Powder Mountain Catskiing, Whistler, BC
Roughly eight riders to an acre at Whistler Blackcomb*. Nearly 180 acres per rider at Powder Mountain**. Advantage: Powder Mountain.
Whistler-bound traffic is backed up at 8:00AM on the morning after a dump, and by this time each car’s occupants have already wasted precious time and missed the first chairs. They’ll be watching from the lift, groaning as the earlier risers lay down some untouched tracks. By 10:00AM, much of the resort will be tracked out. On the other hand, when you find yourself on the Powder Mountain Catskiing shuttle, you’re heading away from the crowd for a thirty-minute jaunt from Whistler Village to the operation’s staging area. 4,300 acres of your personal powder playground await.
Besides the clear advantage in untracked lines that plunking down your hard earned bucks at Powder Mountain buys you, there’s also a much greater chance that the snow is going to be deeper. The geography of the area is such that the operating area intercepts and stalls storms as they roll in off the Pacific, resulting in thirty to forty percent more snow than the resort area sees. If you’re hearing reports of 50 centimeters of fresh at the top of Whistler Blackcomb, you won’t be off base to hope for a meter at the Powder Mountain Catskiing operating area.
When you’re booked for cat skiing with a good snow report, it’s like the night before Christmas but you know just what’s waiting to be unwrapped. The first warm-up run of floating though the waist deep freshies did not disappoint. Powder Mountain had received about two meters of new snow (true to form – Whistler Blackcomb had one), and conditions were ripe for the shredding. Our guides led us on a variety of pitches, starting with a mellow run to help judge the group’s abilities, followed by some steeper lines with options for more advanced skiing. The deep fluff encouraged everyone to push their limits, and the less experienced got used to the powder madness while the more accomplished hucked a few cliffs into bottomless snow. There was something for everyone, trending towards the relatively mellow in terms of cat skiing.
Powder Mountain’s guides are top-notch and are there to show you a great time (while incidentally enjoying the day just as much as you do – tough job). The operation runs two snowcats, which are very nice and include comfy bucket seating for the 12-client groups. A new snowcat is on the way for the 2010-2011 season. The operating area includes a mix of alpine and below treeline riding, but due to the same system that dumped all the snow, visibility was poor and we stuck within the trees so we could actually see where we were going. It would have been great to experience Powder Mountain’s alpine steeps and bowls, and being able to get into the high stuff would have greatly reduced the guest pressure on the untracked snow. As it was, there were a few runs and run-outs that we hit a couple of times over our three days, which was somewhat disappointing but understandable. Such is the nature of the beast, and amazing skiing and faceshots were still had by all, especially the first days after the storm. Our envy level is high for the first guests who got to go back up into the alpine when visibility improved.
Other than the occasional deals where Powder Mountain will put you up for a night in Whistler, they do not offer lodging, so find yourself a place to stay and be at the Longhorn Saloon (near the base of the gondolas) in Whistler Village by about 7:30. If you can get there a bit earlier, there’s a good place for breakfast just across the way. It’s a good idea to scout out the Longhorn in advance if it’s your first time in Whistler, as the streets seem to meld together in Disneyland-esque confusion. Following sign-up, the aforementioned shuttle ride to the operating area begins. Expect about 30 minutes of shuttle, followed by another 30 minutes of prep time at the staging area while the groups are organized. The cat ride to the top will take another 45 minutes or so, where the safety briefing occurs. By about 10:30AM, you’re skiing.
Powder Mountain Catskiing caters to the Whistler crowd, leading to an interesting and international mix of fellow riders, many of whom come for a resort vacation splurge for a day or two of catskiing. Even if you’re skiing with a buddy, it’s enjoyable to sit next to a new face every run or two on the cat and get to know a new personality.
This is one of the more pricey operations around, but it’s worth it when you’re one of the 24 people walking around the Village in the evening who didn’t see a lift but scored way more pow than those who pressed ass to chair all day. Heli-skiing is also available; the A-Star will take you and three friends on the ultimate Whistler heli experience.
*Based on lift capacity of 65,507 skiers per hour at Whistler Blackcomb’s 8,171 combined acres. **Based on 24 paying customers per day at PM’s 4,300 acres.
Photos by Lisa Gover.
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