The Thrill of Powder Skiing and Snow Cat Boarding in Canada
By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-08-17 06:15:36 | Word Count: 537
Canada’s vast alpine skiable territory welcomes winter sports enthusiasts from all over the world with unequalled season vacation opportunities. The country is home to a multitude of ski and snowboard virgin slopes and remote downhill circuits, which spread from the coast of the Atlantic all the way to the Pacific shore.
An added benefit of choosing Canada as the playground for your next winter holiday consists in the cost-effective character of the skiing services offered here. However, if your budget allows it and you are prepared to spend more for a memorable adventure, you can always opt for accommodation at luxury mountain resorts, which welcome visitors with impeccable lodging conditions and specialty services.
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Canada benefits from a longer season than other popular skiing destinations, generally spanning over a period of five months, from November to mid April. Yet, the Canadian skiing experience isn’t entirely restricted to this timeframe, and occasionally you may get the chance to practice quality powder skiing and snow cat boarding in other periods of the year as well.
Besides some very attractive downhill skiing and snowboarding opportunities, the large majority of the country’s provinces also allow for fantastic cross-country skiing adventures. If you are looking for engaging powder skiing options, it would be a mistake to limit your search to the high alpine crests of the Rockies; under the right weather conditions, many ski hills can provide a similar powder skiing experience, so don’t hesitate to try out this type of adventure too. Although there are many options worth checking out, consider starting with the ski hills in British Columbia Rockies, Alberta, and in the region of Whistler.
Canada also offers exciting opportunities for practicing backcountry skiing, which takes you to virtually untouched, wild mountain trails hidden in the heart of the mountains. According to your skiing or boarding proficiency level and depending on weather conditions, you can opt for one of two main approaches to backcountry skiing: you can travel to the slopes by snow cat, which is a specialized mountain vehicle used for carrying groups of skiers to higher mountain ground, or by helicopter. The latter option provides the ultimate backcountry powder skiing experience, as mountain helicopters can reach and cover more skiing ground, allowing you to explore even the most secluded mountain trails.
Despite the unique experience it provides, helicopter skiing isn’t without its drawbacks. The downsides to heli skiing are the higher underlying costs of the trips and the need to wait for favorable meteorological conditions before taking to the slopes. At the other end, while snow cat boarding and snow cat skiing may lack the edge of heli skiing, they fully compensate in terms of costs and allow groups to spend more time skiing. In a sense, snow cat boarding/ skiing and heli boarding/ skiing are complementary, as together they allow for a more comprehensive and more eventful powder skiing adventure. That said, if you get the chance, don’t hesitate to combine the two for double the fun and a maximum adrenaline rush.
