Cat Skiing BC Canada Explained
Cat skiing is a concept brought into existence over three decades ago at Selkirk Wilderness, which is located near Meadow Creek, British Columbia, Canada. The pioneers behind the sport are Brenda and Alan Drury, who realized the world of opportunity ski hill grooming machines could provide with respect to high-altitude alpine skiing. Brenda and Alan Drury’s ingenious idea of adapting regular ski grooming machines to accommodate groups of skiers caught on rapidly, setting the foundations for what would eventually become a very popular winter sport, nicknamed “cat skiing”.
At present there are over 15 cat skiing BC Canada destinations, and several more in the USA, New Zealand and Chile. However, 90% of the industry is still where it all began – in BC, Canada. With new technology implements, Canada cat skiing has even come to rival helicopter skiing, in terms of both the quality and quantity of skiing it offers. Even the rides have become more comfortable and pleasant, as modern snowcats drive much more smoothly and quietly than their earlier equivalents.
There are two main approaches to Canada cat skiing: day skiing operations, which are typically headquartered near a town, and remote, multi-day operations based out of a wilderness lodge. In either case, cat skiing/ cat boarding trips begin early in the morning, and usually kick in with a warm up drop-off near the lodge. Depending on the size and experience level of the groups, the guides may allow guest skiers to venture farther away from standard slopes, or on the contrary, may restrict runs to only well known and safe trails nearby. Regardless, with reputable catskiing BC Canada operators, chances are you won’t be skiing the same run twice.
Ski groups consist of one lead guide, tail-guide, snowcat driver, and usually a dozen skiers. Remote cat skiing BC Canada lodges run at most 3 snowcats simultaneously, which results in a total of 36 guests. Because of that, crowding is never a problem and each trip is safer, more enjoyable and more peaceful.
The types of ski terrains used during runs are mainly dictated by weather conditions. On clear days, you can expect some good old alpine skiing, while on snowy and cloudy days the guides may restrict the skiing to lower, open areas like tree glades. A typical run of 2000 ft. (aprox. 600 m) vertical will take around 20 minutes to reach by snowcat, and slightly less to descend on skis.
Modern snowcats are fast, quiet, and have comfortable heated passenger cabins. Another thing that appeals to most cat skiers is the social facet of the snowcat rides. At the top of ascent, everyone gets off and is encouraged to lend a hand in unloading the ski gear so that the snowcat can leave quickly and arrive at the bottom of the run right before the skiers. Many Canada cat skiing operations have a spare snowcat that comes in handy in the event of mechanical problems, allowing the ski program to continue as scheduled.