Snowsport expert, Ty Mills, on what makes Golden the ultimate winter destination
From abundant winter snow and well-groomed pistes to wild backcountry terrain, skiing in Golden British Columbia is world class. Local resident Ty Mills goes into more detail.
Surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, Purcell and Selkirk Mountains, Golden is at the heart of winter adventure. This Canadian town's sporty reputation can be traced back to the 1980s and the opening of their local ski resort. In the pecking order of North American ski areas, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is considered a walk on the wild side, revered for its black diamond runs and extreme terrain. Outside the resort, Golden is renowned for its heli-skiing, cat-skiing, guided touring and backcountry lodging.
We speak to long-time resident, Ty Mills, a ski guide with over 20 years’ experience in skiing and mountain lodge operations.
How would you describe Kicking Horse Mountain to a skier who’s never been there?
I would describe it as an awe-inspiring mountain with diverse terrain. People get out at the top of the gondola and their jaws drop at the scenic panoramas, the huge terrain all around them and this sense of being somewhere special. It’s also kind of a quiet place in the sense it doesn’t have all the glitz and glitter of other resorts, so people still come here as a side trip and realise this will become their primary destination.
How does it compare to other resorts you’ve skied in in British Columbia and Canada?
When people get out at the top, they can ski over 4,000 vertical feet. For most, that’s quad-burning material. It’s very rugged alpine terrain with a ton of couloirs (gorges) leading down into gentle bowls. A lot of resorts in British Columbia don’t have that type of terrain.
What’s there for families to do?
Kicking Horse is not necessarily the classic family resort, yet a lot of families come here now and there are plenty of facilities for them. There are fun ski runs at the base of the mountain, tubing parks, magic carpet rides and lots of great ski programmes for young people to participate in.
Have you got a favourite run for skiing/snowboarding at Kicking Horse?
Tunnel Vision — it’s about 300 feet from the top of the gondola. Everyone skis along CPR Ridge and they look down this gnarly looking couloir with a skinny little entrance and go right past it. If you go in, you’re rewarded with this huge open powder field with glorious skiing and boarding taking you down into Crystal Bowl. It’s a crowd-pleaser.
What is heli-skiing and was it really invented in British Columbia?
In heli-skiing, helicopters fly people up into the mountains and land on a high ridge or a safe spot. Trips predominantly have a guide who chooses the terrain to safely ski down to a pick-up point. They do this over the length of the day until everyone’s tired. It’s a fantastic bucket list way to go out and experience powder in the mountains.
It’s fairly widely accepted that heli-skiing was invented by Hans Gmoser in British Columbia in the 1960s. Hans then went on to create CMH (Canadian Mountain Holidays), which is now the largest heli-skiing company in Canada and likely the world.
Where are the best places around Golden for backcountry skiing?
Golden is nestled between the Rocky Mountains to the east, the Purcells and Dogtooths to the west and the Selkirks to the north. All these ranges have different average heights, glaciation, tree coverage and annual snow depths. On any given day in the winter, you can choose to stay local in the Dogtooth range; or you can go heli-skiing; or drive to one of the many national parks either in the Rockies or the Selkirks. One of them, Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, is world renowned for its backcountry skiing.
What is the best way to try backcountry skiing?"
First off, getting educated is essential. I always recommend people take an Avalanche Skills Training course by CAA (Canada Avalanche Association) and choose a course instructor who’s either an ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) guide or an experienced practitioner. In these courses, you can start to learn about the backcountry environment, the dangers involved, the intricacies of being safe and the skills you need to enact a rescue.
Ski or snowboard skills can come in handy, too. Often, I see people who are quite fit but not capable of skiing or boarding well, so I really encourage them to become better before they start to go too deep in the backcountry. It is strongly recommended to hire a ACMG guide for your safety in the backcountry, especially in unfamiliar terrain. Overall, ski touring is really about all the little tricks and tips to be efficient and to make your day more enjoyable.
Could you recommend some other snow-related activities to do around Golden?
If you’re not a downhill skier, there’s guided snowmobiling, snowshoe tours, awesome Nordic skiing (our Nordic trails are quite famous and high quality), ice-climbing and hot springs not too far away, which are great to visit in the winter.
There’s also a plethora of backcountry lodges around Golden. Primarily they’re for backcountry skiing but people go up to some of these locations to do Nordic skiing and snowshoeing, or to just experience a high alpine remote lodge.
Near downtown Golden there are plenty of indoor activities, too, like two indoor climbing gyms for both bouldering and top rope, a cinema, a bowling alley, and our local hockey team is always fun to watch.
Air Canada and WestJet operate non-stop flights from London to Calgary, a 2.5-3hr drive from Golden. The Golden Shuttle is a winter service operating from Calgary airport to Golden and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (goldenshuttle.ca). For more information, download the Golden BC App or visit: tourismgolden.com