Snowcat Skiing with Big Red Cats in Rossland, BC | Photo Mike Hardaker Mountain Weekly News
ROSSLAND, BC – Just north of the United States border with Canada lies Rossland, BC a quant little ski town that’s often overlooked by the more popular destinations in interior BC. And since the Rossland area flies under the radar of most skiers the cat skiing in this area is still attainable for most at under $800 a day.
20,000 Acres
Big Red Cats Snowcat operation has a whopping 20,000 acres of terrain to choose from. If the snow has been pilling up on the north facing slopes the cats can take you there, and if it’s better at the higher elevations or lower elevations the team of guides and cat drivers can easily deliver you to the goods.
Once in the cats your typical bumps take 20-30 minutes to get back to the top of the run. This give you enough time to grab a drink of water, a snack, check some footage from the previous runs and before you know it your whisked up to the top of another untracked run.
There are a total of 7 peaks and some 200 named runs in the Big Red Cats tenure.
How’s The Terrain Compare to Other Operations?
Big Red Cats seemed to cater to intermediate skiers looking to ski and ride fresh powder snow. The area was great for tree skiing in the gladded terrain and offered some fun features to jump off.
Our entire group skied untracked powder throughout the day with all the terrain being very manageable for the group of clients.
If you’re looking for bigger and steeper terrain there are other outfitters in BC that would most likely be a better fit as the clientele at Big Red Cats was more interested in great snow vs jumping off huge cliffs or skiing in avalanche runouts.
Avalanche Gear Provided
Big Red Cats has all the gear you need to safely ski and ride with their guides. The day starts off with training showing everyone how to use the beacons followed by actual beacon test where you are required to find a buried beacon under a certain amount of time. The Big Red Cats team of guides, drivers and safety personal did a great job of running the group through the ins and outs of using the beacons, shovels and probes they provided.
Overall Impression
One of the things I enjoyed most about skiing and riding in the Rossland area was just how fun the terrain was. We spend the majority of the day riding untracked powder that our entire group got a kick out of. The terrain was well suited to the groups varied levels of skiing and the price at under $800 a day is incredibly reasonable.
For more information please visit: https://www.bigredcatskiing.com/
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