Catskiing.ca friend and fellow powder freak Andrew Lawrence is out gallivanting the countryside of Scotland right now. He has been keeping us up to date with regular Facebook posts and cell phone photos as per usual. But this photo caught our attention (obviously!). It is a photo of a very cool and presumably very old snowcat. Now, I don't think this thing was designed for catskiing, but the new owner seems to think it will work. Andrew happened upon this cat while it was parked beside the Bed and Breakfast he was staying at and asked the owner what the story was. Apparently the adventurous man had picked this awesome machine up at an estate sale nearby. He told Andrew that he plans to use it to tour around in the winter time.

I can just imagine what happened next: Andrew and the B&B owner swapped skiing stories over some fine authentic scotch. The B&B owner probably marvelled at all the stories Andrew told him of Catskiing in Canada and the simply amazing La Nina season we just had. In return, Andrew was most definitely enthralled with Scotland. The local drinks, the enchanting countryside and that fact that he found a fellow skier in a rainy little hollow across the Atlantic.

We don't have any confirmed reports yet but I am just adding things up... enthusiastic skier, owns a bed and breakfast, just bought a snowcat. Hmmm, add a little 18 year old scotch to that and a guy could probably cook up an idea to start Scotland's first snowcat operation. The one thing I didn't check is the snow to rain ratio in the area!

Thanks for the pic Andrew and for a reason to post something on a rather rainy BC Monday.

It is that time of year again... time to enter the Powder Highway Ultimate Ski Bum :Blow Your Mind" Contest. All you have to do is Submit an Entry and tell everybody why you would be the ultimate ski bum. It's time to get creative, this will be competitive no doubt. You can see some of the entrants here and scope out who you are going to have to beat.

As far as contests go, this is a pretty good one. Here is what the lucky winner gets:

• A Season's Pass to 8 Ski Resorts along the Powder Highway
• 4 Days of Heli Skiing (WHAT THE?!!)
• 8 Days of Catskiing (8 DAYS??!! WHOOOHOOO!)
• Accomodation from January 1st 2012 to March 31st 2012 (no more couch surfing)
• A rental vehilce (for maximum hoonage of course! Don't post those parking lot donut videos on YouTube)
• And a $500 gas card (this will take a bite out of paying the gas man.)

For full contest info and to enter, click here: http://www.powderhighway.com/contests.php

Here is the scenario: you want to go catskiing, you want to experience a resort that is all about the skiing, you want to stay in a town with a mellow pace of life where people say hi on the street. Ok, here is the deal: Big Red Catskiing and Whitewater Resort have teamed up to offer two great packages this season: The Deep Powder Package and the Kootenay Sampler Package. Check em out...

Deep Powder Package
This incredible powder escape will allow you to warm up for 2 days at Whitewater, before heading over to Big Red Cats for one day of blissful snow cat skiing. Spend your nights at the hotel of your choice!
Starting at $578.50 pp/dbl

Kootenay Powder Sampler Package
Take a tour around the Kootenays and make this the powder adventure of a lifetime! Choose your own hotel for your 4 night stay. Spend 2 days warming up at Whitewater Ski Resort, then step it up a notch with one day snow cat skiing with Big Red Cats and finally head out to Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort for a relaxing, well deserved soak in their famous hot springs.
Starting at $586.10 pp/dbl

Click here for more info or to book one of these trips this season. (Oh, have we mentioned the rumors around another big snow year?!)

If you book a trip, tell em we sent ya!

Are you working too much? Are you spending money on things that leave you feeling shallow and empty? Selkrik Wilderness Skiing and Whitewater Ski Resort are saying enough is enough and it's time for a Wintervention! The two operations have teamed up to offer the Selkirk Wintervention Package. This package includes:

• 3 days / 3 nights all inclusive stay with Selkirk Wilderness Catskiing
• 2 days skiing at Whitewater Ski Resort
• 2 nights with breakfast at the luxurious Prestige Lakeside in beautiful Nelson, BC.

We are SO stoked to hear that the weather forecasters are calling for another La Nina winter here in the BC Backcountry. And this teaser for Balance of Powder will help you understand why. This very short but very awesome trailer features two legendary locations here in BC: Island Lake Lodge and Mica Heli Skiing. The powder shots in this little vid look absolutely mind blowing and we can't wait to get some for myself this season. Check out the trailer and watch for the full movie coming out this October from Sherpas Cinemas.

In the meantime, check out Island Lake CatskiingIsland Lake Catskiing and Mica Heli both located in Fernie BC.

If you book a trip, tell em we sent ya!

Being the beginning of September and all, we often find ourselves with nothing better to do than hang around coffee shops and leaf through the magazines on the rack. I mean, why pay for them if they are just sitting there, right?! Anyways, on a recent trip to the caffeine store we found ourselves glued to the pages of the latest Buyer's Guide from Freeskier Magazine. One of their better Buyer's Guides yet actually. As we got through the regular hype on all the new skis we saw that BCA had been recognized with an Editor's Pick on their new Float 18 Avalanche Airbag. We were stoked because we absolutely love our Stash packs and got to play around with a Float 30 at Valhalla Powder Catskiing last season.

The Float 18 is new for this season. It is the smaller cousin to the Float 30 and an awesome choice for lighter weight safety gear. The Float 18 is only 6.5 lbs and still has an 18 litre capacity giving it plenty of room for skins, extra gear and of course, snacks. As with all BCA packs, this one comes standard with the stash pockets for the rest of your avi gear. With the weight savings and ample storage space, we think BCA has hit it right on with this Float 18 pack. We will give more detailed reviews and videos when we are out catskiing in the mountains of BC this season!

For more info on the BCA Float 18 Avalanche Airbag, click here >>>

We posted the trailer to the new movie from Red Bull that is showcasing Retallack Lodge. Now they are tempting us even more with these short behind the scenes looks at what makes Retallack such a cool place. In this one, Tanner Hall gives a candid interview as to why Retallack is his place for Catskiing in BC. Once you see the video you will want to clear your schedule and get out to the BC backcountry to enjoy a little of the catskiing terrain Tanner is chewing up!

Stay tuned for the release of Retallack: The Movie this fall.

Opening in January 2012 to powder enthusiast, Skeena Cat Skiing will be operating on North America's 2nd largest heli/cat skiing terrain. They are located just northwest of Smithers BC which is known by BC locals as a place that consistently gets A LOT of snow! We are excited to welcome Skeena Catskiing to the industry and are looking forward to seeing some more pictures and videos of their operation as the season unfolds.

If logging first tracks is your thing, then booking a trip to Skeena Cat Skiing early this season is for you. They are offering an early season booking discount if you book your trip before September 30th. Give Lynn a call and let her know the crew from Catskiing.ca sent ya!

For more information on Skeena Catskiing, check out their profile here: Skeena Catskiing>>>

We stumbled upon this trailer today and noticed it had some snowcats in it and some familiar looking terrain. After a little bit of Internet detective work we discovered that this crew of snowboarders from True Color Films found alot of their content for their Canada Teaser at BC's very own Monashee Powder SnowCats and K3 Catskiing. Again, more BC Catskiing operations being featured in films this year! Enjoy.

Learn more about:

Monahsee Powder SnowCats
K3 Catskiing
True Color Films