Run After Run Of Perfect Powder For Five Straight Days. Snowcat Skiing At Its Best.

Correspondent Suzie Winthrop found fresh powder every day. Can you see the smile on her face?
Credit: Steve Shannon

Do you dream of skiing in untracked powder?  Of course! We all do!  And most of us get one or two runs at resorts that offer “fresh tracks” early in the morning before the snow cats groom the trails. But soon you’re plowing through broken snow and by noon those freshies are a distant memory.

Snowcat skiing is a unique, albeit pricey experience with fresh powder every day.
Credit: Selkirk Snowcat

How about skiing run after run of perfect powder for five straight days? Run after run of power up to your knees, day after day. Impossible, you say. Well, this past March a group of us found Nirvana in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia.

It snowed every night.  In the morning, our tracks from the previous day were nowhere to be seen. We accessed the terrain by snowcats which accommodated 12 skiers plus two guides.  The powerful machines were cozy, comfortable and allowed for good conversation as we chugged up the mountains.  The pace was just right; we had time to catch our breath between the ten or eleven runs we took each day.  Fifteen to eighteen thousand vertical feet of downhill per day was more than enough to send us back to the comfortable lodge exhausted and happy.  After a soak in the hot tub, a drink at the bar, a delicious homestyle dinner and a few rounds of “Grunge” at the pool table, it was time to call it a night. After all, we would be awakened at 6:30 a.m., stagger in to our 7:00 yoga/stretch class before enjoying our hearty breakfast and then head out to yet another day of perfect powder skiing.

Selkirk Snowcat Skiing is located in Meadow Creek in the SE corner of British Columbia, 60 miles north of Nelson.  We flew to Spokane, rented vans and drove to Nelson where we spent the night at the Hume Hotel (“Antique, Chic, Boutique”).  While in Nelson, we checked out Whitewater Ski Resort which offers a Super Senior ticket (75+ ski free) and looked like a great place to get your ski legs.

[Editor Note: Rates for 2017-18 range from $2,000-$6,000 per guest. If you’re interested, better check for availability.  Repeat visitors book early.]

One Comment

  1. Jon Weisberg says:

    Susan, My deep powder experience in the Selkirks was in the mid-’80s with Great Northern Snow Cat Skiing. At the time, they operated out of an old farm house. The snow was DEEP. One day we skied faces dotted with 6″ pine trees. They were the tops of 20′ trees! Thanks for bringing back those great memories and for the terrific report! Jon

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