Queenstown Snowcats
Queenstown Snowcats
Calling all powderhounds! If you’re keen for plenty of fresh tracks and an epic adventure, head out cat skiing with Queenstown Snowcats. There are only a handful of cat skiing operations in the Southern Hemisphere, so make the most of this unique experience!
If you’re not even sure what cat skiing is, check out our overview of
cat skiing. Or better yet, just go and give it a try. It’s a million times better than heading to one of the Queenstown ski resorts and riding icy bumps! With big terrain and only a maximum of ten people to share it with, there are abundant fresh tracks so you’re sure to find your ultimate snow-jo.
When comparing cat skiing to
heli skiing, one disadvantage with cat skiing is that you miss out on the spectacular helicopter flights. However with Queenstown Snowcats you get the best of both worlds because the day starts and finishes with a helicopter flight to get you up to the snowcat.
New Zealand Cat Skiing Packages
Queenstown Snowcats offer full day cat skiing packages that include the guiding, use of an avalanche transceiver, the helicopter flights, Queenstown accommodation pick-ups, and lunch. The cat skiing rates are really reasonable, especially considering that the same amount of heli skiing or snowboarding around Queenstown would cost approximately NZ$350 more.
Where is Queenstown Snowcats Located?
The Queenstown Snowcats terrain is within the stunning Hector Mountains which is part of the Remarkables mountain range near
Queenstown New Zealand.
The day starts with accommodation pick-ups around Queenstown and a 40 minute drive south along the lake to Kingston. From Kingston, the helicopter whisks you up the mountain to meet the snowcat.
Cat Skiing Terrain
The treeless terrain is suitable for strong intermediates up to expert skiers and boarders. The terrain ranges from mellow powder bowls to gnarly chutes and hits for hucking. As the terrain is controlled there is a degree of flexibility regarding the route you can take down. You don’t typically get this degree of freedom with heli skiing, so this is particularly advantageous for freeride enthusiasts.
A typical day of cat skiing consists of about ten runs. Each run offers approximately 1,000 feet of vertical (305 metres).
More Reasons to Cat Ski with Queenstown Snowcats
Operating out of Queenstown New Zealand is a huge bonus for this cat ski operation.
Queenstown scores full marks from Powderhounds.com as a ski town for its beauty, the vibrant nightlife, the shopping and the general buzz.
Queenstown is also the adventure activity mecca of the world. It seems compulsory that a ski holiday to Queenstown incorporates some adventure activities as well as skiing or snowboarding, yet a day out cat skiing covers all bases; adventure and skiing untracked snow. Cat skiing – it’s purr…..fect.