San Juan Snowcat
San Juan Snowcat Skiing Colorado Colorado cat skiing is a fantastic opportunity for powderhounds to get the fresh tracks they dream of. If busy glitzy ski resorts are not your thing, then make cat skiing with San Juan Snowcat part of your next ski holiday. You won’t be able to wear your Prada ski outfit - this is a spot for real powderhounds.
If you don’t know what
cat skiing is, check out our
overview of the joys of cat skiing to discover what it is that you’ve been missing out on!
Cat Skiing & Cat Boarding Packages
San Juan Snowcat offers single day cat skiing packages for only $275 per person ($245 off-peak), which includes the guiding and a hot lunch (2010 rate). What a bargain! Compare this to Park City Powdercats who charge $475 for a day of cat skiing.
San Juan Snowcat also conducts inexpensive scenic snowcat sightseeing tours to provide an opportunity to view various magnificent “14ers”.
Where is San Juan Snowcat Located?
San Juan Snowcat is away from major civilisation, which is part of what makes this cat ski operation so attractive. It is located near the town of Creede in the southwest corner of Colorado, aka the Powderhounds corner of Colorado. Creede is an easy 20 minute drive from the town of South Fork which is a base for those skiing at
Wolf Creek ski area. Like San Juan Snowcat, Wolf Creek isn’t grandiose or ostentatious, but one of those fantastic gems off the beaten track.
The initial meeting point for the San Juan cat skiing is at the Old Miners Inn (105 North Main Street) in Creede. After completing a little bit of paperwork, there’s then a 7 mile drive to the staging area. A 4WD vehicle would be useful because the road up to the snowcat is not paved and likely to be snow covered. If you don’t have a 4WD, you could probably get a lift with the guides.
Cat Ski Terrain
A standard day with San Juan Snowcat incorporates 9-14 runs with 8,000 to 18,000 feet of vertical. Like other cat ski operations, the vertical covered on any particular day is dependent on conditions as well as the ability of the group. The terrain is suited to strong intermediate to expert riders, with much of the terrain consisting of open alpine runs.
The size of the playground is 10 square miles (2,590 hectares) and you only have to share all that powder with a maximum of 11 other powderhounds. Commonly there are fewer than 12 guests, and on days when there are less than 6 guests they sometimes use snowmobiles as an alternative mode of transport. Not only is this novel, but it’s much faster which means more vertical skiing in a day. Awesome!
The average annual snowfall is 10.2 metres, and they have quality as well as quantity. And the powder is generally kept in pristine condition because much of the terrain is at dizzying heights of up to 13,250 feet (4,039 metres). This is the highest cat skiing in the world!
More Reasons to Go Cat Skiing with San Juan Snowcat
The mission of San Juan Snowcat is “to make our guests smile from ear to ear”. You will definitely be grinning considering the great terrain and freshies in the dry powder. However considering the cat skiing and nearby
accommodation is very reasonably priced, chances are that you’ll be beaming. At San Juan Snowcat you get more snow for your dough!
See our
San Juan Snowcat review for more information.
BTW – “San Juan” is pronounced San “hwan”, “wahn” or “won” and not “jewan”. The locals may look at you strangely if you don’t pronounce it correctly! Also don’t get San Juan Snowcat confused with the
San Juan Ski Company which is based at Durango Mountain Resort.
Bookings & Information Requests
If you have any questions or would like to enquire about a specific date
click here.