Generally, the further west down the Columbia valley one travels, the more snow you will find; the further east down the valley, there are more sunny days. Golden is smack dab in the middle of the delicate balance between sun and snow. The cold weather blowing from the Rockies in the Yoho Valley keeps temps cold, the sun out, and the snow light and dry throughout the season. Golden is all about having the best of both worlds.
With the first powder turns of the year made this week, I can’t help to wonder if the bike season in Golden is truly over. Only in the last few days has the transition from fall to winter started to happen. While the snowpack in the alpine has started to provide some excellent skiing, the trails in the valley remained in great shape. Spring and Fall are my two favourite seasons around here when I can ski, bike, and kayak all in the same day.
The Now and the Future
Golden is sandwiched between two impressive mountain ranges, so there’s no doubt that amazing Alpine trail running is a “thing...” and only getting better.
The current alpine running options are primarily focused in the Purcell Mountains, to the west of Golden and based from Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The resort does not currently permit “uphill traffic” during summer operations on the resort trails for safety reasons (downhill mountain bikers and a grizzly bear refuge) so you can access the alpine with a quick gondola ride.
Here in Golden BC we have the good fortune to live amidst three great rivers.
Sometimes the road ends before the destination; this is where you leave your car or truck behind and the adventure begins. Logging and mining roads wash out, get reclaimed, bridges get pulled out, or the road gets forgotten and overgrown. Sometimes the best backcountry hiking and camping spots are kept hidden due to closed or roads not navigable by car or truck and are accessible by ATV only.
Trail running just got even better!
While there are literally hundreds of kilometers of every possible trail running option in Golden, we also have a secret weapon... six national parks located within an hour of our little mountain mecca: Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho, Glacier and Mt. Revelstoke.
If you are lucky enough to be young and or on vacation, summer can be the best time of the year. For those of us who have learned the harsh reality of being an adult, summer isn’t as free and easy. That’s why every now and again when the weekend comes along; I make sure to have a lazy day. It gives me a chance to toodle around and enjoy my hometown, while using as little energy as possible. My kinda day!
Did you know that the wolf is a keystone species, holding an extremely crucial and unique place in our ecosystem? Were you aware that it’s usually only the Alpha pairs in wolf packs that reproduce, and that they are typically monogamous? Or that the wolf hierarchy itself includes a Beta role and also an Omega one? And that wolves can eat 20% of their body weight in a single meal – which is kinda like scarfing back 80 quarter pounders in a single sitting?
At the end of my first Single Track 6, two years ago, I swore that I would train differently for the next time. I would start earlier, spend more time on the road bike, do more winter spinning, eat less bacon, drink less beer. But, of course life gets in the way and bacon remains irresistible. Ski season this year didn’t end for me until the end of May, so I find myself cramming in the training once again.
Our athlete ambassador Shane Kroeger is back to compete in Singletrack 6 again this year. He will be writing a series of blogs about the preparation needed to race this multiday, cross-country event in Golden and the East Kootenays.