The latest news from the catskiing / snowcat industry. Where to ski, who has snow, whats happening. We also post reviews of the latest gear, skis, and some general interest stuff. Be sure to check for last minute deals to make your winter vacation the best.
Another teaser featuring more awesome BC Catskiing!
We are SO stoked to hear that the weather forecasters are calling for another La Nina winter here in the BC Backcountry. And this teaser for Balance of Powder will help you understand why. This very short but very awesome trailer features two legendary locations here in BC: Island Lake Lodge and Mica Heli Skiing. The powder shots in this little vid look absolutely mind blowing and we can't wait to get some for myself this season. Check out the trailer and watch for the full movie coming out this October from Sherpas Cinemas.
Editor's Pick from the 2012 Freeskier Magazine Buyers Guide. (and we like it too!)
Being the beginning of September and all, we often find ourselves with nothing better to do than hang around coffee shops and leaf through the magazines on the rack. I mean, why pay for them if they are just sitting there, right?! Anyways, on a recent trip to the caffeine store we found ourselves glued to the pages of the latest Buyer's Guide from Freeskier Magazine. One of their better Buyer's Guides yet actually. As we got through the regular hype on all the new skis we saw that BCA had been recognized with an Editor's Pick on their new Float 18 Avalanche Airbag. We were stoked because we absolutely love our Stash packs and got to play around with a Float 30 at Valhalla Powder Catskiing last season.
The Float 18 is new for this season. It is the smaller cousin to the Float 30 and an awesome choice for lighter weight safety gear. The Float 18 is only 6.5 lbs and still has an 18 litre capacity giving it plenty of room for skins, extra gear and of course, snacks. As with all BCA packs, this one comes standard with the stash pockets for the rest of your avi gear. With the weight savings and ample storage space, we think BCA has hit it right on with this Float 18 pack. We will give more detailed reviews and videos when we are out catskiing in the mountains of BC this season!
Tanner Hall gives us the rundown of what makes Retallack so special
We posted the trailer to the new movie from Red Bull that is showcasing Retallack Lodge. Now they are tempting us even more with these short behind the scenes looks at what makes Retallack such a cool place. In this one, Tanner Hall gives a candid interview as to why Retallack is his place for Catskiing in BC. Once you see the video you will want to clear your schedule and get out to the BC backcountry to enjoy a little of the catskiing terrain Tanner is chewing up!
Opening in January 2012 to powder enthusiast, Skeena Cat Skiing will be operating on North America's 2nd largest heli/cat skiing terrain. They are located just northwest of Smithers BC which is known by BC locals as a place that consistently gets A LOT of snow! We are excited to welcome Skeena Catskiing to the industry and are looking forward to seeing some more pictures and videos of their operation as the season unfolds.
If logging first tracks is your thing, then booking a trip to Skeena Cat Skiing early this season is for you. They are offering an early season booking discount if you book your trip before September 30th. Give Lynn a call and let her know the crew from Catskiing.ca sent ya!
The new Canada Teaser from True Color Films features Monashee Powder Cats and K3 Catskiing
We stumbled upon this trailer today and noticed it had some snowcats in it and some familiar looking terrain. After a little bit of Internet detective work we discovered that this crew of snowboarders from True Color Films found alot of their content for their Canada Teaser at BC's very own Monashee Powder SnowCats and K3 Catskiing. Again, more BC Catskiing operations being featured in films this year! Enjoy.
Mike Douglas and Dane Tuder stop by Big Red Cats this season
The Salomon Freeski TV Season 5 trailer hit the web last week to much excitement. After watching this teaser we can see why. The had one heck of a season to shoot last year. One of the biggest, most consistent La Nina winters we have had and as with other ski vids set to release this Fall, more catskiing ops have been featured.
This time it is Big Red Cats in the spotlight on Salomon Freeski TV. Kieren and Paula from BRC called us the other day to fill us in on their visit from Mike Douglas and Dane Tuder this past March. Here is what they had to say:
"Mike Douglas and Dane Tuder and the guys came out filming with us in March 2011. These guys were really good. They brought with them a miniture helicopter - which needed 2 people to operate it. One person to fly it and the other person to operate the camera. This allowed them to get some amazing camera angles.
I was amazed how good these guys were. Going off jumps and hits that had never been skied before and doing some all sorts of tricks double backs - multiple spins - all into fresh powder with no takes. Pretty awesome."
As you will see in the teaser and the episodes to come, Big Red Cats new terrain is looking pretty sick and will be worth checking out this season. Kieren and the crew have been working hard on their summer glading and we are shopping for a remote control helicopter to get some of those sweet shots!
A behind the scenes look at a massive kicker build in the BC backcountry
Check out this behind the scenes teaser of Mike Riddle, Tom Wallisch, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Mark Carter and Dylan Hood building a massive kicker in the mountains surrounding Baldface Lodge. This is part of the Teton Gravity Research Almost Live series where they show bits and pieces of the making of their latest film One for the Road due out this Fall. We think it is pretty awesome to see more and more catskiing operations like Baldface Lodge getting the international attention they deserve.
Oh, and don't wory, it looks like this was shot in the spring so they weren't wasting any perfect BC powder!
Icebreaker raises the bar yet again with the all new RealFleece 260
So it is August and we are in the midst of a heatwave here in BC. What better time to have a box full of new merino wool goodies show up from Icebreaker Clothing! We decided that we would head to the mountains to see what we could find and test out the new product.
As expected, our enthusiasm far out-measured the abundance of snow as you can see by the greenery in the accompanying photos. None-the-less, Todd decided to practice trudging through creeks in the new Icebreaker GT200 zip. He seems seems to be the one to end up in them when we are on skis so the practise is good for him...
Next up was the new for this season Icebreaker RealFleece 260 Full Zip Top. Now this comes in hooded and non-hooded versions and is quite the sharp looking piece. It has refined, articulated stitching and fits amazingly. It is a little too warm out there in the BC backcountry to give you a full review of the latest offerings but when the snow starts to fall, be sure to check back for our point of view.
In the meantime, get down to your local Icebreaker Dealer and check out the new threads. Especially the RealFleece 260, the original release of RealFleece 320 sold out real fast last season.
Enjoy the rest of summer because winter is coming!
A more intimate experience with you and 5 of your friends
We all likely started skiing at the local resorts. That was good, for a while. Then the line-ups and crowds started to get to you so you starting looking for somethings else. Catskiing was your next step. The open powder runs, fresh tracks every run, no signs, no ski patrol, just you and 12 other guests. Well, maybe now skiing with 12 others is just too crowded. For that, Big Red Cats has the answer...
Small Group Catskiing is now available at BRC. They still will have their standard cats running groups of 12 but now will offer a cat that will take two smaller groups of 5-7 skiers at a time. Yes, the cat ride up will still be full, but once on the slope you will be skiing terrain in your own small group with your own guides. You will then meet up at a pre-arranged location and do it all over again.
So why small groups? Well, according to Kieren Gaul of Big Red Cats, expert guests will get to experience different terrain such as narrow chutes and drops with more personal attention from their guides. “Having smaller groups of expert skiers in the cats will allow small groups to move through the terrain more quickly” says Kieren. That means more vertical and more powder in a day than a larger group.
Who is this for? As mentioned above, this program is intended for expert skiers looking to ski harder, faster and search out more challenging terrain. According to Kieren, “The idea behind this is to offer our guests a more intimate experience. It is also great if you have 5 friends that are really close in ability and want to try some really cool lines.”
If this is making your ski legs tingle a day of small group catskiing can be yours for $425/person/day in the low season and $475/person/day in the high season.
For more details, contact Kieren or Paula at Big Red Cats today. Word is they are starting to book up...
If you end up booking a trip, be sure to let em know Catskiing.ca set ya!
