Powder Cowboy
Powder Cowboy Catskiing
Put your cowboy boots and chaps on, don your Stetson hat and get out cat skiing with Powder Cowboy.
Cat skiing provides the perfect opportunity to ski or ride divine untracked powder. Far away from the ski resorts where fresh tracks are certainly not guaranteed, Powder Cowboy is a haven for powderhounds. There’s not a mogul run in sight and certainly no lift queues. Cat skiing fanatics will go meow for Pow Cow!??
Where is Powder Cowboy Cat Skiing Located?
The cat skiing operates on the western slope of the Lizard Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in Canada. The cat skiing base area at Bull River Guest Ranch is located about 50 minutes west of Fernie and 45 minutes east of Cranbrook in the southeast corner of British Columbia.
Gateway airports are Cranbrook (45 minutes away), Calgary (4.5 hours drive) or Kalispell in Montana (2.5 hours away). From the airports you can hire a car, or Powder Cowboy can assist with transportation arrangements.
Cat Ski Packages
Powder Cowboy offers 3 and 4 day all-inclusive packages. Accommodation is provided in deluxe log cabins at the Bull River Guest Ranch. The main cabin, the Big Horn Saloon, is the epicentre of socialisation where après drinks and gourmet meals are served. Relaxation is also high on the agenda with massages, a sauna, and outdoor hot tubs - perfect after a big day of cat skiing.
The rates are $750 per day which includes the accommodation, all meals, snacks, and the use of powder skis and snowboards (2009-10 rate). They also run speciality trips including family tours and a Powder Cowgirl tour (chicks on sticks and broads on boards only). This sure beats a weekend away with the girls at the day spa.
Powder Cowboy also offer day cat skiing on a standby arrangement. The cost is $350 per day (2009-10 rate) – skis not included.
Snow and Cat Ski Terrain
The Powder Cowboy cat skiing area typically receives 9 to 12 metres of snowfall annually, and the quality of the plentiful snow is superb. With cold temperatures, Rocky Mountain powder is super light and dry. Don’t worry about the cold though, as with low humidity, you’ll barely notice it. And you’ll either be inside the warm cat, or be busy ripping up the fresh powder.
You only have to share the 6,000 acres of virgin powder with a maximum of 23 other guests. The terrain includes open slopes and naturally gladed tree skiing, varying from mellow gradients for strong intermediates to steeps for experts only. A typical day consists of 8-14 runs and 10,000 to 14,000 vertical feet of skiing, depending upon conditions and the ability of the group. Sometimes they are able to speed things up with 6-pack skiing, whereby two groups of 6 have a snowcat each. Giddy up!
More Reasons to Cat Ski or Cat Board with Powder Cowboy
Don’t be fooled by the name. The operators are not reckless cowboys. They have a great emphasis on safety. They are cowboys of the powder. Powder Cowboy round up all the powder and all you have to do is saddle up and hold on. Yee har!
The Powderhounds are reviewing the Powder Cowboy cat skiing operation in January 2010 and are looking forward to having a bucking good time!
For more information and bookings, check out the
Powder Cowboy website.
To see how Powder Cowboy Catskiing compares to other operators, see our
Canada cat skiing comparison. Also see our overview of
cat skiing in Canada.