Cat skiing, anyone?

[ski diva]

Anyone done any cat skiing? I haven't, but it's something I'd love to try.

I know Powder Cowgirl has some women's-only trips that look pretty amazing.

If you've ever done it, share your experiences! I'd love to hear about it!

 

[Snowflower]

It's definitely on my list. My home mountain (Monarch) has a cat skiing operation that gets raves from everyone I know who has done it. The only issue for me is the price since it's about $250. So times that by two since my DH would have to come along as well and that's kind of a lot. Plus we get such great powder skiing right in the resort or close by backcountry. Still though, to be able to make multiple laps on untracked sounds like a dream.

 

[ski now work later]

Cat skiing is SO on my wish list. I have too many motion sickness issues to heli-ski, so cat skiing is my preferred back country option. One day....

 

[skibum4ever]

Does taking a run or 2 on the Outback Shuttle at Keystone count? It's a lot of fun on a powder day, but I have not yet found a route that gives us enough powder turns to be satisfying. But for $5 a run it may be the only cat skiing we ever do.

 

[SkiBam]

A friend (who's as crazy about skiing as I am) and I did three days of cat skiing to celebrate our 60th birthdays some years ago. We went to Baldface near Nelson, B.C. It was a fabulous experience despite bad avalanche conditions that year, which meant we had stay more in the trees (though not exclusively) than I might have liked. The lodge and food were amazing, snow was plentiful, and I only toppled (ever so slightly) once into one tree well - was rescued by the tail gunner (I was never in any danger). When we left, one of the cat drivers told us it had been reported that "...you girls (my friend and me) rip." So we were pleased. I'd love to do it again, but it was pretty pricey - I really can't recall exactly but something like $600 a day, everything included - but I think about half what heli skiing would be and not as weather dependent.

Maybe a diva cat skiing trip some time?? (Though I'm happy if I can get away on one trip a year, what with teaching, family commitments, etc.)

 

[bklyn]

I thoroughly enjoyed cat skiing at Grand Targee in the 90's. I hear some of that terrain is inbounds at the resort now. A great value vs heliskiing and less 'down day' issues.

I don't think cat access in the bowls at Keystone or Aspen is in the same league as a full scale cat operation, but it's still fun.

I'd go again in a heartbeat.

 

[abc]

I think I'll stick to hiking to earn my turns.

I've had the chance to put down first track a few times. It was great. But somehow I didn't find it life changing as others felt.

To me, yo-yoing up and down the mountain side with the help of mechanized aid has never been my thing. I ski in resorts because that's easy to do. Cat/heli skiing just doesn't really appeal to me enough, despite the chance for fresh tracks, to be worth the big bucks (for me).

 

[skibum4ever]

I believe I've read that Copper has cat-skiing similar to Keystone, but even less expensive - free!

Has anyone done that?

You're right of course, bklyn, it's not the same as real cat skiing, but they do try to get each cat to a new place so everyone gets first tracks, at least a few turns worth.

 

[ski now work later]

I think I'll stick to hiking to earn my turns. To me, yo-yoing up and down the mountain side with the help of mechanized aid has never been my thing. I ski in resorts because that's easy to do. Cat/heli skiing just doesn't really appeal to me enough, despite the chance for fresh tracks, to be worth the big bucks (for me).

Whoa, love this upbeat addition to the thread. Way to go abc, we can always count on you to drum up enthusiam about a ski-related activity!

 

[abc]

"ski-related activity"?

Back country skiing IS skiing. Not just "related".

That was skiing before the invention of lifts. It still is, in my book.

 

[KatyPerrey]

I believe I've read that Copper has cat-skiing similar to Keystone, but even less expensive - free!

Has anyone done that?

Yes, there is a cat that goes up to Tucker. Normally you have to hike because they don't always have enough snow to drive the cat to the top. The skiing can be very good but it is not always worth the wait and the hike.


I have done Chicago Ridge (1/2 a dozen times) out of Ski Cooper. I have had both good and bad snow condition. For me I will stick to Heli-Skiing, lots more vert and for me its well worth the money!!

 

[SnowHot]

For someone who may be thinking of Heli-skiing, would a cat skiing trip be a good step toward preparing?

I'd like to think that I'd be able to Heli-ski someday but I'm confident that I'm not "there" yet.

 

[RachelV]

For someone who may be thinking of Heli-skiing, would a cat skiing trip be a good step toward preparing?

I'd like to think that I'd be able to Heli-ski someday but I'm confident that I'm not "there" yet.

Most heli-ski places just say you've got to be a solid intermediate who can ski powder. I bet you're a lot closer to there than you think. ;)

 

[abc]

SnowHot is a lot better than what the average people classified "intermediate"!

Though my impression of the whole heli-ski business is, you get more out of it the better skier you are. (that's half the reason I'm not really "inspired" to go heli-skiing: I'll probably never be good enough to make the experince worth the expense! :( )

Another issue most of skiers east of the Mississippi is "powder skill". A lot of "advance" skiers who can ski hardpack black diamonds fumble in deep powder. So I would guess a lot of powder experience would be more important than the "label" of skier level...

To that end, I bet cat skiing would be a good preparation for heli. On the other hand, if you've been lucky and hit a lot of inbound powder, you're probably ready for heli-ski already...

 

[Acrophobia]

I have been cat skiing and heli-skiing.

Hands down, heli-skiing is much better, and worth the price.

Snowcats are slow. It's an inefficient way to get around the mountain. You'd get more vertical at a resort with fast chairlifts. You're also limited in terms of the terrain you can access, so if conditions are bad in one area, it's time-consuming to get to another. If you're lucky, you get some good turns, but you spend most of your time sitting in the cat, which is boring. The ride is pretty bumpy, so if you're prone to motion sickness, be aware of that.

With heli-skiing, the fun begins the moment you lift off. The helicopter takes off vertically and smoothly, then swoops around. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced in an airplane. The views of the mountains are breathtaking. My first time up, I joked, "Forget the skiing, I just want to ride in the helicopter."

A helicopter's preferred landing spot is at the top of a steep ridge, so that the passengers exit on one side of the ridge and the tail rotor (the most dangerous part of the helicopter) is on the other. Depending on the steepness of the ridge, sometimes you have to jump down - into powder, hopefully. So that part is pretty exciting as well. Then you have to crouch down and hang onto your gear, so the helicopter doesn't blow you or your stuff away as it takes off.

As for the skiing, for both heli and cat, I'd say that to really enjoy yourself, you need to have experience skiing off-piste at your local resort for at least a season. Although the guides do try to keep things within clients' ability level, there's no escaping the fact that it's a guided backcountry experience rather than a controlled resort, and conditions can vary. Sometimes you have to deal with ice, steep slopes, rock chutes, etc., in between the powder runs.

At the end of your run, the heli picks you up, and swoops off to the next ridge. The ride up takes maybe a minute or two, and it's fun.

I think cat skiing makes sense as heli-backup in a remote Alaskan lodge, for instance. Helicopters will only fly on bluebird days, for safety reasons. Otherwise the the most reasonable heli-backup is a resort.

 

[dloveski]

Cat skiing at Powder Mountain is cheap, fun, and the terrain can accommodate any kind of skier from low intermediate on up. It's just nice to make your own tracks and get away from the lift traffic, such as it is at Pow Mow (which is not much).

 

[KarenD]

My only experience with cat skiing was one afternoon at Grand Targhee last season. I didn't have a great time, as I happened to get into a group where I was the slowest skier, so I felt I had to rush to keep up and that's just not fun for me. I did get more comfortable after a few runs (when we started to get into more open runs in powder) but don't think I'll be doing it again unless I get a lot faster or can go with a whole group of friends who won't be tapping their ski boots waiting for me.

 

[SnowHot]

Cat skiing at Powder Mountain is cheap, fun, and the terrain can accommodate any kind of skier from low intermediate on up. It's just nice to make your own tracks and get away from the lift traffic, such as it is at Pow Mow (which is not much).

Ooooh, maybe when I make my way to UT this winter........Hmmmmm?

 

[Grace Elventhing]

What I wish someone had told me

I’ve been fortunate to try both cat and heliskiing. In my experience the most important factors in an enjoyable & safe snowcat or heli skiing trip are the competence of your guides, the compatibility (especially in attitude) of your group of skiers, and the terrain and snow conditions.

The following is what I wish someone had told me before I tried snowcat skiing (as a true intermediate on a three-day trip to Irwin Lodge in Colorado) or heliskiing (when I considered myself an “advanced” skier, in the Canadian Rockies) the first time.

1) Guides & Safety

In most cat & heli experiences you have to rely on the competence of your guides to keep you safe. They should be able to gage the abilities of the group, know the terrain well, understand snow conditions and avoid potential avalanche situations. It’s easy to take for granted all the avy work done within ski areas – but this will probably not be the case where you are cat or heliskiing. You may have to wear a transceiver and other search/rescue equipment. Your life and that of your fellow skiers may depend on knowing how to use these. My first time snowcat skiing I was surprised to find this out, and it was extremely sobering. Also, I’ve found that quickie training sessions before day-skiing can be next to useless if it’s your first time. If you and your companions have not had good training, you will have to rely on the guides to dig out a buried skier. How do you know that your guides are up to the job? I wish I had a good answer to that – check out the safety record of the outfit, ask about avalanche conditions, etc. Just be aware that, although avalanches happen rarely inbounds, you will likely be more exposed when you are cat or heliskiing.

2) Group Compatibility

On my first cat skiing trip the overall ratio of men to women was something like 5 to 1. In my group were two teenage boys who were very vocal about their interest in hucking. Needless to say, these two things made me really intimidated, which in turn made my skiing more tentative and less fun. Okay, so the ratio may not always be so uneven, but unless you are on a women-only trip, it’s likely there will be more men than women in your group. Just be prepared for that.

Attitude is really important, perhaps more important than skill. If there is a big disparity in attitudes (e.g., let’s get as much vert as possible versus let’s enjoy the views & take our time), you may have a sucky experience. A better skier with a mellow attitude can have a great time with a less skilled group, while a technically less competent “meat eater” can become whiny if the group doesn’t meet his expectations for speed or vertical. So what this boils down to is that you’re likely to have a better time if you have the numbers on your side to set the pace of the group. In other words, go with as many people as possible that you normally enjoy skiing with.

3) Conditions and terrain

Snow conditions and terrain are a bigger factor when you’re outside a ski resort. You will likely encounter a much broader range of conditions than you are used to. Bailing out of a bad situation may be more difficult than inbounds. Normally benign terrain features – a little knoll in the powder -- can signal a rock or stump that will snag your ski or could be hiding a steep drop on the other side. You’ll need to be much more alert, and this may trigger a higher intimidation factor.

My first time heliskiing, conditions were very, very bad down low where the pickup spot was. We had to go through thick trees that were surrounded by hardened “tree bombs” (compacted snow that had fallen from the branches when the temperature rose) as well as avoiding emerging streams and lots of shrubs and small trees. I was skiing with two ski instructors whose response was “we get PAID for avoiding conditions like this!” It was downright scary. Before this trip I had considered myself a fairly advanced skier. The first day cut me down to size. My advice: be humble, but do it. It's worth it!

-Grace

p.s – two other things I wish I’d known: be prepared to pee in the woods, and you don’t need to dress as warmly as in a resort because the cat or heli provides shelter between runs.

 

[KatyPerrey]

Well said!!