The kind folks at Big Red Cats have released an early Christmas present today. They are offering a 3-Day, 3-Night special for only $999 total. That is cheaper that their standby rates! The available dates are between January 3rd and 17th 2013 and are subject to availability of course but man, what a deal.

We do a lot of catskiing in early January and have had good luck for the past 10 years and this year is shaping up to be no different. We suggest giving Paula a call at the BRC head office and arranging a post Christmas trip. Hey, you might as well spend the money now before it is all gone after Christmas!!

Click here to get all the details on this special: Big Red Cats 3-Day Special 2013

Whether you are getting ready for your first winter of backcountry skiing and riding or you’ve been at it for years, the Avalanche Skills Training (AST) Level 1 or 2 course - developed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre - is the perfect opportunity to learn about (or brush up on) safe backcountry travel techniques, route finding, slope assessment and  companion rescue. Join us for a combination of classroom learning and snowcat assisted ski touring. Our AST courses are taught by Keith Robine, a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association  with 20 years of experience teaching avalanche courses to recreational skiers and riders.

CAA AST schedule at Big Red Cats:

Dec. 15-16 AST 1 ($199)
Dec. 22-23 AST 1 ($199)
Dec. 27-30 AST 2 ($379)
Jan. 3-4 AST 1 with Fortis on snowshoes ($199)
Feb. 7-10 AST 2 ($379)

For more info, download the brochure here >>>

These early season releases from Salomon Freeski TV are killing me! This one in particular. Episode 3 is full of nothing but deep, DEEP powder. Skiers grinning from ear to scruffy ear. Powder pillows. Face shots. Big hits. It is all too much...

The only thing I can do is watch it over and over again throughout the day. Most likely I will end up grabbing a coffee and heading down to my local ski shop to chat with some like-minded individuals who share the same pre-season pain I do. It is like a support group of sorts.

Also, since this is a site about Catskiing we should note that there looks to be some terrain from Monashee Powder Cats and Backcountry Snowcats in there. Oh yeah, BC is awesome!

If you are looking to get into a pair of Salomon Rocker 2's this season, check out our friends over at www.freshair.ca. It is a great shop. Tell them we sent ya!

Christmas came early this season for everyone here at Catskiing Canada headquarters! The delivery man dropped of a few boxes of joy from Outdoor Research filled with the latest and greatest gear for 2012/13. The new Sidecountry line-up from Outdoor Research looks stunning and wears even better. This will be our third season running the OR outerwear at Catskiing operations around BC and we are stoked to show it off.

New additions we are particularly excited about are:

• The new Vanguard Jakcets and Pants
• The Blackpowder Gloves
• The refreshed design of the Axcess Jacket
• Their very smart Thumbdrive System
• The ALL NEW Lodestar Jacket
• ...and much, much more.

We will be posting reviews of the OR Sidecountry gear during the first few weeks of the season once we get some time on the snow. But we can tell you that as the word spreads, there won't be much left on the shelves at your favorite mountain shop!

Here are a few teaser shots below:

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Check it out! We made it into this month's Ski Canada Magazine Crosshairs Gallery. Guest photo editor John Schwirtlich liked what we had and featured not one but TWO images from our collection.

Last season, our photographer Geoff Holman took his photography to new heights and it shows. John really liked Geoff's ability to use remote flashes to light up the darker days skiing in the trees. This first photo is taken on Lightning Ridge at Selkirk Wilderness Skiing near Meadow Creek BC. Shooting in the trees can be tricky to shoot and on this particular day it was snowing so hard that natural light was hard to come by. So Geoff brought out his very portable strobe rig that he built himself to give us way more opportunities for shooting in the forest. This shot of me (Todd Avison) is what resulted.

The second shot featured is during a trip to Big Red Catskiing in Rossland BC. We left for Rossland later in the evening and this particular photo was taken around 10pm on the Paulson Pass. It was just us, the moon and truckers on the road. The black ice was pretty bad so we took our time when all of the sudden we got above the clouds and saw this awesome shooting opportunity.

Thanks to John and Ski Canada for publishing our pics! We are stoked to shot more and see what we come up this year.

Salomon Freeski TV has rocked us again with their second installment of season 6. This episode is shot totally at night and will blow your mind. I think that you will see more night freeskiing featured in ski films in the next year. Mike Douglas and the Salomon Freeski TV crew have innovated once again with this episode.

The midnight location for this little foray into night skiing took place at Backcountry Snowcats in the Hurley Valley just north of Whislter BC.

Enjoy!

It's not even winter yet here in North America, so why am I showing you a new set of gloves? Frost is starting to clear the leaves off the trees and the white stuff has started gracing the higher mountains, but no real accumulation to speak of. How could I even test them? 

Well, these BLACKPOWDER gloves from Outdoor Research are special.  They are a durable, goat leather and suede work glove inspired masterpiece, with a trick up their proverbial sleeve. The middle finger of the right glove hides a clever tool that every ski bum needs, a bottle opener. The reversible stainless steel ring proves to be very functional while remaining subtle and stylish.  With no practice at all I was able to crack a cold one in 3 seconds or less.

So while I may not know how well these gloves keep out the cold or stay dry throughout the day yet, I do know that they will be a favorite of the apres ski scene all over. We will be testing the BLACKPOWDER Gloves this season and let you know how we get on.  Meanwhile, I think I shall make good use of my new gloves. Cheers.

This is a really cool look back at the dawn of catskiing. SWS started it all here in BC and Sherpas Cinemas really captures the vibe of what the operation has to offer. Having skied at SWS, this video not only gets us stoked for the upcoming powder season, but it also makes you feel a real connection with the people and place that is Selkirk Wilderness Skiing.

Enjoy!

Oh, and by the way, if you want to WIN A TRIP to SWS this season, click here to enter The Great Catskiing Giveaway Contest...

Here is another webisode installment from Island Lake Catskiing. This one tells us the tale of a day in the life of a catskier. We especially like 9am-4pm: Shred Powder! Don't be fooled like we were it says Bear Lodge. We read "Beer Lodge!" Although we noticed it looks like the beer is plentiful after a full day of famous Island Lake Powder!

Check it out and enjoy. Also, stay tuned for more teasers and full lenght film coming in 2013.