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.
Time to get your wool on with Icebreaker and start those quad building exercises
Icebreaker comes through with some great new additions to the Realfleece line, like the Sierra Hood shown at left. The entire 2011/12 winter line is not out yet, but we got a sneak peak at some of their new gear. They are expanding the Realfleece collection for Fall 2011 with three new 260 Realfleece outer layers for men that are lighter weight than their 320 Realfleece brethren, but equally soft and cozy. Some features like articulated raglan sleeves, zippered front hand pockets, and a zippered stash sleeve pocket make it a welcome addition to your ski clothing lineup. Available in hooded and non-hooded models to layer on a cold weather day, or wear around town and sport your awesome New Zealand Merino presence.
Men's models only you say? No. Icebreaker delivers awesome lines of products for the ladies as well. Everything from base layers to jackets to keep Ewe warm this coming catskiing season.
Stay tuned to Catskiing.ca for updates and specials as we rev up for fall 2011.
Which means tomorrow we begin the descent into WINTER!
Some people think we are sick. Not because of all the powder skiing we do while they are working, but because it is the first day of summer and all we can talk about is our next powder adventure. That's right, it is getting hotter and all we can think about is predicting when the season will start this winter. In fact, the Catskiing.ca crew were all together on the weekend having a BBQ with our families and it only took half of a beers worth of conversation before we decended into talking about our catskiing adventures for the upcoming season.
So I am sitting here in the sunshine having a coffee and the image that keeps popping in my mind is the one above from one of our epic days in the BC mountains last season. This particular image was taken by our resident photographer Geoff Holman on a run that Jason and Leila led us down at Selkirk Wilderness Skiing. The instructions at the top were to ski this one from top to bottom, so that is what we did!
Here's to summer and to the days getting shorter as we slide into winter!
Warren Miller's 62nd film . . .We are pretty sure there is some BC pow in there!
Warren Miller Entertainment released the trailer to their latest film today and it looks like they are stepping it up a bit for next season. It is hard not too with the amount of powder that blessed us this winter. Especially here in BC where we set some records in some areas! This is the 62nd film from WME and I have to say, we are looking forward to this one. In past year's films from MSP and TGR have over-shadowed the classic interpretations from good ol' Warren and his band of merry skiers. Check this trailer out and leave us your view in the comments. Enjoy!
On what has developed to become one of the best snow seasons in recent history – Tanner Hall and Co. will take you on a ride of pure powder bliss. Retallack Lodge has cultivated a unique ski culture — rich in history, salt-of-the-earth characters, and laid back vibe. Retallack’s legendary terrain features a wide variety of aspects, elevation, fall-line pitch, and pristine backdrops — allowing the production crew and cast to demonstrate what skiing means to them. Featuring huge backcountry jumps, seemingly endless pillow lines, mind blowing deep powder, epic tree skiing, and unique new highlights yet to be seen in the backcountry. Follow Tanner after his two year recovery, taking his skiing into a new realm with a comeback segment that won’t be forgotten. The Retallack Movie will feature visually stimulating scenery, history, culture, soul, and flawless skiing action and conditions.
Directed By: fxq7gh Finbow / co-created by Ian Provo, Neil Provo and Tanner Hall Edited By: fxq7gh Finbow
This trip is perfect for those that want to do some ski touring and access some of the steeper terrain and more remote terrain at Wildhorse Catskiing. Typically there will be 30 minute ski tours to access the run and snowcat/snowmobile pickups. Depending on the group there can be some customization of the tour to include more avalanche awareness instruction, ski touring hints, steep skiing advice, more ski touring, etc.
Wildhorse Catskiing and Powder Mining Co. has been offering a ski touring program from the Ymir Yurts for over 10 years now and until now they have been separate programs. “We are excited to see the combination of catskiing and ski touring. We do also offer ski touring only programs as well as catskiing/ski touring programs at our three cabins all through the winter.” says Trevor Holsworth, Lead Wrangler at Wildhorse.
Accommodation will be at the Wildhorse Cabin situated at 6,500 ft and limited to 6 participants. All meals and guiding are included in the price.
BC has just come off a banner powder season and Valhalla Powdercats got hit with some amazing powder dumps this season. Why are we telling you this now? You may be thinking, "It's all over man, why are you killing us with news about how awesome it was while we were stuck at work dreaming about skiing and wondering why we didn't book a trip?!". We well are giving you ample time this year to get in on some great early season deals for next season. Check out the latest from Valhalla Powdercats:
EARLY SEASON (Start to Jan 15th) $9000 for 3 day full cat if paid in full by May 15th 2011
HIGH SEASON (Jan 16th to March 15th) $12000 for 3 day full cat if paid by May 15th 2011
A Full cat is 12 people. So get your 11 closest friends and book your trip today to take advantage of these super-early deals.
We are on the backside of March now and most of the population is done with winter. But not Big Red Cats. We arrived on Friday morning at 8:30am to meet a bus load of guests ready to pile into 4 snowcats. Four! It was amazing to see this fleet of Piston Bullies rolling up to the staging area prep'd and ready to take the mass of powder hounds out in to the backcountry.
Now some of you may be wondering how 4 snowcats can all be up in one area and not have the snow get all chewed up. You aren''t alone. We thought the very same thing. But you know, we barely saw the other cats and rarely crossed a track save for a few little traverses. You see, Kieren and his crew at BRC have spent hundreds of hours every summer glading runs, building new roads and opening new terrain so they can accommodate more skiers and boarders at their operation.
Conditions for mid-March are incredible this season. There have been a few significant storm cycles that have topped up the snow pack and brought some consistently soft powder days. The snow is starting to get heavy in the afternoon these days but with the variety of terrain at Big Red the guides will be able to take the groups to areas less effected by the sun.
Big Red Cats still has some last minute seats available leading up to the end of their season. If you want to break free from the office or the confines of the ski resort, treat yourself to a day at BRC. We just might sneak out there one more time too! {gallery}BRC03182011{/gallery}
BC has just come off a banner powder season and 
We are on the backside of March now and most of the population is done with winter. But not