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Cat Skier, Thompson Okanagan, BC, Canadaspacer
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Thompson Okanagan Things To Do

 
Interact
Vancouver 2010 - British Columbia - Host Province
Also see Cat-Skiing in
> Vancouver, Coast and Mountains
> Kootenay Rockies
Photos
> top left: Backcountry Skier, Dave Heath photo
> top right: Powder, Apex Mountain Resort photo

Cat-Skiing

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The Thompson Okanagan region is cat-skiing nirvana.

Cat Skiing, Thompson Okanagan
Cat Skiing, Dave Heath photo
The region encompasses several mountain ranges that provide vast, high country areas, ideal for the sport. The terrain falls within the world's largest and most consistent snowbelt; the vast quantities of dry, light powder that results ensures superb glacier skiing, made all the more mind-blowing thanks to panoramic views.

Cat-ski operators specialize in bringing skiers and boarders into magnificent wilderness areas in the remote 540,000-ha (1.3 milliion-ac) Wells Gray Provincial Park as well as near by 224,866-ha (555,656-ac) Mount Robson Provincial Park (part of UNESCO's designated Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage Site).
 
For cat-skiing operator information in the area, visit the HeliCat Canada website.


ChaseChaseValemountValemount
 



Highlights:

Valemount: Descend naturally-gladed tree runs with open bowls and gravity-defying steeps.
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Chase: Experience deep, dry powder and some of the continent's best tree skiing.
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Valemount

Valemount offers naturally-gladed tree runs with open bowls. The vertical here is steep and unforgettable: descend a gravity-defying 3,000-4,600 m (10,000-15,000 ft) a day against a picture-perfect backdrop of Mount Robson and the Rocky Mountains. Individual verticals range from 305 m to over 914 m (1000 ft to over 3000 ft).

Skiers and riders can count on an average settled snow base of 2-4 m (7-13 ft) from November through March. Many operators combine cat-skiing with guided sightseeing tours of the areas as well. Valemount is located 320 km (200 mi) north of Kamloops via Highway 5.

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Chase

Skiers and riders in this area have access to over 9,700 ha (24,000 ac) of wilderness located in the Shuswap range of the Monashee Mountains. This snowbelt area is renowned for its deep, dry powder, with annual accumulations of 7.3 m (24 ft).

The Chase area boasts a dazzling array of bowls, glades, alpine ridges, glaciers and peaks; count on some of the continent's best tree skiing. The snowcats carry passengers to such heights as the top of Mustang Glacier, which is breathtakingly surrounded by alpine peaks and ridge-line drop offs. Thanks to consistent conditions, skiers and riders can get in as many as 8 to 14 runs per day.

Enjoy après-ski at luxury lodges set more than 1,524 m (5,000 ft) high on the mountainside. Chase is located 57 km (35 mi) east of Kamloops via Highway 1. Prime cat-skiing occurs between November and March.

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