Moody Mountain Months: How To Pass Them
The in-between. Fall’s spectacular colors and warm sun are giving into moody browns and greys and fog, the trademark of November. Golden is patiently waiting for snow to move in and open the doors to winter and winter play. Skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and Nordic skiing all await us. We’re eager, but our anticipation doesn’t make it come any sooner.
So what can you do to pass the time in Golden during the dreaded shoulder season?
First of all, if you’re interested in fall travel (underrated and overlooked), late August, September, and early October are the perfect slots to enjoy the turn of autumn. This means the mountains are stunning colors of gold and burgundy, but the sun is warm and the days are still long enough to get in those big adventure days; hiking, biking, and even paddling.
As we get into late October, the weather gets grey and moody and the mountains start getting little snow coatings. Which makes their peaks slightly less appealing to traverse on foot. October is a good time to direct your attention inwards, towards the culture and spark of Golden. Here are a few things you can get into:
Community Events
Goldenites find plenty to do during shoulder season, planning events and activities to pass the moody days. Take a look at our events calendar to see what sort of events are happening while you’re here. Halloween is a big occasion at the end of October, for example. And cafes & restaurants will bring in musicians or host local artists. The Art Gallery of Golden and the Golden Museum curate powerful exhibits that are worth dropping into.
Find our events calendar here, and you can download the free Golden BC App to access it as well. The app will send you push notifications on the day of an event, so you’re always going to be in the loop.
Live Music & Theatre
The local arts organization, Kicking Horse Culture (KHC), puts together a live music and theatre series during the winter months called Live Kicks. These shows happen monthly or twice a month and bring in acts from all over. They have a high reputation in Golden for being incredible works of art, and you get to witness the feeling of watching something powerful within a close-knit community, whose attendees regularly come to the shows.
KHC also puts together film screenings at the Golden Cinema to showcase the best of Canadian and International films at the Golden Cinema. Films are presented approximately every two weeks throughout the Fall and Winter season.
You can see upcoming Live & Film Kicks performances on our events calendar.
Mountain Biking
You might think grey weather marks an end to Golden’s outdoor summer activities but in reality, the bike trails can be enjoyed well into November. Because we have so many trails close to town in the valley bottom, snow doesn’t usually pile up on them as it starts to do up in those alpine peaks. This means the biking season can be extended as long as Mother Nature affords it. Just remember to bring some warm layers and maybe plan to pop into a cafe downtown for a hot drink after you're finished. You’re bound to be rather chilly.
If you keep an eye on community happenings in Golden, shoulder season isn’t nearly as bad as it’s made out to be. It’s a time of warmth and community and creativity, as folks band together to pass the grey months and patiently await snowfall and all of the winter excitement that it carries.
Photo credit: @ajsergent, Bruno Long, Jeff Bartlett
