Continued from page 1
The great advantage of cat skiing is that “down” days almost never occur. Clients ski every day and bad weather can often mean extra-good snow. Cat skiing is more relaxed and “laid back” than heli skiing as there is no need to share equipment between groups or to maximize equipment usage. Cat skiing is very “client-friendly”. Each group has a dedicated machine and it moves at
group’s pleasure. Weaker skiers can be at ease and not feel “pushed”.
Snowcats provide a relatively quiet, relaxed environment in which trip back up hill can be almost as much fun as run down. Guests sit in soft individual seats. They can “unbutton”, dry out, warm up, converse, share bad jokes and browse on sandwiches, cookies, cake and drinks. If a guest gets tired, it’s easy to “sit out” a run and ride down to next pickup with cat driver.
Helicopter skiing is much less restricted geographically than snowcat skiing. This permits greater opportunity to find “great snow”. However, there is a drawback. Since they can operate in a much larger area, heli-operators may sometimes be less familiar with changing snow conditions and risk factors than snowcat operators who work in a more restricted area. Snowcat operators make greater use of a smaller area and get to know it very well. Snowcat operators have easy access their terrain by snowmobile and can implement snow testing and slope stabilization measures that are much more difficult and expensive for heli-operators.
Most snowcat operators have ample terrain to consistently provide clients with good snow conditions, even in periods of drought, and to ensure that clients exhaust themselves every day. Chatter Creek Mountain Lodges Ltd. operates in a 130 sq. km area and ski between elevations of 4900ft and 9500 ft. Monashee Powder Adventures (Tsuius) advertises an area of 66 sq. km and operates between elevations of 7800 ft and 3,000 ft. Baldface Lodge uses over 140 sq km. Guests need not worry about running out of terrain!
Snowcat skiing provides a wonderful holiday for intermediate and advanced skiers alike. Individuals, family groups, groups of friends, business associates can have a “trip to remember”. Operators with remote lodges offer a real “backcountry” experience, usually with good food and very comfortable accommodations.
The Chatter News photo journal (http://powder-skiing.blogspot.com) has over 350 skiing and terrain photos from Chatter Creek. Refer to Cat Skiing Articles photo gallery (http://cat-skiing-articles.blogspot.com) for a close look at snowcat skiing.
Lockie Brown lives near Vancouver, B.C. and skis at Whistler. He has cat skied for a number of years, taking groups of 12 and 24 friends to different cat ski venues in British Columbia. He now takes his groups to Chatter Creek SnowCat Skiing near Golden BC. (www.chatterceekcatskiing.com )
