Powder Snow
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The mountains are well located not too far away from the coast so it gets plenty of precipitation, but far enough away so the quality of the powder isn’t wet. There’s no cited statistic for the amount of snowfall received on average, but it’s a mighty lot. The area is renowned for being in a very reliable snowbelt.
A warm spell had hit all of BC when we visited, and like most BC cat skiing outfits, they don’t have the option of going really high into the alpine to get away from the crusty snow. And Skeena Cat Skiing doesn’t have a lot of tree skiing so there isn’t much terrain that’s protected from the sun and wind. Thankfully it snowed every day whilst we were there, so the snow quality progressively got better and better until it was divine. It wasn’t waist deep but fluffy enough to have a really fun time!
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Overall Terrain
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The tenure is rather large so the guides have plenty of slopes and aspects to choose from, and to ensure fresh tracks (at least for most of the run). Skeena Cat Skiing has some very impressive terrain, particularly up high where the slopes are delightfully steep without being ridiculously scary.
The usual run length is shorter than some of the other BC cat skiing operators, and is more typical of that of US cat skiing. The cited average vertical drop per run is about 1,200 feet (366 metres), yet our runs were shorter than this (285m on average), probably due to the previous warm temps. Personally I don’t mind short runs, but it contributes to reduced efficiency and less daily vertical which was evident in our daily stats. If you’re one of those folks that seek quantity and not just quality, you might want to go heli skiing or get in very early with one of the big cat ski operations.
(More terrain has been opened up in the alpine and tree skiing zones) |
| Alpine Terrain |
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Like most cat skiing operations, Skeena doesn’t have true high elevation alpine terrain, but more sub-alpine slopes with smatterings of trees. This terrain is the forte of Skeena Cat Skiing. When I first looked at it, the powder hound in me just started drooling.
Many of the runs started with a lovely steep pitch of medium length before it benched out and the trees thickened a little. Whilst there weren’t really couloirs or the like, or many cliff lines, there’s enough variety for most advanced and expert riders.
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| Tree Skiing |
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Tree skiing is a small limitation of Skeena Cat Skiing. Unlike Selkirk Snowcat Skiing that started in 1975 and has had decades to glade the trees, Skeena Cat Skiing is a newbie and will need more time to perfect some of the runs with a chainsaw.
The “tree skiing” where the vegetation was sparse was great, but as we got further down, the trees were very tight and not naturally gladed, and the only egress was via narrow naturally cleared gullies. There definitely wasn’t enough space for fresh tracks for 4 guests let alone 12.
(Skeena now has an annual brushing and glading program. Many areas have now been gladed, which has opened up lower runs) |
Strong Intermediate Terrain
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| Skeena Cat Skiing has lots of terrain ideal for intermediates. Particularly if the snowcat did short runs in the mid zones, there are mellow bowls and gentle meadows with only sporadic trees. Ideally you’d need to book your own private cat with other strong intermediate riders, otherwise the expert riders might not be too happy with you! |
Advanced Terrain
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| Skeena Cat Skiing has fantastic advanced terrain with a combination of open steeps, and more mellow meadows and light trees. If the tree skiing was more open lower down, the terrain would score full marks. |
Expert & Extreme Terrain
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| When the snow pack is reasonably stable there are lots of steep pitches for bombing down. It’s not Alaska-type heli skiing terrain though, as it doesn’t have an abundance of cliffs and rock features, but there are plenty of things to huck off and some pillow lines. |
| Guiding |
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We felt very confident in the guides’ abilities, and great teamwork was evident between the lead and tail guide. They provided clear and concise instructions, and communicated hazards without over-doing it. For example, they always let us know if we were about to cross a cat track and re-grouped appropriately. There weren’t any powder pigs in our group, but it was still nice that the tail guide provided some direction regarding taking turns.
And whilst not essential to being a great guide, they were loads of fun which added to the stoke levels of everyone!
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| Cat |
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The snowcat was pretty impressive and the layout of the cabin was ideal for cat skiing with back steps, all forward facing seats, great views from the top seats, and a very sociable set up. The snowcat cabin fit out is something that will probably evolve with time. There were no hooks, water bottle holders or storage features, so it was hard to leave anything in the cat without it flying around and ending up on the floor on the trip down.
(Skeena has added two Pisten Bully snowcats which provide larger room inside for comfort and storage and the ride is smoother and faster.)
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Avalanche Mitigation Strategies
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The guides dug various pits and communicated with guests about their decision-making and why we were to ski one aspects versus another. The guides were full time so it was easy for them to know the intricate history of the snowpack during the season, and despite not needing to handover to other guides they were still meticulous with their note taking and meetings.
There aren’t a lot of mechanized backcountry operators in the region to share avo info with, but they communicated well with Skeena Heli regarding conditions and slides.
A radio and backpack with a shovel and probe was provided to some guests, but not all.
(All guests are provided with a radio and a backpack with shovel and probe) |
Safety Briefing
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The safety briefing was efficient and very good but it didn’t cover all aspects that are covered by some other operators, such as shovelling and probing techniques and backcountry hazards such as tree wells. What to do in the event of witnessing an avalanche wasn’t covered particularly well.
(Skeena has updated the safety briefing including the addition of a safety video). |
Frills
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Skeena Cat Skiing provided the essentials but not a fully luxurious experience, which is in line with what we’d expected for this operation. Lunch consisted of a nice roll and fruit, and chocolate bars and muesli bars were available for snacks. There was no hot soup, tea or coffee, and no home made slices or nibbles. Water bottles were provided but a texta to write names on them would have been handy considering they ended up on the floor after every run.
Other frills included a good range of rental skis, transport from the airport, and massage services. An official photography service wasn’t provided, but our tail guide was a professional snowboard photographer and was happy to share some pics with guests.
(Lunches and snacks have been upgraded) |
| Accommodation |
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It’s hard to rate a base camp against some of the luxury backcountry lodges of heli and cat operations that would score full marks. It definitely wasn’t extravagant accommodation, but it was incredibly unique and felt pretty special. Surprisingly there were lots of creature comforts despite it being a camp, such as boot dryers and a massage service. It was also pleasantly surprising to find that not only did the shower have hot water, but the shower building was also heated. Our spacious tent had a proper door and was well insulated and warm.
The food was very nice without being epicurean (the dessserts were particularly yummy!) and there was a small range of alcohol available for purchase (you could also BYO if you had something special you wanted to drink).
The internet service was only intermittent and when it was working it was very very slow – pretty much what you’d expect for being out in the middle of nowhere.
The lodging scores extra points for the high levels of service. The staff all pitched in but the manager in particular was a very busy bee serving drinks, meals, and shovelling snow to make nice paths to the tents and out house.
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Value for Money
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Similarly, it’s hard to compare value for money for a remote camp versus luxury lodging. It’s obvious that a lot of work goes into forming and maintaining the camp, so it wasn’t surprising that the dirt cheap prices of the 2017 season have been raised a little for 2018. Nevertheless, Skeena still remains one of the least expensive of the Canada cat ski operators with remote lodging during high season.
Other add-ons were inexpensive such as ski rentals and alcohol (and being able to BYO some alcohol certainly keeps costs down).
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