Goat Creek Rocks!

Trip date: Wednesday Mar 01, 2023

Submitted by JeffG

Particpants:

Sam and Jeff

Discussion:

Goat Creek continues to be excellent, but it is getting super fast as more skiers pack down the old grooming. We skied from the Goat Creek trailhead to Banff, starting at -5C and finishing at -1C. As Helen and other reporters have indicated, the trail was pretty messed up by footsteps and animal tracks for at least the first three km, but this was expected. The descents were manageable throughout, but required strict attention on steeper sections because of the fast conditions and growing snow piles created by snow plowing. The sketchy approach to Goat Creek Bridge was in quite good shape, but it was hard to avoid accelerating in the final five or ten meters, making for an interesting turn onto the bridge! The long descent in the last few kilometers before the Spray River East - West junction was simply wonderful. Beware of some significant track damage created by a pair of walkers for at least the first four km from the Banff end. We politely advised the walkers about the etiquette of not walking in tracks, and they claimed that they were not aware of such. However, they had to pass the two large signs near the beginning of the Spray River West trail that clearly indicated where walkers could and could not go! Nevertheless, it was a fantastic ski in perfect winter conditions. Skins and fish scales both performed perfectly.
Special thanks to Claire for helping with drop-off and pick-up.