Snowcat Skiing
By Lockie Brown, Thu Dec 8th

Backcountry skiers near Golden, British Columbia travel highinto the Rocky Mountains in the warm comfort of snowcats. Traveling in groups of 12,lead by two qualified guides, skiers and snowboarders arecarried to elevations of almost 10,000 ft., to ski and ride on aglacier or down great alpine bowls. The views across NorthAmerica’s continental divide are spectacular. Soft powder snowand fresh tracks is the expected norm, every run, every day. Thesmall group of 14 skiers and riders make only a tiny mark on thevast landscape.

Intermediate and expert skiers wanting a very special powdersnow holiday experience generally have three options:backcountry touring, snowcat and heli-skiing. Backcountrytouring is slow-paced and as relaxed as you want to make it. Itusually requires quite a bit of time, a high level of physicalfitness, considerable experience and specialized clothing andequipment.

Snowcat is adapted to short holidays and many operatorsoffer 3-day and 4-day full-service tour packages. Snowcat skiingis not normally weather-dependent and there is almost no“down-time”. Every day is a good ski day. Good physicalcondition always makes a tour more enjoyable, but there is noneof the climbing and walking of backcountry touring. Snowcatskiing provides a relaxed vacation that requires no priorexperience or special equipment.

Heli-skiing is the “Cadillac” option for backcountry skiing. Itis also the most expensive, being about twice the cost ofsnowcat skiing. It is also weather-dependent. To allow for“down-days”, tours tend to be a few days longer than cat skiingtours. Heli-operators usually offer a guaranteed minimum amountof skiing. However, significant additional cost can result ifguests exceed the minimum, which often occurs with good weather.

Efficient operation of helicopters is an economic necessity foroperators and helicopters are usually shared among groups. Thiscan result in a pace of influenced by factors other thanthe individual needs of each group. Unless guests pay for adedicated helicopter, there is little opportunity to “sit out” arun. Typically, groups can be as small as 4 and as largeas 12, depending on the type of helicopter used.

Snowcat skiers enjoy a dedicated cat that moves according to theneeds and ability of the group. Snowcat rides are warm, quiet,relaxed and very sociable. They give guests an opportunity toconverse with their companions, to rest for the next run, and toadjust clothing. Guests wanting a longer rest can sit out a runand visit with the cat driver on the ride back down themountain. Lunch is grazed on over the course of the day. Guestscan leave extra clothing in the cat and adjust what they weareach run. If a guest wishes to quit early for the day, a staffmember will take them back to the lodge on a snowmobile.

Heli-skiing operators use vast tenures covering many hundreds ofsq. kms. This permits great access to “good” alpine snow under avariety of conditions. Snowcat operators use much less terrain.However, in Western Canada there are a number of snowcatoperators that have tenures as large as 130 sq. km. Theseoperators make effective use of the land and have more thanenough area to provide consistently good and “freshtracks”.

A number of operators have remote backcountry lodges. Theseoffer a unique wilderness experience. Guests ride to the lodgesin helicopters, by snowmobile or in snowcats. Lodges are verycomfortable and typically offer double-occupancy bedrooms withprivate bathrooms, excellent cuisine, a games room, a wellstocked bar, hot tubs and massage facilities. The first run ofthe day is nearby and guests often ski to the lodge door at theend of the day.

Remote lodges help guests relax and enjoy their vacation. Guestsare isolated from telephones, TV and the bustle of civilization.Soaking in a hot tub, with refreshment in hand, guests watch thedrifting snow or the last rays of sunlight leave the surroundingpeaks. It’s a relaxing way to cap a full day of powder skiing.The problem of the day becomes whether to have a massage beforeor after the hot tub (or perhaps to do the hot tub twice). Lodge life is very informal and thereare no decisions about what to wear to dinner. You only broughtone pair of sweatpants!

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snowcat operators cater to 12, 24 or 36 clients, who skifrom independent snowcats. tenures are sufficiently largethat groups often won’t see one another in the course of theskiing day, even at a distance. Each group determines its ownpace. While keeping their group together, guides are expert atfinding “lines” to challenge more competent skiers/riders whileleading others on a more “mellow” path. Guides set the bounds onevery run leaving guests ample opportunity to find “freshtracks”. Safety is always the first priority.

Some guests organize their own group of 12 skiers, so they areensured a compatible group of people they know. Manyoperators offer group organizers a significant discount fortheir efforts. However, most clients arrive singly, or in pairsand operators work hard to find compatible groups foreveryone. New friends are made and groups bond very quickly.

Most cat operators recommend their clients be at least“strong intermediates”. However, depending on the nature oftheir terrain, some operators can accommodate less experiencedintermediate skiers who are in good physical condition.Potential clients should discuss concerns with operators.

Backcountry usually offers consistently soft powder snow.Sometimes, areas of “wind crust” or “sun crust” will develop,but guides try to avoid these and quickly find better snow.There is no tracked and “lumpy” snow to contend with, and“moguls” are unheard of. The short, fat “powder skis” rented byoperators are forgiving and easy to turn. People having little“off-piste” experience find they learn very quickly. Again,fitness is a great asset.

“Tree skiing” is a fixture of all backcountry skiing. When theweather is stormy, snowcat skiers and boarders just head for thetrees, where the protected snow is softest and deepest and thevisibility is best. Skiers with little experience “in the trees”find that the consistent snow and the powder skis not only allowthem to “do it”, but that it’s great fun. Many cat skiers prefertree to the open alpine slopes.

Snowcat skiers in North America tend to ski between mid-Januaryand the end of March. However, excellent and reducedrates can often be found in December and in April (when longerspring days can mean more skiing). While a few cat operatorsoffer day-trips, most provide multi-day full-service packages.These require a booking at least a year in advance, althoughshoulder-season tours can be booked on much shorter notice.Cancellations also accommodate short-notice bookings, sometimesat a reduced rate.

The amount of done in a day depends on the group.Typically, 9 to 15 runs will be skied for a “total vertical”between 9,000ft. and 16,000 ft. Individual runs vary in verticaldrop between about 800 ft and 2000ft. Long cat rides are usuallybroken up into a number of short “hops” that provide short restsbetween runs but keep guests active. The lack of any skiing“minimums” allows guides to focus on the needs of their groupand on finding the best skiing. There is no need to “rack up thevertical”.

Overseas visitors might consider combining resort withsnowcat skiing. For example, visitors to Kicking Horse Resort inGolden BC could break their visit with a 3-day or 4-day tour atnearby Chatter Creek Snowcat Skiing(www.chattercreekcat skiing.com/). Also, visitors toWhistler-Blackcomb can do cat day-trips with PowderMountain Catskiing. Many other snowcat operators are locatednear excellent ski areas.

The Chatter News Web site(http://powder-skiing.blogspot.com/) provides a client’s view ofsnowcat at Chatter Creek. This photo journal providesmany pictures and descriptions of all aspects of cat andboarding.

In Western Canada, the BC Helicopter & Snowcat OperatorsAssociation (http://www.bchssoa.com/) lists snowcatskiing tour operators who operate under its stringent safetyguidelines.

About the author:Lockie Brown has organized cat tours for friends to BCvenues. He has written a number of articles about his snowcat skiingexperiences at Chatter Creek and elsewhere. For moreinformation, Lockie suggests the Cat Articles photo gallery.