Powder Snow
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The Selkirk Powder Company cat skiing terrain receives about a third more snow than the Schweitzer ski resort, which puts the average annual snowfall at about 400 inches (10.2 metres) per season. This is about average for US cat skiing. Selkirk Powder typically doesn’t get huge dumps of snow at a time, so you’re unlikely to ski nipple deep powder, but this makes it more manageable for those that haven’t skied an abundance of deep pow.
The quality of the powder is generally very good; not superb like you’d find in Utah, but far superior to that of coastal concrete. The area is renowned for sometimes getting wet icy fog layers, and on the plus side, the slopes are largely west and north facing terrain, so lots of sun doesn’t get in there to ruin the snow, and much of the terrain is also protected by trees.
When we headed out with Selkirk Powder Company, the snow was generally gorgeous silky boot deep powder that was just a dream to ski. In a few spots there were some crusty bits.
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Overall Terrain
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The terrain was soooo much fun. It’s largely tree skiing and there is very good variety with respect to the spacing of the trees. And the logging gods have come into some areas, creating open fields where you can hammer it down, as well as avenues from former cable routes.
The runs are reasonably short (which is typical for US cat ski operations) and some are interrupted by a few cat tracks. A huge amount of vertical was not covered in the day and the snowcat beat us down every time. The main contributors to not getting in more skiing were: too much re-grouping; the guide waiting for guests to stop talking; the guide over-explaining runs; and the day had to finish whilst the ski resort was still open. The amount of vertical was low relative to BC cat skiing, but it was about average for US cat skiing, so the terrain is most suited to advanced and very strong intermediate riders who don’t need to rack up a wealth of vertical.
A potential limitation of the terrain is the size, so we were often crossing old tracks (some from ski tourers). Once again this is pretty typical of US cat skiing, with 13 outfits that have smaller terrain than Selkirk Powder. |
| Alpine Terrain |
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| Selkirk Powder doesn’t have alpine terrain per se. They don’t have alpine chutes or massive bowls, but there are various areas that are very sparsely vegetated that are a lot of fun if you want to perfect your powder turns or go like Speedy Gonzales. Snowpack stability is not a major problem, so it would be pretty rare that these areas couldn’t be accessed. |
| Tree Skiing |
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The tree skiing is Selkirk Powder’s forte and it’s super enjoyable! They have loads of variety with regards to tree spacing that ranges from avenues of trees from the loggers running cables up the hill, to reasonably open burns. The tree skiing offers a moderate diversity of pitch. They’d score full marks if they also had really steep trees with more features and little drop-off treats.
Due to the profusion of trees, the cat skiing doesn’t suffer from the same foggy visibility issues that commonly afflict Schweitzer ski resort.
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Strong Intermediate Terrain
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| This cat skiing outfit can cater for very strong intermediates (skiers would definitely need fat skis). The trees are a little tight in places and intermediates would need to take it very slowly, but much of the terrain consists of widely spaced trees and open areas on moderate pitches where strong intermediates could happily play. The speed of the day and the amount of vertical would also suit those who find powder riding a little taxing. |
Advanced Terrain
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| This is a blissful paradise for advanced riders; just superb. Selkirk Powder Company would score full marks if there was a little more variety in the alpine and a few more steeps, but otherwise it’s awesome! |
Expert & Extreme Terrain
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There isn’t really any extreme terrain at Selkirk Powder; no gnarly chutes, big pillows, or cliff lines. There are a smattering of rocky drop-offs for those that love to leap but these are rarely skied due to the typical group make-up. If you’re looking for super steeps and pro-skier type terrain, you’d be advised to head elsewhere.
“Mere” experts won’t find the terrain challenging but will probably be adequately entertained whizzing around the trees and revelling in the powder. There is some potential you’ll be grouped with slower skiers and boarders, so if you want to churn up the powder, book the whole cat out with your like minded friends.
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| Guiding |
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| The guides did a great job of describing any terrain hazards and they knew the terrain incredibly well; so intimately that I think they had a romance happening with the terrain! The guides were passionate, lots of fun and kept the stoke levels high. Regrouping felt too frequent and some of the instructions were very lengthy, which is hard for those of us with a short attention span! And one of the guides had a few strange ideas about the definition of “fall line”. |
| Snowcat |
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The snowcat cabin had a really unique layout that worked very well. It had two bench seats that faced each other with a big table in the middle (which is why there’s a maximum of 10 guests only), which was handy whilst eating and for laying out gear (and could double as a massage table as well!). Storage was also reasonably well thought out with various hooks and drink bottle holders.
The set up was really conducive to chit chat amongst the whole group. Usually it’s a limitation having rear facing seats, but there was a rail for your feet to prevent slipping forwards. Side entrances can also usually be a limitation, but there were good handles and the steps went out the back so it wasn’t too hard to get in and out.
The cabin had wrap-around Perspex windows so it let plenty of light in, and there were mini vents to let some air in, in case some folks get a little too sweaty! |
Avalanche Mitigation Strategies
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SPC have some reasonably comprehensive safety procedures, yet the safety protocols weren’t very evident to guests out in the field. The avalanche risk status wasn’t discussed, or any strategies the guides were undertaking to minimise risk. The terrain is generally very low risk with respect to avalanches, and the guides see very few natural avalanches in the tenure, which would likely account for their risk mitigations strategies not being overtly conveyed to all guests.
Whilst all guests were supplied with an avalanche beacon, only one guest safety backpack was provided to the group that contained a shovel, probe, first aid kit and radio.
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Safety Briefing
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Selkirk Powder Company used to show a video during registration that covered most safety aspects, albeit superficially. Now they have a video that’s been beautifully produced but doesn’t cover much information except for a quick overview of what to do in the initial stages of an avalanche.
A very short practical briefing was also conducted which didn’t really cover beacon searching except that the numbers should get lower, and nothing about probing or shovelling.
Nevertheless, this is probably the best safety briefing we’ve seen amongst the USA cat skiing operators.
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Frills
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They keep it reasonably simple at Selkirk Powder with a focus on the skiing and snowboarding rather than too many associated frills. Sometimes they have a photography service which is charged per photo. There was no breakfast or après ski session included, but of course you can easily DIY these aspects.
Lunch was pretty good and included hot soup, fresh bread, mini wraps with turkey or beef, mini rolls, cheese, crackers and meat. Snacks included chocolates and muesli bars, and water bottles were provided.
The day commenced with a very clear check-in process to outline the process of the day.
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Value for Money
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The rates are only slightly above the USA cat skiing average, but Selkirk Powder has more on offer than most of the cheaper cat skiing companies. All those delicious powder turns are a good investment!
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