Cat Operations
All snowcat operators offer the same base experience. They all access backcountry terrain by snowcat in order to ski or board untracked snow. Snowcat operators offer many different kinds of holidays that skiers and snowboarders can enjoy, from a one or two day package based in a valley community, to a six or seven day get-away in a remote lodge setting. Some operators offer very high end lodging and dining and others offer budget conscious room and board. The important message is that here in British Columbia there is a range of product and services to meet most desires and budgets.
As you can see from HeliCat Canada's Mandate and Safety section, it is our goal that no matter which operation you choose to ski or snowboard with, the safety measures taken are all the same, so no single operation is safer than another.
History of Catskiing
In 1965 Ontario native Allan Drury, while working in Aspen, noticed that snowcats were being used to shuttle skiers up an unfinished ski area whose lifts weren't yet running. With a vision of starting a wilderness snowcat operation Allan moved to Calgary Alberta to search for the perfect location. In 1975 Allan and his wife Brenda's vision of backcountry snowcat skiing in Canada became a reality when they moved to BC and opened Selkirk Wilderness Skiing.
Over 30 years later there are snowcat skiing operations scattered throughout BC. The combination of abundant snowfall, cool temperatures and regular breaks in weather systems make British Columbia ideal for catskiing and snowboarding.
Cat Operations