posted: Apr 29, 2009 at 21:17

Quote

April 29: was riding the XC trails on Mt.7 today. Still in excellent shape, but definitely becoming dusty on the sun-exposed ridges. We are in need of rain here. Where are the April showers? Sure to come I suppose. But the dusty sections are pretty minor in the overall picture.
These trails are so different in character to the Moonraker trails. Where the Moonrakers are mostly fast and flowy, the Mt.7 network is much more technically demanding. They are such a great contrast to the 'rakers. Challenging climbs, fast descents, rolling cross-country. Great variety.
So pray for rain. Many of these trails are brand-spankin' and need to be tapped down before the rocks begin to emerge.
One more thing: if you come and enjoy these or any trails in Golden, please make a contribution or join the Golden Cycling Club at http://www.goldencyclingclub.com/
We rode until 9:30 tonight!

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