faq

Snowcats (or "cats") are the machines you see grooming ski hills. Ours are specially modified versions with a heated passenger cabin containing seats to transport twelve passengers into the backcountry safely and economically. The snowcat will take you to some of the best powder you will ever get the chance to enjoy. With a strictly controlled number of people per day you always get first tracks. The only people you see are your friends and the guides. More about our cats.

Using a snowcat is the most economical way to get your powder fix. If you are nervous about flying in a helicopter or if you are tired of the crowded, rushed experience that ski resort powder has become, Catskiing is the powder experience for you. No lift lines, epic untracked powder all day. You're with a small group in 4,300 acres of powder with beautiful views of magnificent mountains. Catskiing has great atmosphere as it's just you and your friends, and the very best 'bang for your buck' when it come to price per turn.

The youngest we accept is 19 years, with the average age mid-20s to mid-40s. As you can see, it's a very broad range of ages. It doesn't matter how old you are, as long as you want powder runs!

We use fully equipped Pisten Bully Snowcats especially designed for catskiing. They have comfortable seating for twelve, ski racks, and panoramic view windows for checking out the peaks and runs that have made Powder Mountain Catskiing legendary.
More on our cats.

Snowcat skiing is as safe as we can make backcountry skiing. Each cat has two highly trained and certified guides who are constantly monitoring snow and weather conditions so you can be as safe as possible in an uncontrolled backcountry environment. Every morning our guides have a safety meeting covering everything from A-Z to make sure your day with us is safe, fun and enjoyable. There is always an element of risk in any backcountry experience however, and you will need to read and sign our waiver.

Our guides are all trained with Red Cross Industrial First Aid. If you get hurt skiing or riding, the guide will assess the situation and take whatever steps are necessary.

Your safety is our prime concern. Therefore, our guides constantly monitor snow and weather conditons throughout the day so you can be as safe as possible in the uncontrolled environment of the backcountry. Every guest wears a transceiver and is shown how to operate it.You're also given a safety orientation session for your general backcountry awareness.

No, but all our certified guides are all trained with Red Cross Industrial First Aid. If you get hurt skiing or riding, the guide will assess the situation and take whatever steps are necessary.

A transceiver is an electronic beacon that you wear on your body when ever you are in the backcountry. It sends out a signal whenever it it turned on. If ever needed it will lead us right to you. All guests are provided with transceivers which must be worn.

The great thing about our terrain is that there is an easier way down every one of our runs. We match groups to terrain so that you'll always have a fun and safe day. One of the best things about catskiing is that people of different abilities can ride together because the cat can only get to the bottom of the run at a certain speed. This means you ski and ride at your own pace to the bottom. Depending on your pace you'll just get to the pick up a little before the cat or slightly after it. As the cat can only go a certain speed down the mountain there's no intimidation and no rush. You can ride at your own pace without the feeling that you are "holding up the group". With two guides per group, everyone gets safe guided powder skiing in the mountains, with more fun and more great times than you can imagine. We can arrange specific tuition for those who are unsure of their ability to handle powder.

You should have intermediate skiing ability with experience in a variety of conditions including powder, trees and steeper terrain. Our more relaxed experience lets you concentrate on enjoying the day and learning to ski better. Our guides are all fully certified ski instructors who can help you with tips and pointers throughout the day to help you get comfortable in powder snow and ski better. Untracked snow is great for learning to ski in powder.

There is no need to be intimidated about going catboarding if you can link turns with proficiency on a blue run. If you can do that you are ready to start catboarding. Riding powder on a snowboard, if you have never done it, is one of the easiest things to get the hang of. Our more relaxed experience lets you concentrate on enjoying the day and learning to ride better. Our guides who are fully certified instructors who can help you with tips and pointers throughout the day so you'll quickly get comfortable in powder snow and ride better. You will learn so much about riding powder from them that you will be an expert in no time.

Obviously, the fitter you are the less tired you will be at the end of the day. The cool thing about the cat is that if you are tired you can "sit out" a run and ride down in the snowcat while you re-energize. Our highest elevation is about 6,500 feet, so altitude is not a problem. Our runs range in vertical from 800ft to around 3,000ft. Most runs are in the 1200-1500 vertical foot size. Having runs of this size means you spend less time in the cat between runs and more time skiing or riding. It also means you can charge down each run with out getting worn out.

As much as we'd all like to be extremenators, what you see in magazines are professional riders paid to do amazing and carefully planned things. Real powder is different. With the snowcat providing descents ranging from 15-20 degrees to 40-45 degrees, we can pick lines to suit the group's ability and aims. Imagine a perfect dream day at your favorite mountain riding powder with no one around. That's what catskiing is everyday. The only people you see are your friends who came with you. Once people have been catskiing once, they understand what the excitement is all about and how easy it really is.

Absolutely! With our two guide system, everyone skis and rides at their own pace within the group. This makes for a relaxing day without the intimidation that is sometimes felt by friends "trying to keep up".
One of the nicest things about catskiing is that people of different abilities can ride together because the cat can only get to the bottom of the run at a certain speed. This means you go at your own pace to the bottom. You won't have the feeling that you are "holding up the group".
With two guides everyone gets the same experience: guided powder skiing in the mountains, safely, with more fun and great times than you can imagine. One part of the group goes with the lead guide and the other part of the group goes with the second guide. No stress, no vibes from the rest of the group, just happy smiles and jokes about wipeouts and epic face shots. Exactly what a day in the mountains with your friends should be!

It's the best place! What some people do is hire a ski or snowboard instructor to accompany them into the mountains with us. It's amazing how fast you learn with an instructor showing you how it's done and teaching you the tricks of skiing powder. Learn to ride powder with Powder Mountain Catskiing!

Our terrain is everything you could ever want. With almost 1,900 hectares, (4,300 acres) spread over 4 peaks, and around 14 sub peaks we have everything from open faces to chutes and trees. Powder Mountain Catskiing operates between at 3,500ft to 6,500ft altitude, on intermediate slopes of 15-20 degrees through to advanced 40-45 degree slopes.
On the first run of the day we check out your ability and the snow stability. Then we take you to the terrain that best suits your ability and the snow conditions. We have mellow runs for learning and cruising and more advanced runs for those at that level. No matter what your ability we have terrain that will leave you stoked and aching for more.
The cool thing about catskiing terrain is that you can take your time, relax and ride at your own pace. If you look in the magazines and see a caption that says "Whistler Backcountry" you can almost guarantee it was shot in our area. Powder Mountain Catskiing has been the pro skier and pro snowboarder secret photo shooting spot for years.
We have no maintained runs and the snow is often deep. Much of the area is similar to an un-groomed blue to black run. If you are comfortable with blues and single blacks at your home ski area you will have a great day with us. With powder snow, you can ride a steeper run more safely than you can on hard packed ski area slopes. Catskiing and boarding is the backcountry experience. We get everything from fluff to corn and everything in between.
We have runs on all aspects, so we can make the most of the weather conditions to ride the best powder possible.
More about our terrain.

There are some runs that are only accessible with a short hike. Sometimes the cat can't get us right up to a drop in, so we hike a litte. In general though there is very little hiking involved: that's why we have the cat.

Not less than 7,000 ft, but mostly 8,000ft to 10,000ft per day. You can expect six to ten runs, depending on the conditions and the group. The more you ski the happier we are. The record runs in a day is fifteen. Our runs range in vertical from 800ft to around 3,000ft. Most runs are in the 1200-1500 vertical foot size. Having runs of this size means you spend less time in the cat between runs and more time skiing or riding. It also means you can charge down each run with out getting worn out.

No.

We are based in Whistler, BC, Canada and operate in Tricouni Peak and Cypress Peak areas, 20 minutes south of Whistler (1hr 20mins from Vancouver).

We don't have an exact number as we are always discovering new ones. With over 4,300 acres of powder, there are more runs than we know what to do with. The coolest thing is we always have your best run, and there is always “one more”.

For these questions check out our rates page.

Free pick up at Gone Bakery in the Village Square. If you are n the Village Square, look for Moguls Coffee Shop, enter the doorway on the left of the archway by the bookstore. Gone is down the hall. Be dressed and ready to ski except for your boots. We drive you and your equipment to our base lodge where you meet your guides. The Powder Mountain Lodge is about 20 minutes south of Whistler on Highway 99 at the Chance Creek turn off. Gone Bakery has amazing food, baked treats and coffee so arrive a little early and have breakfast (not included) before we take off at 7:20 am for your day in the backcountry. You'll be glad you did. Please don't be late. Time wasted cuts into the amount of skiing you get in a day. It's not nice to make the rest of the group wait for you to wake up and arrive.

We cannot do pickups at anywhere other than Gone bakery in the Village Square. If you are coming from a hotel in Whistler, your concierge can point you in the right direction or order you a cab to drop you off at Gone Bakery. If you have booked a private cat for the day we can pick you up at your hotel or condo.

Every day varies according to snow conditions, group ability, weather and other factors, so we can't give you an exact time. Plan on returning between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM to Whistler. See here for a typical day's schedule.

Yes, tipping is allowed and encouraged.

We have one group of twelve people and two guides in each snow cat. The most we ever have on the mountain is three groups of twelve, in three snowcats. Unlike heliskiing, you have your own machine so you can bring a pack with anything you think you might need and leave it under your seat in the cat.

The first ride up in the cat takes about 45 minutes to get into the high backcountry. After that the runs come quickly. The average cat ride time is about 15 minutes for each run. Just enough time to recharge your energy, grab a snack or something to drink. Sometimes it seems like you just got in the cat at the bottom of the run and then suddenly you are back at the top getting ready to drop in. It's amazing how much fun catskiing is.

We try to get as many runs in as possible. Weather and snow conditions as well as the ability of the group all weigh in when factoring how many runs you will get. We guarantee 7,000 vertical feet of skiing. On most days you can expect to do six to eight runs and around 10,000 vertical feet of skiing.

Absolutely! Whistler has pro skiers like a hot tub has water. You can ride with people like Brian Savard, Rob Boyd, Ken Achenbach, Rob Kingwill, Evan Feen, Omar Lundie, Kevin Young, Dennis Bannock, Allan Clark and plenty of others.
If you are part of a regular day with your group, don't be surprised if a pro is in the seat next to you. There's always the off chance a famous skier or snowboarder will be part of your group. They know how much fun catskiing and riding is.

We have a professional photographer with us every day. You can pre book him to shoot photos of you and your friends when you ski or ride. It's all shot on digital so at the end of the day we can burn you a CD with the photos of you from the day. Also included on the CD is a greatest hits package of photos from Powder Mountain Catskiing. Who knows, maybe you will make our greatest hits slideshow. Check our rates page for details.

We use and recommend 4FRNT skis. Fat skis make powder easy and require less energy to turn so you have more energy all day and get more skiing and more fun. If you don't have fat skis, rent them please. You can thank us afterwards. We recommend Summit Ski for your entire rental needs.

Snowboards: We use and recommend Burton Fish or Burton Malolo model snowboards as they are designed for backcountry snowboarding. Not everything works in powder anymore. Get a powder specific board and double the enjoyment of your day.

Not at all. What ever makes you stoked works. Dedicated powder skis and boards just make it easier.

We can rent you all the ski or snowboard equipment you need. We recommend Summit Ski Rentals in Whistler who are more than ready to help you with whatever you need.

We recommend the same clothing as you would wear at a ski resort. As the snowcats are heated, there are plenty of opportunities to warm up between runs. Unlike a ski area where you have to carry everything with you, you can bring extra clothes as you can store them in the cat in case you need them. Dress in layers as we have a wide variety of weather conditions and you may need to add or subtract a layer.

Bring both if you wish. Most of the time we all wear goggles, although once spring rolls around sunglasses are great. As we are in the alpine some form of eye protection is necessary. Most of our guides use and recommend Spy Goggles and sunglasses

You may want to bring a backpack to carry your spare clothes in. Our guides use and recommend dakine backpacks. You can leave your bag in the cat so your gear is always close at hand. We have water, drinks, snacks and food on board but your own stash never hurt. All safety equipment is provided, but if you are more comfortable with your own by all means bring it.

The Tricouni area typically receives 40% more snowfall on average than Whistler/Blackcomb. Our average snowfall is approximately 11 meters / 439 inches / 36 feet per year. This makes for more powder days than you can imagine. With only twelve people per cat on the whole mountain you can imagine how long the powder lasts.

The beauty of cat skiing is that the snow is almost always great. Our season starts in mid December and goes to mid April. December, January, February and early March are the prime powder months where we have fresh snow all the time. Mid March to mid April has great snow with awesome corn after the spring hits. With 4,300 acres of powder, when you come riding with us you are going to get the goods.
Spring weather means that in the spring time you get more runs for the same money.

The temperature is typical for winter weather in BC. One of the best things about the snowcats is that after every run you have time to warm up in the heated passenger cab as it carries you back up the mountain for your next run. That's better than long cold lift lines and freezing charilift rides. You can store extra clothes in the cat so that you are always dressed correctly for the temperature. Gloves got wet? No problem, grab your extra pair from the cat.

We know powder. We've traveled the world looking for it and this is it. Come skiing or riding with us and you'll have your best day in the mountains ever.

Our office address is Powder Mountain Catskiing Inc 8629 Drifter Way Whistler, BC, V0N1B8 Canada. Our telephone numbers are at the bottom of this page.