There Are Big Differences Between Cat- And Heli-Skiing

Though cat-ski and heli-ski companies may use neighboring territory, the experiences have very real differences in pace, terrain, skiers. and especially, price.

Heli-ski companies aim for glaciers, using trees when weather forces them to stay low. Most cat companies have no choice about trees, since pickup points are usually well below treeline.

This leads to an interesting paradox: cat skiing, at least for a novice powder skier, can be tougher and more strenuous than heli-skiing.

This difference in effort shows up especially when comparing week-long heli packages to snow-cat skiing. Heli-ski lodges are now offering introductory packages aimed at novice powder skiers and people who simply want to go slower. There are two guides rather than one, and the entire group is of equal skill. The group goes slower, takes more breaks and has higher pickups.

With cat skiing, accommodation can be made for a novice by adding a second guide, but that person may still be grouped with much better skiers and spend the day huffing to keep up.

On the other hand, with cat skiing the runs are shorter (1,000 to 1,500 feet) and you get a 20- or 30-minute break between runs while the snow-cat climbs back up the mountain. With heli-skiing, the runs often drop 3,000 feet and you’re lucky to get a 10-minute break during the flights.

In the end, daily vertical is usually much lower with cat skiing. In Revelstoke, the day the cat skiers did 13,500 vertical feet, the local heli-skiers did 28,000 feet. But the next day when fog rolled in, the heli-skiers were stuck in town while the cats bagged an additional 13,000 vertical.

As for wiggle room, snow cats may be cozy but they’re certainly not as tight as a helicopter. This, plus the fact that each group stays with the same cat all day, means you can bring a small day bag with extra clothes and gear on a cat.

Next, there’s the cabin-fever aspect.

Cat skiing usually runs out of a town or ski resort, meaning you’re free to wander and party at night. Sign up for a weeklong heli package - especially at a fly-in lodge - and you’re there for the duration. Apres ski means a soak in the hot tub followed by dinner and maybe a rousing game of cards in the lounge. If you decide you don’t like your fellow skiers, the building can become very small, indeed.

Plus, there’s the flexibility aspect.

The ultimate heli-ski package is a week. And many resorts offer one-day heli trips. But the two-or three-day heli option is rare. Cat-ski operators are more likely to offer flexible two-, three-and five-day options.

The price difference can be breathtaking. High season at a heli-ski lodge can easily run close to $600 per day, while the cat-ski price is closer to $300, and can run as low as $250 during low season.

The result is different crowds.

Heli-skiers, especially lodge guests, tend to be Bogner-wearing CEOs in their 50s and 60s with $5,000 Rolexes on their wrists. Cat skiers are younger, and their jobs more ordinary.

We arrived in Revelstoke to find a dozen 30-something Seattle high school buddies doing their yearly bonding/reunion ritual. Our own cat group had a typical cross-section of vocations: real estate salesman, marina manager, retired English teacher, veterinarian.

When we ticked off what we saw as the benefits of heli-skiing to our group one night, we were stunned to learn those very characteristics turned off our companions. In the end, we decided, it depends on what you are looking for.

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