SNOWCAT SKIING -- A North Idaho snowcat skiing operation has be issued a temporary permit to continue operating their backcountry ski business out of Cataldo, the owners told S-R reporter Becky Kramer Tuesday.

Peak Adventures, as the company has for years, soon will take advantage of this season's generous early snowpack to operate in the St. Joe Mountains.

By January, the company should be offering trips, said Carey Stanley, who owns Peak Adventures with her husband, Ryan. The couple told the S-R they have received permission to operate on 3,200 acres of federal land administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as well as several thousand acres of Idaho Department of Lands property, Stanley said.

But the couple plan to appeal the BLM’s decision not to extend the permit for use of federal land beyond the 2010-’11 season.

Peak Adventures uses tracked vehicles to take clients to snowy ridgetops. In earlier interviews, BLM officials said that’s the same type of high-elevation terrain where wolverines build winter dens. Wolverines are classified a “sensitive species” by the BLM, and the agency’s planning documents prohibit commercial activities near wolverine dens or potential den sites, according to BLM officials.

The Stanleys purchased Peak Adventures last year and wanted permission to operate on 13,000 acres of BLM land.