Cat ski operations pros/cons

[LiveLarger]

I'm researching cat ski operations in Canada for the winter. Can anybody point me in the right direction or have any input on pros/cons of either? Ease of getting to from Europe is a concern.

Edit: Also best time to go?

[Buster Highmen]

A good number of cat operations are based in interior British Columbia which makes Spokane a good choice for access.
http://www.catskiingcanada.ca/cat-ski-operations-map

http://www.catskiing.ca/cat-skiing-d...ian-operations

For example, there's Island Lake near Fernie, Valhalla, Big Red, Retallack , White Grizzly, Baldface in the Nelson/Rossland area and Monashee Powder and Mustang Powder out of the Cherryville area. Then there's Revelstoke.

I've been to Retallack and Monashee, both of which were great, but the then owner of Monashee sold it and started Mustang. Both have great terrain and snow with Retallack a littler easier access and a little nicer lodge.

February is a good time to go in general and you should do some lift or lift assisted touring days at one of Fernie, Whitewater or Red Mountain.

Other options include Diamond Lake /Mt Bailey Snowcats near Crater Lake Oregon as well as some spots around Colorado.

One caveat is El Nino weather patterns which could be a detriment to BC Northwest conditions.
What are you looking to do?

[54-46]

Sigh...

Look here: http://www.powderhounds.com/Canada/Cat-Skiing.aspx

Then use search terms for the ones you're interested in, and sort through the numerous threads.

And, Google Tony Crocker snow data for effects of El Niño.

Don't ask anymore questions before you do the above. If you do, have some Astroglide handy.

[Buster Highmen]

Pros: more likely to get powder.
Cons: you will be skiing with dentists and lawyers and it's expensive. Plus you will endure jongifications as demonstrated.

[XXX-er]

pro: you don't have to do any work

con: It costs lots of money so you are more likely to ski with people who make lots of money/don't don't ski much cause they work to make all that money, so maybe you get pow but really the only guarrantys in cat or heli skiing are that you will spend $$$$$ and ski with people who have lots of money ... which doesn't buy you weather

Personally I would rather buy a new pair of ski I will have forever and not having a job i can the ski pow when it comes

Last year buddy the guide said on the last Burnie hut trip of the season in april " wow this is the best pow I have had all season and that includes 6 weeks of guiding heli "

hope you get good snow/weather!

[Angle Parking]

One of the big cons for me is the fact that you are stuck in the cat with a bunch of other people. In my 3 experiences cat skiing, that was the biggest negative; the fact that I had to take part in a party i was not really interested in participating in. I came to ski, everyone else came to ski, socialize and get drunk.

Having said that I scored a super cheap seat on a cat for this winter and I jumped on the opportunity.

[capulin overdrive]

El Nino doesn't like green eggs and ham!


In other words you're trying to plan one of the most expensive forms of skiing in an area that's predicted to have a crappy winter.


My 2 cents = plan a trip in an El Nino friendly area that has Cat and resort, and do a few days of Cat mixed in with resort. See if the Cat in the Hat is your cup o tea.


For me, the cons of Cat skiing out weight the pros. Being crammed into a foggy smelly Cat with a bunch of strangers, and told what and where to go all day isn't my idea of a vacation.

Good resort pow day is much better for my soul.

[XXX-er]

There are a few exceptions but those guys that make all the money like to do things where they can spend lots of money so at some point its more about spending money with other guys who make lotsa money than skiing hard

buddy the guide figured euro's tend to be better technical skiers

[LiveLarger]

A lot of negativity here. Some of it actually touch what I'm afraid of. I have more than one Norwegian friend who went heli-skiing in Canada only to ski 25 degree cruisers the whole week.

I don't know if there is a lot of suckers on the board here, or what it is. But there is no correlation between being a poor and being rad. Not the opposite either. In AK this year, heliskiing I witnessed both. Several of the guys were flat out movie material and others just sucked at skiing. But hitting 50 degree terrain wasn't a problem at all. Are you guys saying that if you hit a cat operation in Canada, you are likely to end up with the people that suck? And are f... boosing in the cat on the top of it? If so, have you actually been there and witnessed that or do you just think it's like that? If it really is like that, I might pass.

That said. I was more looking to hear pros/cons about different operations, from people who have actually been there. Not pros/cons about catskiing.

[Benny Profane]

I don't know. The two times I have ridden a cat with strangers (in Colorado) I was very impressed with the quality of skiing. And, it sure is a lot cheaper than helicopters.

[plugboots]

I was more looking to hear pros/cons about different operations, from people who have actually been there. Not pros/cons about catskiing.

Well woopity-do for you.

[Buster Highmen]

I couldn't tell what you were wanting the pros/cons of, hence the question about what do you really want? For what are you looking?

Both Retallack and Monashee have big vert and lots of steeps.

Nic at Monashee (who is now doing Mustang Cat skiing) encouraged folks to drop cliffs and pointed out those kinds of features. But there was an obnoxious British barrister on that trip who was nothing but an abrasive moderately skilled skier who always tried to go first. Monashee does require a farly long snowmobile trip in.

Retallack has slightly bigger vertical drop and has a plethora of pillow zones down in the trees as well as some above treeline shots that have sustained pitch. One can drive right up to Retallack. But here again, we got stuck with Montreal lawyers who were crashing and causing a lot of waits

I've been to Mt. Bailey by Diamond Lake and had great times there. They get some great snow, have 3k vertical feet and some really good steep skiing, but it's in the middle of nowhere.

But again, with El Nino, there's a chance that the snow may not be as good as usual.

I haven't done any cat skiing in Colorado, but I still think the best powder bang per buck is Silverton where the all day heli is around $1k. And that's part of what I ask about what you want. If you're looking to roost in some posh palace peopled with potential poseurs, I think BC is your best bet. But if you're just looking to score good snow, with the forecasts, I'd consider the SWColorado, Northern New Mexico road trip. Taos is a fantastic jewell.

[LiveLarger]

Thanks! Thats what I call a helpful answer!

[Benny Profane]

Man, I would love to hit Taos this winter with a ton of snow. MC pass makes it cheaper.

[Buster Highmen]

A great trip route is fly into Albuquerque, rent a car, hit Ski Santa Fe (1 hours from ABQ), Taos (1 hour from Santa Fe), Wolf Creek (3 hours from Taos, hot springs in Pagosa), Silverton (2 hours from WC), Telluride (2 hours from Silverton, hot springs in Ouray & Ridgeway).

Telluride to Albuquerque is about 8 hours direct drive.

Both Monarch and Crested Butte (really worth it) are also within range.

You'll spend less and be able to storm chase rather than trying to out sn00t others at the catski posh palaces.

[capulin overdrive]

A great trip route is fly into Albuquerque, rent a car, hit Ski Santa Fe (1 hours from ABQ), Taos (1 hour from Santa Fe), Wolf Creek (3 hours from Taos, hot springs in Pagosa), Silverton (2 hours from WC), Telluride (2 hours from Silverton, hot springs in Ouray & Ridgeway).

Telluride to Albuquerque is about 8 hours direct drive.

Both Monarch and Crested Butte (really worth it) are also within range.

You'll spend less and be able to storm chase rather than trying to out sn00t others at the catski posh palaces.

Agreed!

Taos, Telluride, Silverton, and Crested butte within easy reach, all at the top of the heap for North America skiing. Monarch and Wolf Creek while not as gnarly, are both gems when deep.

Heli at Silverton, plus SanJuan cat and Silverton cat. Irwin cat at Crested Butte, and Monarch has a cat.

[BigDaddy]

An Aussie helicopter pilot I met at Taos used to do a six week tour of the Rockies every year, starting with Taos and ending with two weeks helicopter-skiing in Canahdah.

Third adding Crested Butte to the tour... fun mountain and town.

[Buster Highmen]

Heli at Silverton, plus SanJuan cat and Silverton cat. Irwin cat at Crested Butte, and Monarch has a cat.

I think San Juan cat (out of Purgatory/Durango Mountain Resort) is dead.

[capulin overdrive]

I think San Juan cat (out of Purgatory/Durango Mountain Resort) is dead.

Website is still up, and act like they're going?

Know it was for sale last year or two ago.

[Buster Highmen]

Website is still up, and act like they're going?

Know it was for sale last year or two ago.

I must be looking at the wrong one then: http://sanjuanuntracked.com/ ..
What's the one that works?

[capulin overdrive]

Man, I would love to hit Taos this winter with a ton of snow. MC pass makes it cheaper.

Don't be a stranger, and meet some maggots this year.

If it's going off, you know CO folks will go down there.

[capulin overdrive]

I must be looking at the wrong one then: http://sanjuanuntracked.com/ ..
What's the one that works?

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

[GoldMember]

Best time is mid-Jan through mid-Mar. This year could be dicey with El Nino. Depending on what you're looking for, some areas may be better than others. For best terrain, I've liked Retallack and Mustang. Steep and lots of features. If you're more interested in something a little mellower, maybe Big Red Cats out of Rossland. Baldface has a lot of mellower terrain with some better steep stuff available but not in the same level as Retallack or Mustang. I've not been to Monashee but I understand it's similar to Mustang.

Selkirk Wilderness Skiing, about 1.5 hours north of Nelson can be really good. White Grizzly, in the same area, has some good terrain and is quieter for apres skiing with just your group in a lodge kind of without options if you want to wander out at night. Chatter Creek is another good choice is you want high alpine skiing and a really cool lodge. However, it's pretty remote and not that easy to get to.

We've done a bunch of stories on a number of these. You can look through my started threads, look for TR's for different ops and see some video cuts, if it helps. Here's a couple teasers:

Mustang Powder Cats:



Retallack:

[LiveLarger]

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.

[GoldMember]

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

Works for me, too. They did sell a couple of years ago, right after we were there. I believe the new owners are still making a go of it.