Untouched powder is every skier’s dream. The best place to find that powder is 2,000 vertical feet up the mountain, where the chairlifts don’t reach. Cat-skiing gives adventure seekers the opportunity to find those untouched slopes.
The concept of cat-skiing has been around for about thirty years, when it was discovered that ski hill grooming machines, or snow cats, could scale steep inclines while carrying passengers to otherwise inaccessible areas of the mountain. In just the past number of years, over 20 professional cat-skiing operations have popped up in Canadian mountains, and it’s growing in the United States as well.
While about 90% of cat ski operations are in British Columbia, Western Alberta has the natural terrain to let the sport grow in the area as well.
“Through our ski touring, we saw the potential of the cat-skiing here,” said cat-ski host, Cam Jensen. “Just real nice mid-packed terrain. Real chargey, fast, but not very threatening terrain.”
Should someone get separated, however, every participant is fitted with a transceiver and is taught how to effectively help with a rescue.
“We still go through steps of companion rescue, transceiver orientation, probing, shovelling, all the basics you need to perform companion rescue,” said Jensen.
Perhaps the main thing that attracts skiiers to these heights, is the promise of wide open slopes, far away from the sometimes busy, chairlift accessible hills below.
“When you’re out here generally it’s a group of twelve and a couple guides,” said Lachapelle. “You look around and it’s just you and the mountain and whatever’s waiting below you to shred up.”
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