As I sit here and write this post, it is currently sunny outside my office window. However, there is white stuff all over the hills. It is a sign of the snow storm activity that is hitting British Columbia right now. My phone has been buzzing all morning with reports from Whistler adding up to 75cms in the last few days, my old hill Manning Park Resort stacking up 48cms in 48 hours. But if you look at the image above you will see where the crux of the precipitation is right now. It's the Kootenays.

In particular the snow is dumping on the Selkirk and the Purcell mountain ranges. Reports from Big Red Cats say 'Out of the Office, will return calls tomorrow'. Stellar Heliskiing reports another 20cms on the 80-something they got last week. Selkirk Wilderness Skiing is reporting tonnes of March snow with more pounding down right now!

And that is what gets up particularly excited. The report from SWS makes up jump up and down in our office chairs because we are headed their this Sunday for a little 2-day adventure. We went their last year and were blown away at the foot of snow that dropped the day before we got there and now this storm looks like it is hitting just right!

We will let you know how it is :)

Oh, and if you are interested in checking this powder out for yourself, SWS has a 3-Day intro package on for the end of March. Save 20%! Click here for more details.

Never tried catskiing or boarding, but have always been curious? Or perhaps your spouse or friend has always wanted to join you catskiing but needed some extra instruction? Then Selkirk Wilderness Skiing got the answer for you! The SWS Intro to Catskiing and Boarding vacation package is now 20% Off for either March 25 – 28 or March 28 – 31, 2012 if you book after March 11th.

This unique 3-day, 3-night package is designed specifically for those new to powder skiing or snowboarding, or for those who want to learn for the first time. Certified CSIA instructors will provide you instruction on powder skiing/boarding techniques including how to enjoy tree skiing, how to fall and get up and how to pick your line down a mountain. Guests will stay at the luxurious Selkirk Wilderness Mountain lodge situated at 1280m (4200ft) that offers panoramic views of the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains and all the comforts of home. Plus, this package wouldn’t be complete without our legendary cuisine - hearty breakfasts, scrumptious lunches and mouth-watering dinners each day.

Book after March 11th to receive this last minute deal! Call 1-800-799-3499 or visit www.selkirkwilderness.com for more info.

We are between catskiing trips here at catskiing.ca and we were looking for a way to have some fun.   We had scouted this cut block earlier in year and were waiting for an opportunity to try it out.  Then came along a great excuse, Adam's birthday.  Check out the results of Redneck Cat skiing below. *Remember that heading out into the back country presents different hazards than resort skiing.  Please make sure that you have the proper gear and experience using it.

Photo Credit: Melissa Larsen
Many of you watched the Super Bowl yesterday and I can't say I blame you. It was an incredible game with two amazing teams fighting for one of the most prized trophies in all of sports (next to the Stanley Cup of course!). Sports history was made yesterday in Indianapolis but there was another sport that progressed and made a little history of its own. I am talking about the Red Bull Supernatural that took place at Baldface Lodge located in the backcountry of British Columbia. This lodge is normally host to powder hungry skiers and snowboarders who travel from far and wide to taste a little Kootenay pow. But yesterday it was host to some of the greatest snowboarders of today. 

"Take X Games and move it to a real mountain,"

Here's a video we put together showing what it was like during our 2-day visit to Valhalla Powdercats January 16th and 17th. The first day was great, the second day was mind blowing. When we rolled into Nelson on Sunday night the mercury was somewhere 18 below freezing and the streets where silent. Even in the morning things where quite. But as you can see in the video, the deeper into the Valhalla's we went, the more Kootenay Pow we found!

We hope you enjoy the video. The music is Set em Up by Langhorn Slim. For some reason our Valhalla trips seem to involve banjo music...

Island Lake Lodge, long heralded as a premiere backcountry lodge and catskiing destination, will now be offering guided ski touring as well. Guests will be transported by snow cat into the mountains where they can enjoy touring 7,000 acres of Island Lake property. The terrain, which includes alpine bowls, gladed trees and an extensive road network, is ideal for both catskiing and ski touring. “We have always known our property is great for touring and are very excited to offer the opportunity to a wider audience,” said guiding manager Niki LePage.  Multi-day stays will include all food and accommodation.  Island Lake will offer packages for all levels of skiers from beginner to expert. Ski touring will be available as single day trips or as two, three or four day tours starting in April.  Each day starts with a snowcat-ride into the ski terrain to get as much elevation as possible.

Island Lake Catskiing is located in the Lizard Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, 10 kms from Fernie B.C.  Island Lake offered ski touring in the mid 80’s and for the past 24 years has been providing catskiing experiences for skiers and snowboarders.

For more information, check out our Island Lake Catskiing Listing >>>

It was a grey day at K3 Catskiing for us this year. Well, grey and white since it was snowing so hard! When the light gets low we tend to lean more towards shooting pics with our fancy new strobe set up but as it turns out, we got some pretty enticing video too. Looking back at this footage makes me want to get in the truck and head right back to K3 for some more!

Enjoy.

Part of the event area of Red Bull Supernatural ©Danny Zapalac/Red Bull Content Pool

Travis Rice and a team of lumberjacks hiked up into the BC backcountry last summer to build the ultimate run. The concept is to combine all aspects of snowboarding into one run; meaning steeps, trees, freestyle, jib... all of it. The goal: to find the world's best all-round rider.

The slope that will be the feature of the Red Bull Supernatural event can be found at Baldface Lodge. It's a catskiing operation nestled in the Kootenay mountains near Nelson in the interior if British Columbia. The run is called 'Scary Cherry' and scary it is boasting a 45 degree pitch in some spots. It will feature over 80 different man made hits and stunts along with the natural bluffs and treelines that Baldface is known for.

Riders and film crews will be up at Baldface Lodge for a week of riding between February 3rd and 8th. The plan is to pick the best day with the most optimal conditions and see what happens!

For more the full story, check out Red Bull's site here >>>

“You are so lucky to have this so close to you”

These remarks came from our new friend from Holland at the end of an unexpected powder day at K3 Catskiing. I say unexpected because at the valley bottom it was + 5 Celsius and raining. But up at the K3 staging area it was -4 and snowing...heavily. Our Catskiing.ca headquaters is located in Kelowna BC which is an easy 2 hours drive whereas our new ski friend from Holland has to travel quite a ways and gamble on the conditions in the Alps being worth the trip!

Expectations are very high this year for BC backcoutnry operators after an epic La Nina season in 2011. The weather gurus up and down the west coast of North America are calling for a repeat of last year so all eyes are watching the storm patterns in BC. And K3 has had it's fair share of powder dumps.

Beginning with a huge hit of snow in November, K3 got an early jump on road building and the stoke level was high. Then some high pressure systems killed the snow cycles and all has been a little quite in the catskiing world around the BC interior save for a few northern operations. But at K3, the base has been steadily building each day. As we rode up the access road with David and Rod, operators of K3, they told that small dumps of 10cms at a time have led to a base of over 2 metres with an average of a 30-40cm foot penetration. That means that you could be skiing knee deep powder at any given time in their terrain!

With all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season now behind us, we were pumped to be headed to K3 Catskiing for our first turns of the 2012 season. It was January 3rd as we headed north out of the Okanagan Valley and into the Monashee range where K3 operates as the only day trip operation in the area. This is one of our favourite areas to hang out and search for powder. You see, within the same area you will find not only K3's operation, but Mustang Powder, Chatter Creek, and Revelstoke Mountain Resort. It is a powderhound's playground!

This year we were treated to 7cms of fresh snow first thing in the morning with another 5cms or more falling throughout the day. Combine that with a foot deep powder penetration and needless to say, the group in the cat was all smiles. If you are a returning visitor to this website then you will know we have been to K3 a few times before and we have mentioned the South Park area of their terrain. The South Park is an old burned forest that has a nice pitch and is always full of powder. It also makes for some pretty dramatic photography. This year we pulled out the strobe lights and got some really cool shots that you can see in the gallery below.

We had a few German guests skiing with us so there was certainly a language barrier, but given the look on their faces each run, we knew they were thinking what we were thinking. Also joining us was a young lady who was catskiing for the first time. We love to see this because many people see catskiing as this extreme, cliff dropping, chute skiing dangerous adventure. And it can be that. But more often than not, catskiing is the perfect way to get acquainted with the backcoutry and experience bottomless powder that you would never find at a resort.

K3 Catskiing is in its 5th year of operations and the word is out. They are mostly booked for the season but have a few single days here and there left in their schedule. It is best to give them a call directly to see what you can get. We recommend getting on the waiting list in case there any last minute cancellations. With the snow already in fantastic shape we can only imagine what it will be like up there mid-season.

If you do end up skiing with David, Rod, Kris, Todd and Carl this season, be sure to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know what you think!

Enjoy.

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