Make tracks
for powder
cat country

Andrew McCredie
Editor andrew@nsnews.cam

CALL it champagne skiing on a Baby Duck bud-
get.

Over the last few years, cat skiing has made a stealthy leap
into the mountains and valieys of British Columbia.

Long the pricey bastion of high-flying heli-ski operations,
virgin champagne powder skiing is now readily, and reasonably,
available thanks to the treaded cat-tracks,

One such operation thar has left an impressive footprint is
Cat Powder Skting of Revelstoke. With just one more month
of operation left in the season, Cat Powder has precious few
openings available and is busy filling up next season's calender.

The company uses three Bombardier snoweats with a capac-
ity of 13 skiers cach, soa little quick math will tell you that
space is limited for the two, three and five day packages offered
by the company (ranging in price from $690 co $1,725 per
person and includes skiing, accommodation and meals at the
company’s mountainside lodge).

Each cat has a guide, who sits up front with the driver while
the paying customers sit in airplane-like seats arranged in rows
in the heated cabs. Twenty minutes of uphill climbing and it’s
out the back door and into the powder for some untracked tree
and glade skiing.

North Vancouver’s Dave Howells is fresh off three days of
shredding powder with Cat Powder Skiing in the Selkirk
Mountains.

“T felt like IT was in a Warren Miller movic, surfing through
the trees,” beamed Howells, who along with News’ photogra-
pher Paul MeGrath experienced cat skiing for the first time.

“It was the best ski experience I’ve ever had,” Howells con-
tinued. “ve done some pretty cool stuff behind Whistler and
Blackcomb, but for an overall ski experience cat skiing is it.”

Howells added he and partner-in-slide McGrath measured
their enjoyment level by the grins on their faces at the end of
each run.

“We were just laughing and grinning each time,” he said,
grinning at the memory.

Skiers are advised to use “chub” skies (also called “fat-
boys”), which are available for rent from Cat Powder Skiing.
The wider bases allow you to float on the powder, and also give
you more stability. One of the tricks to skiing in knee- to waist-
deep powder is to “feel” your skies (because you certainly can’t
see them), and the wider skis help you to feel your way down
the mountain.

Howells estimated they did 13 runs per day, cach averaging
between 1,500 and 2,000 of vertical feet (Try skiing 16,000-
plus feet on Blackcomb in one day). Powder Cat claims to have

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250 runs available, with a
varied range in both
length and difficulty.
These runs have names
that reflect’ the terrain,
from the wide and gradual
runs of Hollywood
Boulevard and Easy Trees
to the more challenging
Holy Chute, Dam Steep
and Ve errizo.

Howells said skiers and
snowboarders he shared
his cat rides with were of
cal levels of ability, and
guessed cat skiing has a
bright and big future in
B.C

“There’s a real desire to
get into the backcountry
and get away from the lift
lines,” Howells said.

“p d always dreamed about riding the big white wave, and
now I’ve done,” he said, adding that he and a few buddies are
planning a return trip to the Selkirks next year,

If you’ve ever dreamt of riding the white wave call Cap

Powder Skiing at 1-800-991-4455.

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Sunday, February 28, 1999 — North Shore News - 41

NEWS photos Paul McGrath
NORTH Vancouver's Dave Howells (above) rides
the great white wave in the Selkirk Mountains with
Revelstoke-based Powder Cat Skiing. The compa-
ny operates three Bombardier cat-tracks (top).

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