Cat Skiing Outfitters

 In 2021, there were over 59 million visits to ski resorts in the U.S. That’s a lot of people going down the mountains and skiing away all the good snow. So, where do you go to get the good powder? The best way to get to the best snow and unskied slopes on a mountain is through cat skiing. If you’re wondering what cat skiing is and how to do it, you’ve come to the right place! You don’t have to be an expert skier to find the good powder. Keep reading to find out how.

What Is Cat Skiing?

While most people ski on well-groomed slopes maintained and established by a ski resort, some experienced skiers prefer going to the untrampled ground to find fresh snow and amazing terrain. For those experienced skiers who want something a little more exciting, there’s always the option of exploring backcountry skiing. Backcountry skiing occurs in unpatrolled and unmarked areas outside of a resort’s marked boundaries. There are a few ways to get to backcountry skiing areas. You can cross-country ski, hike to them, take a helicopter, or ride in a snowcat. After your journey, you’ll find fresh powder that hasn’t been scraped away from other skiers and the best ski conditions of your life.

Snowcat vs Helicopter?

Some resorts offer both helicopters and snowcats for guided backcountry skiing. So why should you choose the snowcat and cat skiing vs heliskiing? A heli ride can be expensive – snowcats are usually more cost-effective and are sometimes even free to people staying at the ski resort! However, it’s still considerably more expensive than regular lift tix. A ski guide can accompany you up the mountain to show you all the best areas with the least ski traffic. Plus, having that guide with you is a great way to ensure you stay safe. Snowcats tend to hold more people than a helicopter, which means that you can take this adventure with a group of ten of your friends!

Once you get off the helicopter, you’re left to your own devices for heliskiing. It’s your job to get down to the bottom of the mountain without a place to rest from the outdoors. The snowcat can come with you for backcountry skiing, and you can use it to rest and eat meals. In a worst-case scenario, such as an injury, a snowcat can get you safely down the mountain without waiting for ski patrol or figuring out how to get yourself down. Best of all, when you get to the bottom of the mountain, you can have the snowcat waiting right down there for you to go up and take another run. It’s surprising, but I’ve often had the cat beat us down the mountain.

Who Should Go Cat Skiing

While snowcats can bring up a guide, you still shouldn’t go cat skiing unless you’re a confident skier. You don’t need to be an expert to go out cat skiing. Still, an intermediate knowledge of skiing and confidence are vital to making short work of technical terrain and navigating the powder. Most importantly, being honest with your guide about your skill level is essential. Choosing ski mates at your same skill level is best so you are not stuck waiting or holding up others. Your reward? Lots of deep powder and off-piste terrain. They may ask to take you out on easier terrain first to see how you handle it, and then they’ll choose to take you out to more challenging terrain. Some places offer family-friendly backcountry skiing, so check in with your resort. They may be able to accommodate you no matter what your skill level.

Is Catskiing Dangerous?

There is an element of risk to any cat skiing excursion (just like most outdoor activities). You’re performing a physically demanding task out in the elements. Some things that can occur are physical injury, being stranded or lost, hypothermia, and avalanche. However, you always go cat skiing with a highly trained guide who will ensure everyone stays safe to the best of their ability. They have emergency gear in the cats, understand mountain conditions, and will ensure you are appropriately dressed and prepared for the adventure.

What to Expect

When you book a cat skiing adventure, you should expect to be out all day. You’ll start early in the morning to meet your guide and spend the whole day in the backcountry. Remember, you can bring snacks on the cat to keep yourself going during the day of challenging skiing. Every place I have ever cat skied provided lunch in the cat. Before you head out, your guide will familiarize you with avalanche safety procedures. You’ll unlikely encounter one, but playing things on the safe side is always better. Before each run, your guide will show you the runs you will take, potential hazards to look out for, and the steeper drops. They will also show you the best places to rest, regroup, and meet back up.

What to Bring

Wear multiple layers and dress for the cold. However, ensure that all the materials you wear wick away sweat and won’t let you overheat. Remember, cotton kills. If you feel hot during a run, unzip to let out some heat. Bring your usual ski gear with you. You must be comfortable with the materials you’re using. You may choose to rent skis from the resort that are more suited for backcountry skiing, but in that case, you should still use your own boots and poles. One of my first times cat skiing, I came underprepared with a heavy pair of Machetes. The guides lent me a pair of proper powder skies to handle the heavy interior BC snow. You need full avalanche gear for cat skiing. Mountain conditions are not always perfectly predictable outside of the resort’s boundaries. Backcountry always has a risk of avalanche. You’ll need a transceiver, a probe, a shovel to dig yourself or someone else out of a snowbank, and an avalanche airbag system to protect you from hard impacts. If you don’t own this equipment personally, you can usually rent it specifically for your cat skiing excursion. It’s also wise to bring anything else you’d want on a typical ski day, such as sunscreen, lip balm, water, lunch, and quick snacks.

Best Places to Go Cat Skiing

Does all of this sound like a lot of fun? That’s because it is! Cat skiing is one of the coolest things you can do on your mountain winter vacation. It brings your ski experience to a new level of fun and adventure. Now that you’re adequately enticed, you’re probably wondering where to go to do it! Check out these popular cat skiing locations. Don’t worry, just cause they’re popular doesn’t mean they’ll get over-skied. That’s the whole benefit of cat skiing!

Powder Mountain, Salt Lake City

Powder Mountain is best known for its convenience as a cat skiing location. It’s just an hour outside of Salt Lake City, so a flight to this destination shouldn’t be hard to come by. The snowcat powder safari picks up twenty guests daily in two ten-person snowcats. Don’t worry about the number of people eager to use the snowcats, though. There are 3,000 miles of backcountry terrain to explore all season long. It won’t get skied off. The average snowfall at this resort per year is 500 inches, so you’re guaranteed to have amazing knee-deep powder to ski through. They’ll take you for about nine to fifteen runs for $425. This price includes avalanche safety gear and a packed lunch provided by the resort.

Baldface, British Columbia

Are you more of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to your backcountry skiing adventures? In that case, you must check out Baldface Mountain in British Columbia, Canada. It boasts 50-degree pitches and 3,000-vertical-foot runs. Its incredible terrain brings in all kinds of expert skiers, including the Teton Gravity Research filmmakers, looking for the run of their lives. Of course, that means you must be in excellent shape to do it (the resort requires it.) If you can handle it, it’ll be the most incredible ski experience of your life. There are 32,000 acres of terrain, so skiers are regularly christening runs and getting to name them. It’s like discovering a new species with an adrenaline rush attached. When you finish your day, you get to watch a 20-minute video of your best runs and chow down on the resort’s fantastic cornbread stuffed pork. This experience is a pricier trip at $2,549 for three days, but that does include lodging, meals, and avalanche equipment.

Aspen Mountain Powder Tours, Colorado

Sometimes, you want to find the best slopes on the mountain, but you have your kids and family to worry about, too. You could stick them in ski school for the day, but wouldn’t you instead take them on the adventure on your Colorado vacation? If your kids are at least intermediate skiers, they can participate in powder cat skiing at Aspen Mountain, Colorado. Certified ski instructors lead tours that last from 8:15 am to 3:30 pm with a luxurious lunch stop inside a heated cabin. The fare ranges from a leg of lamb to a delicious enchilada. This family-friendly ski adventure is $419, including the warm lunch and avalanche gear rental.

Island Lake Lodge, British Columbia

While you may be most interested in the exciting venture of backcountry skiing, other people in your cohort may have different priorities for their ski vacation. Luckily, at Island Lake Lodge, you can get everything for everyone. For $730 a day, you get lodging, meals, avalanche gear, and access to 7,000 acres of terrain. And that isn’t all. While you ski, other party members can enjoy the full spa with massage therapists, bedrooms with soaker tubs, breweries and bars with local beers, and incredible restaurants on the slopeside, all while cat skiing British Columbia.

Copper Mountain, Colorado

If all this sounds out of your budget, have no fear! There are budget options for expert skiers who want to experience the wonders of cat skiing. So long as you purchase a lift ticket at Copper Mountain, expert skiers can take a trip up the mountain in a snowcat for free. A lunch and rented avalanche gear may not be provided, but you will get several thousands of acres of treeless runs filled with powder and steep tree chutes.

Chugach Mountains, Alaska

The Chugach Mountains are an incredible destination for cat skiing in Alaska. On average, an Alaskan mountain offers 10,00 feet of vertical runs, and the Chugach Mountains are no different. You’ll find every terrain here, from super powdery, large bowls to sheer, steep spines to some of the best glade skiing of your life in the Sitka spruce. There are 4,000 acres of tree runs alone. You can spend multiple days out cat skiing this mountain without hitting all of the terrains and getting to try out every kind of run. This resort also uses cats to subsidize its heliskiing ventures. You can get the best of both worlds by heliskiing to the best spots and having the cat meet you for lunch or at the bottom of the mountain to take you home at the end of the long day.

Park City Powder Cats

For more Utah cat skiing, you can’t beat Park City Powder Cats for amazing cat skiing tours. This cat skiing tour company doesn’t function out of a resort but instead starts from Thousand Peaks Ranch. This ranch is Utah’s largest cat skiing operation, with 40,000 acres of terrain to explore with the cats. Park City Powder Cats offers more terrain than all of the other Utah skiing resorts combined. Consider this adventure as a day excursion during a trip to the Park City ski resort when you get tired of the groomed trails.

Your Biggest Ski Adventure Awaits

It’s time to stop grumbling about over-skied runs and boredom with the resort slopes. Instead, take your first step into backcountry skiing with cat skiing. There are luxury options, budget options, expert options, and intermediate options for every kind of ski fanatic. Are you curious about more of the best cat skiing? Check out our blog for more articles like this one.