Snowcat skiing is skiing off-piste terrain using modern snow cats as means for uphill transfer. Snowcats offer easy and reliable access to the backcountry and give plenty of opportunities for skiing powder slopes or smooth corn snow.

A snow cat is a vehicle which is equipped with caterpillar tracks which makes it possible to navigate even deep and steep snowy slopes. Equipped with a cabin it can transport a group of people (up to about a dozen depending on the size of the cabin) quite fast and comfortable.

Cat skiing is a cheaper alternative to helicopter skiing since the operation of snow cats is associated with significantly lower costs than helicopters. Other important advantages of using snow cats compared to helicopters is that operating snow cats is much more reliable and relatively independently from weather conditions. Snow storms or severe snow falls and lack of visibility may ground helicopter operations but still allow for snowcat skiing. Thus skiers who book a snowcat skiing package can be assured to get their verticals in deep powder while skiers with a heli package may be grounded some days of their vacation. Many skiers who do have fears of flying use snowcat skiing as an alternative to heli skiing.

Snow cat skiing gained increasing popularity among skiers (and snowboarders) in North America during the past two decades.

The procedures of snowcat skiing are quite simple. Skiers board the snowcat just like a bus and get transported uphill in short time and with no hassle. The length of the runs and the associated vertical vary and are usually not very long to keep the skiers active skiing. Thus, several shorter runs (from 700ft to 2100 ft vertical per run) are common and add up for a total vertical per day of about 10.000 to 20.000 ft. In general, there is not the stressful tendency of “racking up” verticals and cutting down “ground time” usually associated with heli skiing since the operating costs of snowcats is not counted in minutes. Thus, there is plenty of time not only for skiing the fresh powder but also for enjoying the fascinating environment of big, snowy mountains. This much more “relaxed” approach makes cat skiing also very attractive for the more casual skier who also wants to enjoy the general environment and goes beyond the sole aim of maximizing verticals.

Since backcountry skiing is associated with a number of risks and dangers (such as snow avalanches, navigation loss, hypothermia, tree wells) important safety procedures (quite similar to helicopter skiing) are applied. Special trained and certified ski guides are responsible for their respective group and check constantly for the right conditions while selecting the appropriate downhill routes. Usually, one guide skis a slope first and defines the path for his clients nevertheless leaving them ample opportunity to get “fresh tracks” (the ultimate goal of every intermediate and advanced skier). Then the clients follow suit and a second assistant guide acts as ‘tailgunner’ helping clients who may have experienced problems like a crash or loosing a ski during the downhill ride. Special attention has to be given to tree wells while skiing through forests (tree skiing). To prepare for tree well incidents a “buddy system” is used while tree skiing meaning that two clients ride in teams so that a quick helping hand is always ready to assist in case of emergency.

Tree wells are dangerous traps around trees in deep snow. Evergreen trees (especially fir) shield with their branches the snow and thus prevent the area around the tree from filling and consolidating with snow. Often these holes are hidden and cannot be seen at all by the skiers due to the low hanging and snow covered branches of the tree. Falling into such a deep hole may trap the victim and may ultimately lead to suffocation. Indeed, in some snow-rich winters deadly accidents from tree well incidents may be even more common than deaths associated with avalanche accidents.

The best regions for cat skiing in North America are in the North Western states of Canada and the United States. In the United States, Alaska was able to establish a great reputation as perfect cat skiing location as well. Since the weather in Alaska can be often really bad over prolonged time periods prohibiting the use of helicopters cat skiing is an important additional asset for the increasing number of heli skiing operators in Alaska (especially in the Valdez area). If the helicopters are not able to fly, the clients can at least reach the powdery ski slopes by using snow cats. In the lower 48 states cat skiing is to be found in most ski resorts which cater to the powder hungry skiers, snowboarders and freeriders. Well-known cat ski operators are located in Colorado (Steamboat and Silverton, for example).

Canada is the real dreamland of cat skiing. Her countless mountains covered in deep, dry powder snow guarantee perfect possibilities for cat skiing. The number of cat ski operators in Canada has been increasing considerable during the past decades since more and more skiers are seeking distraction from the groomers and are at the same time proficient enough to enjoy the virtues of powder skiing. The climatic conditions of certain Canadian mountain ranges (cold, dry weather with heavy snow storms in between) make for ideal prerequisites.

Especially the mountain ranges in British Columbia such as the Coast Mountains (Whistler-Blackcomb), the Interior Mountains (Monashees, Selkirk) or the Rocky Mountains are famous for their great snow conditions and their huge variety of available skiing terrain. Today the mountain ranges of Western Canada attract each winter thousands of powder-hungry skiers from all over the world.