Cat ski operations pros/cons

[GoldMember]

Yeah, well... Flying all over to us to do resort skiing? Meh. With annual snowfall on par with AK at home, I see no reason to do such a thing.

I'm basically looking to ski 30K vertical feets a day with untracked pow. The steeper it is, the better.

If you base out of Nelson, you'll have lots of choices. For steeper, the aforementioned Retallack and Mustang are great. These aren't resort skiing ops.

One thing; if you're thinking steeps like AK, you may be disappointed. They're there but stability becomes the governing factor and you often can't get on the steeper terrain. Not saying you're stuck on 25* slopes but, you can be. We've also hit 50* but it again depends on your group, stability, and other factors. Interior BC snow isn't a marine-pack like you might be accustomed to. Here, it doesn't just stick to everything like glue.

[Buster Highmen]

Works for me, says they ran the 14-15 season.

Weird...I get page not found.

[capulin overdrive]

Yeah, well... Flying all over to us to do resort skiing? Meh. With annual snowfall on par with AK at home, I see no reason to do such a thing.

I'm basically looking to ski 30K vertical feets a day with untracked pow. The steeper it is, the better.

Well, now we know!


Canada is the place for you, definitely not anything steep down here.

[Buster Highmen]

Yeah, well... Flying all over to us to do resort skiing? Meh. With annual snowfall on par with AK at home, I see no reason to do such a thing.

Annual snowfall on par with AK at home? WTF? Now you're just coming off like a prick.

I'm basically looking to ski 30K vertical feets a day with untracked pow. The steeper it is, the better.

30K vertical feet a day not happening in a cat.

[GoldMember]

Weird...I get page not found.

I used your link and went right there.

[LiveLarger]

Annual snowfall on par with AK at home? WTF? Now you're just coming off like a prick.


30K vertical feet a day not happening in a cat.

Can't help you with the prick thing, but that's just how it is.

How many vertical feets would you expect with a cat?

[XXX-er]

Canadian peso is 70% compared to the US buck so thats a pro, I just had coffee with a ski bud who owns a hotel, sez when the peso is down his business goes up ... cat/heli ski ops should be busy this year

[LiveLarger]

If you base out of Nelson, you'll have lots of choices. For steeper, the aforementioned Retallack and Mustang are great. These aren't resort skiing ops.

One thing; if you're thinking steeps like AK, you may be disappointed. They're there but stability becomes the governing factor and you often can't get on the steeper terrain. Not saying you're stuck on 25* slopes but, you can be. We've also hit 50* but it again depends on your group, stability, and other factors. Interior BC snow isn't a marine-pack like you might be accustomed to. Here, it doesn't just stick to everything like glue.

Interesting. I guess Nelson sounds good, seems to be easy to get to as well. Will just have to wait and see what the el-nino will do. Thanks for input. Appreciate it!

[BFD]

this got me checking costs to Rettalac area. Hoped to avoid Spokane. looks like it is still significantly cheaper than flying to Kelowna.

[XXX-er]

isnt cat skiing a steep short shot followed by a long ride in a noisy cat?

[Benny Profane]

Sort of. But, the snow is usually much better than resort.

[Shredhead]

How many vertical feets would you expect with a cat?

15k is a pretty good day. I've gotten 22 once and <10 twice.
30k is a big day in a helicopter.

[54-46]

10 if your group is slow; 15 is pretty fast. You'll probably get 10

[regct]

isnt cat skiing a steep short shot followed by a long ride in a noisy cat?

Hahaha quoted for truth. I also get motion sick every damn time.

I have been super stoked on my trips with Great Northern Powder Guides in Whitefish MT. Pay extra money for the Steep and Deep package and you won't be held up or disappointed I promise.

Tip your guides.

[GoldMember]

this got me checking costs to Rettalac area. Hoped to avoid Spokane. looks like it is still significantly cheaper than flying to Kelowna.

Not sure why you would want to avoid Spokane. We don't bite...much... Fly to Spokane then go to Nelson. It's only three hours and a pretty easy drive. Three hours to Nelson, six to Revelstoke. And yes, probably much cheaper than flying into Kelowna.

[whyturn]

Rettalack is advanced and great
Big red is decent and cheap
Valhalla and whistler are supposed to be good.
Canada is the Mecca
Standby is ok since so close to each other. Resort ski and wait for storm
Jan feb and March as backup
Go two weeks and you will get some

[XXX-er]

Hahaha quoted for truth. I also get motion sick every damn time.

I have been super stoked on my trips with Great Northern Powder Guides in Whitefish MT. Pay extra money for the Steep and Deep package and you won't be held up or disappointed I promise.

Tip your guides.

Tipping is not a city in china!

[tseeb]

I did my first cat skiing trip last winter and renewed for the same mid to late Feb dates for the upcoming winter. While conditions last winter were difficult (see http://www.mustangpowder.com/the-gri...ole-winter.htm ), they exceeded our expectations and the two other first timers and I all signed up for another year. The trip report with a lot of pictures is here: http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boa...hp?f=3&t=11729

Something new at Mustang for most of upcoming season is that instead of a 30 minute bus ride and almost as long transfer to cats followed by a well over an hour cat ride the transfer will be a short helicopter ride. I did not mind the long ride in (with some cost savings), but the long trip out followed by a long drive, mostly in the dark, will not be missed. Earlier in the winter due to limited daylight hours, or during storms, helicopters will not be used for transfer.

[2wheeler]

Best Cat skiing I've had is with Valhalla, steepest and most interesting terrain, and in their heyday, best guides. It's another out of Nelson, but does require some annoying daily travel. In my experience it beats the others. No Lodge or other amenities, mostly focused on great terrain and skiing.

Mustang Powder gets 3 stars out of 5. Island Lake gets 2 stars. (terrain and snow ratings, not based on how fancy dinner is)

Heard good things about Rettelack and Chatter from reliable friends but haven't been myself.

FYI Standby rates are a great way to save a bundle.

That being said much of a day Cat skiing (or heli for that matter) is based on the group you're skiing with and the guides. If you have a group of weaker riders, you're riding to their level. If you end up with a control freak for a guide, then you're only going to be able to ride what you're told.

Make friends with the tail gunner as they usually know the best way down. Tip well.

[GoldMember]

This is from last year, just after Christmas at Valhalla. We were low and could only access about 10% of their terrain and it was really unstable so we stayed pretty mellow. Still fun and the only two powder days I could really claim last season. I'd love to be there when it's fully accessible. Killer looking terrain!

[nickinbc]

A good number of cat operations are based in interior British Columbia which makes Spokane a good choice for access.

Personally I would do a lot to avoid a transfer in a big hub like Chicago. A bit longer drive from Calgary but you can fly direct from Europe.

[GoldMember]

Personally I would do a lot to avoid a transfer in a big hub like Chicago. A bit longer drive from Calgary but you can fly direct from Europe.

You can also fly Iceland Air, which I think has the best prices to/from Europe, into Seattle then take Horizon to Spokane. I've done that a couple of times and prefer it. Of course, I live in Spokane, so.....