Canada’s Best-Kept Secret | Golden, BC

My most recent discovery? Golden, BC. One of the last true resort towns in North America, Golden has the backwoods charm of the frontier Canadian villages I used to read about and dream about in snowboard magazines from the 90s. But unlike other spots from the time that have since become baited with chum for tourists (here’s looking at you, Revelstoke), Golden has managed to hold on to its small town charm. All this despite being just down the road from one of the most legendary resorts in the world, Kicking Horse.
For any fan of freeride snowboarding, Kicking Horse will be a familiar name. For years, it was the only North American stop on the Freeride World Tour, meaning its steeps were showcased, year in, year out by the best snowboarders in the world—almost always laden with thick, fluffy, snow that’s earned it the nickname “the champagne powder capital of Canada.”

When it comes to geography, Golden hit the jackpot. Nestled deep in the Rocky Mountain Trench, it sits perfectly between the moisture-heavy systems rolling in from the Pacific and the cold air masses sweeping across the Canadian prairies. This Goldilocks zone has come to be known as the Powder Highway—a stretch of mountains ideally positioned to cash in when storms collide.

Freeride Paradise

Driving up the hill on day one, the hype was real. We’d paid for the early-access Dawn Patrol tickets, which let you sneak onto the lifts half an hour before the public. There had been a storm in the days prior and, thanks to avalanche control on terrain like this, huge sections of the mountain were sitting there untouched—a healthy foot of fresh snow, just waiting to be bashed, slashed and inevitably crashed through.

What quickly became clear is that this place isn’t just a freeride paradise because of the terrain, it’s the way you access it. There are only a couple of lifts to the top. For those used to European resorts, that might sound limiting. But because the vast majority of accessible off-piste here is “in-bounds” (ie. patrolled and controlled for avalanches) it adds an element of adventure: you can pretty much explore wherever you like.

Once you step off the gondola, almost everything you see is in play, you just have to figure out how to get there. Spot a patch of untouched snow on a ridgeline? Plot your traverse and go. Fancy dropping into an open face like you’re in a Warren Miller film? Pack a snack, hike it, earn it. Tree runs, open pistes, steep chutes, cliff drops and powder fields all unfold from a single lift. It’s a freeriders’ playground. And if you really want to lean into that expedition feel, head over to T2—a 20-minute ridge hike with rope-assisted sections and panoramic views, ending in wide-open terrain spilling into the valley below.

Having spent the morning hiking, we had built up a decent appetite by the time lunch rolled around, so headed for Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, which sits right at the top of the gondola. I was relieved to find the food on offer was a far cry from standard day-lodge fare. No sad burgers here. Instead, I tucked into a Thai vegetable curry while gazing out at the spectacular views on offer. Officially, we were told, this is Canada’s most elevated restaurant. On a clear day, you can see five national parks. 

In the afternoon, we met a crew filming for a Faction ski project. Working on the assumption that the pros know where to go, we chased them around the mountain for a couple of hours before descending down the hill for après (nothing like a few beers celebrating snaking some skier lines am I right?). We’d heard tell of a sweet spot in the centre of town that locals refer to as the “Bermuda Triangle,” where Whitetooth Brewery, Golden Distillery and the local dispensary all sit within stumbling distance of each other. 

Locally Brewed

One of my favourite things about Canada, is that damn near every small town has their own local brewery and tap house, meaning you can always indulge in the locals’ favourite pint. I’ve now spent five years doing this in every place I visit—and I must say that Whitetooth Brewery was an absolute standout.

Unable to make a single choice from the multitude of delicious sounding drafts on offer, I opted for a flight for four samplers: a stout, a black lager and two different pale ales. They all blew my socks off. But what really set the taphouse apart was the welcoming and knowledgeable staff, who were happy to talk through every beer on offer, ask what you normally drank, and tailor their recommendation to your needs. It was like a boot fitting for the perfect pint, and by god did they nail it.

Across the road in the Golden Distillery, our expectations were exceeded again. What looked like a rustic and rough building from the outside turned out to be polished and considered inside—a space designed for everything from date nights to post-shift drinks. The cocktails wouldn’t look out of place in a major city bar, and the attention to detail was borderline obsessive. The ice cubes alone, hand-cut, crystal clear, stamped with the distillery’s logo — say it all. Needless to say after this, we needed some food, so headed to Reposados, to sample their Mexican-inspired dishes. The ginger beef taco was a standout vegan option.

With slightly sore heads, we headed back to Kicking Horse Mountain for another day on the slopes. This time, the weather did not play ball. We were totally socked in, with no visibility up high. Thankfully though, there was a lower mountain lift that kept us just below the cloud line, for a fun day of ripping fresh groomers, seeking out side-hits, racing though the boardercross course, and even taking a few laps of the Kicking Horse rail park. 

All of which made me realise something: on a clear day you could film damn near a full video part here in a single run. With the right line choice you could rip a couloir immediately from the gondola, exit into a powder field for some sweeping, soulful turns and then hop on the piste for some racing line cruising through the corduroy before finishing up with a couple of sidehits and rails at the bottom. Candide Thovex, eat your damn heart out.

Sadly, we weren’t able to put my theory to the test—it was time at the bar for us on the snowboarding front for this whistlestop tour. We still had some spots in town we wanted to hit up after the lifts closed, however. 

Bowled Over

For the all-Canadian experience, I can not recommend highly enough watching a local hockey game. [By which, of course, we mean ice hockey—ed.] Unlike local football games back home that pull just a handful of spectators, half of whom are the players’ spouses, in BC, the whole town shows up to support their local team.

A ticket to watch the Golden Rockets will set you back about CA$20 (£10.50), beers are cheap, and the decor is unhinged. When we heard locals refer to the “plywood palace” we assumed it must be some kind of dramatisation, or inside joke, but nope—the entire interior of the hockey arena in Golden was decorated with plain sheets of plywood. And while it may never feature in an episode of Grand Designs, it works! 

From the rink, we headed to that other North American institution, the bowling alley, for one of the unexpected highlights of our trip. Golden Bowling won us over right from the off, when we spotted—immediately after entering—that it had the cheapest beers in town. CA$5 (£2.66) for a Guinness? Don’t mind if I do! The decor was hangover from their previous moniker, Alley Cat Bowling, with pink panther-esque murals everywhere. There was an entire wall of candy, the likes of which I’d never seen—so much so that some people ignored the alleys completely, and came in exclusively to find their favourite niche sweet.

Sonically, the vibe was locked firmly in the late naughties with a bopping playlist of every banger you wrote off as pop-nonsense during its first time in the sun two decades ago, but are now happy to sing your heart out to. Which leads me onto the bowling itself. It was an ancient five-pin system, and unless you’re a five-pin aficionado already then abandon all hope of understanding the scoring. I knocked down significantly fewer pins than my colleague (embarrassingly fewer, actually). But, thanks to scoring two “H’s” an “R” and a “C” I somehow won.

We debated this long and hard as we drove home down the highway. How did it work? Perhaps I’ll never know. But I was happy to let it remain one of Golden’s mysteries—along with the fact that this amazing little community, with its incredible snowboarding, and amazing vibes, is still something of a secret. 

THREE OTHER THINGS TO TRY IN GOLDEN

Confluence Climbing

Building community spirit seems to be engrained into everything the locals do in Golden, and Confluence Climbing gym is no exception. Chris, the owner, puts as much care into making the space sociable as he does keeping the climbing exciting. With routes updated daily, zones for all ability levels and plenty of spots to sit, chill and compare notes, it’s a great place to hang out.

Ethos Cafe

If you’re looking for outstanding coffee, and what the Canadians call “baked goods,” Ethos is the place to go—as the constant stream of locals walking in for their morning hit of caffeine shows. The star of their menu is a breakfast roll filled with an egg, aged cheddar, a potato rosti, a sweet and tangy chutney, and rashers of smokey bacon, all topped with parsley aioli and stuffed into a homemade brioche bun that miraculously manages to retain structural integrity, despite its contents. 

The Golden Stroll

For non-snowboarders, or those who simply fancy a day off, The Golden Stroll is an interactive walking tour that takes in many of the highlights of the local area. The trail runs along the river, and there are QR codes spaced along the hike that give you videos and insights into the town and its history, as you take in the breathtaking views.

Watch the full video of our trip below!