Who has been Cat-skiing?

my good friend goes alot because he gets a good deal on it, he says its epic and pretty much equally as good as heli skiing because there they usually dont let you do the sick lines you think you would be hitting. you get good snow, you and your buddies, good terrain, and if the weathers right you got a FUCKING DOPE ASS DAY!
 
Make sure you have enough peeps to fill the cat otherwise you get stuck skiing what the weakest skier wants to... better yet save your money and buy a sled because even if you are with seven other pros the cat operator probably wont take you to anything too fun regardless... guides are always scared they might have to search and/or rescue you
 
yeah thats totally true. my dad does an annual cat ski trip with his buddies and I got to go once. get enough people to fill the cat or you will be waiting around all day on mediocre slopes for some tourist, which is a HUGE waste of money. if you want to hit cliffs and steep stuff id suggest calling ahead and speaking with the guide to make sure they will take you to it. some operations understand but many are used to dealing with rich people on vacation who are not always the best skiers. if you get that all organized and hit the right conditions you will have the time o your life.
 
yup, fill the cat. I went as a perk through work (i've worked at island lake lodge the last summer and winter, and lived with the lead guide who has worked in the industry for 10 years) The morning was spent dealing with punters, the afternoon had decent skiers and we hit some alright terrain. It's generally more about skiing pow then about sick lines. If you want sick lines, figure the backcountry out on your own. For like 10ish runs of the best bottomless pow then cat is the way to go.

They always ask about skiing ability, so you shouldn't end up with total punters mixed in with experts. But keep in mind, that an 'expert' is often a rich guy who skis 5 times a year (but for 20 years...) with an ego too big to put anything less then expert. And if you end up in a cat with a bunch that came as a group...they'll basically all agree on the same rating so they all get in the same cat. If someone is blatently terrible though, they may ask him to switch cats. But if he doesn't want to, or his friends don't mind..then you're stuck with him.

The bottom line: Cat skiing is the poor mans heli. Unless you can find a cat ski company that GUARANTEES vertical (do they even exist???), then you're not guaranteed to be getting 10 or 12 runs (depends on how long the runs are too, these are compared to island lake..)..you could end up with 8 or 9 or (worst case) less and possibly on easy terrain. Or, get friends and fill a cat. It is a good way to get a lot of 'backcountry' pow in a day with the bonus of a guide for safety (and they can tell you where you can safetly huck yourself).

Personally...i'd save my money and go ski touring...or maybe get a last minute discount on a low end company for the experience, even then...ski touring with friends is more fun.
 
I went on the free cat skiing at Copper and it is defenetly worth it, I had knee deep powder on April 1st
 
^ yeah but a free cat shuttle that takes you to another inbounds area is a LOT different from a an actual snowcat operation.

check out buffalo pass powder cats or whatever the company is called in Steamboat Spings- some of the most insane powder ever. two other good companies, these in the durango area, are El Diablo [something or other cat guides] and San Juan Snowcats. I know for a fact that San Juan will let you hit the gnarly shit, one of their primary drop zones has a huge (10ft to ~60ft) cliff band on the top that you can quickly hike up and huck. But they also allow you to hit some chutes and some other cliffy terrain, but make sure you check the avvy forecasts before you go- theyll only take you on that stuff if the conditions allow.
 
when i did it it was the sickest pow ive ever ridden, the only prob was the terrain was pretty flat n the boarders kept getting boged down
 
how many does it take to fill a cat? and what is the best combination for cheap and good? and you are right: my biggest fear would be cat skiing with a bunch of mediocre texans...
 
I did the cat at Copper....if that counts...

It was awesome! Im pretty sure it was Copper anyway.
 
12 plus the guide for island lake's piston bullies.

Call ahead, tell them what you want. If possible, talk to someone who's been around for a while, like the lead guide. Odds are they have regular customers and have a good idea of how they ski. The might be able to give you a date that has some higher end skiers in the group.
 
I have done Blue sky west in steamboat, they are dope, you gotta make sure you pack that shit or hook up with rad catmates. My cousins and I waited a lot there for a couple of Minnesota tools to catch up. I have also gone in The San Juans and that is pretty fun, steep shit and was open to huck, The monarch one is also cool and you get great skiing for everyone, lots of variety. But the best place hands down is called Powder Zone Adventures in Mica Creek BC, went their this year and was orgasming for like three days straight, almost charged like $3000 heli day just because the shit is dope, and Powder Zone Adventures has terrain that makes you feel like your in a movie.
 
and Bobyohan's idea of calling ahead to huck is a great idea, @ Steamboat they told us to do that next time and we could have gotten a huck guide and went off.
 
i did!! i did!! a few years back at this place called Powder Mtn. in Utah. it was sooo good! and so worth it.
 
yea the pow mtn one is only like $7 a riode and it takes u up to some nice terrain, but pow mow is never crowded anyway so u really dont need it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top