Skeena Cat Skiing Inc.
Skeena Cat Skiing Inc.
Skeena Cat Skiing Inc.
5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Skeena Cat Skiing is northern B.C.'s only cat ski destination. Skeena's pristine location, unique camp set up and exceptional service delivers not only fantastic cat skiing but an entire wilderness experience. The developed terrain offers incredible tree skiing, natural glades, open bowls and the steep...something for everyone! Skeena has enjoyed 9 years of operation and continues to open more terrain each season. You just might get a first descent at Skeena! Skeena's Base Camp utilizes quonset style tents to house their guests. The double occupancy bedroom tents are insulated, have a floor, are heated and have electricity. The tents are furnished with real mattresses, wool comforters, comfy pillows and Skeena supplies towels as well as organic shampoo and conditioner. The "common" tent contains the kitchen, dining area and lounge. Moist Pacific air colliding with the cold, dry air from the interior creates the huge dumps of perfect powder snow that Skeena is famous for!!
Duration: More than 3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Full view
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
10 within 5 kms
Attractions
10 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
8 reviews
Excellent
7
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
laurence k
1 contribution
Feb 2023
Skeena Cat Skiing offers massive terrain, great guides, and a sublime skiing experience. For many people, that will be enough. However, the owners haven't decided if they are offering a 'roughing it' back country experience or a 'glamping' experience. There are a lot of problems they need to sort out.
Travel from Smithers to the base camp is now by helicopter. The helicopter is scheduled to leave about 30 minutes too early to make the heli flight with a same day arrival from Vancouver, and similarly arrives too late on the departure . This adds 2 full days of travel, with a day and night spent in Smithers before and after, to get in and out of the base camp. Some of out group drove from Terrace, but still required an extra night in Smithers. Frankly, this is a deal breaker for busy people.
We arrived at the Smithers airport only to find there are no taxis in Smithers; apparently ground transportation to the overnight hotel must be arranged in advance. We were not informed about this by the Skeena folks. We scrounged a ride, but otherwise would have been stranded at the airport.
The huts are comfortable, but: One towel per person was provided for 4 days. A porta potty provided in each cabin; but guests expected to empty it themselves when it gets full. Electric space heaters provided for each cabin; but if both turned on full at the same time, all power goes off and the hut rapidly freezes. Better if guests had been warned about this.
There was a $440 per person surcharge for the mandatory heli ride to the camp which we were invoiced for in the middle of the trip. This cost should have been built in to the overall guest fee so that one can calculate the overall cost of the experience when choosing where to go. It is also possible to reach the camp by 4x4 and snow machine, but this option was not made available to clients. Overall this mid-trip invoice left a bad taste.
There is a hot tub, which was nice, but despite the camp being full, it was not opened 2 of the 4 nights.
The owners/managers (husband and wife team) showed up only on the last night. They expressed little or no interest in the guests' welfare. No one inquired at any time how the experience was going, suggestions for improvement, etc. I had extensive emails and negotiations on behalf of my group in the 6 months prior to the trip, and found the 'face' of the organization to be very uncompromising and unsympathetic.
None of the above are deal breakers; but attention to detail would have made a real difference.
On a positive note, it is a beautiful environment, the guides were excellent; the food was good to very good; and the facilities have improved compared to our first trip there in 2020. Wind slabs can make for tough skiing. Skiers require a high degree of fitness and at least advanced intermediate skills. Going in February not for the faint of heart; temperatures reached -40.
Travel from Smithers to the base camp is now by helicopter. The helicopter is scheduled to leave about 30 minutes too early to make the heli flight with a same day arrival from Vancouver, and similarly arrives too late on the departure . This adds 2 full days of travel, with a day and night spent in Smithers before and after, to get in and out of the base camp. Some of out group drove from Terrace, but still required an extra night in Smithers. Frankly, this is a deal breaker for busy people.
We arrived at the Smithers airport only to find there are no taxis in Smithers; apparently ground transportation to the overnight hotel must be arranged in advance. We were not informed about this by the Skeena folks. We scrounged a ride, but otherwise would have been stranded at the airport.
The huts are comfortable, but: One towel per person was provided for 4 days. A porta potty provided in each cabin; but guests expected to empty it themselves when it gets full. Electric space heaters provided for each cabin; but if both turned on full at the same time, all power goes off and the hut rapidly freezes. Better if guests had been warned about this.
There was a $440 per person surcharge for the mandatory heli ride to the camp which we were invoiced for in the middle of the trip. This cost should have been built in to the overall guest fee so that one can calculate the overall cost of the experience when choosing where to go. It is also possible to reach the camp by 4x4 and snow machine, but this option was not made available to clients. Overall this mid-trip invoice left a bad taste.
There is a hot tub, which was nice, but despite the camp being full, it was not opened 2 of the 4 nights.
The owners/managers (husband and wife team) showed up only on the last night. They expressed little or no interest in the guests' welfare. No one inquired at any time how the experience was going, suggestions for improvement, etc. I had extensive emails and negotiations on behalf of my group in the 6 months prior to the trip, and found the 'face' of the organization to be very uncompromising and unsympathetic.
None of the above are deal breakers; but attention to detail would have made a real difference.
On a positive note, it is a beautiful environment, the guides were excellent; the food was good to very good; and the facilities have improved compared to our first trip there in 2020. Wind slabs can make for tough skiing. Skiers require a high degree of fitness and at least advanced intermediate skills. Going in February not for the faint of heart; temperatures reached -40.
Written February 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DBS
New England78 contributions
Feb 2022
If you like your skiing adventurous and filled with powder but prefer glamping over fancy hotels, this is the place to be. The skiing isn't extreme; if you can handle advanced runs at resort, you can handle this terrain. The base camp isn't fancy- heated insulated tents and a very nice common tent for dining and socializing. We've been here twice and the biggest change is the helicopter to get to base camp from Smithers which saves several hours of transit time, and the improved staff quality. This year's 2022 staff is more competent than 2020 staff, who were often trying to do several different jobs at the same time. If the transit to Smithers seems impossible to coordinate, ask about flying to Terrace which has more flights. Sometimes, they can accommodate Terrace. A very special experience being in remote Northern BC on Native land in the dark of winter!
Written March 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DBS
New England78 contributions
Feb 2020
My wife and I skied here for 4 days. For background, we've cat skied at one other location in BC too, and ski about 25 days/year, mostly in Vermont. We had a great time here! People need to understand that you generally pretty ski tame slopes in terms of pitch when cat skiing. The steeper terrain is too avalanche prone (this is true of most cat ski operations) so you ski slopes with a 30 degree or so pitch. An advanced intermediate can handle the skiing although my wife and I are both experts. Unless you nail your timing perfectly with spring temperatures and snow stability, you won't be skiing 50 degree lines like you see in ski movies. If steep skiing is your thing, you're better off waiting until late spring or going to a formal ski area where they can control avalanche risks daily. We flew into Terrrace airport, which has many more daily flights than recommended Smithers. Depending on exact dates, the staff may be able to pick you up in Terrace but you need to confirm with them prior to booking. After landing at Terrace airport, we had a two hour drive to New Hazelton, followed by a 40 minute car ride, followed by a 30 minute cat ride to base camp. They have a nice main tent with heat, couches, wifi and great food served by a very competent chef. Food was superb. You eat dinner and breakfast in the main tent, and eat lunch (sandwiches, homemade cookies, fruit) on the cat. Each sleeping tent has two twin beds, and heaters. There is a separate bathroom facility and washing facility, with hot water for showers. This means that you need to walk out from your sleeping tent to the bathroom tent to use the bathroom, even at night just to go pee. We generally skied about 15-20 short (less than 1000 feet vertical) runs per day on a mix of alpine and gladed terrain. We had a full cat with several unrelated groups, but everyone had at least an advanced intermediate ability so we never had to wait. The location has more than one snowcat, so the backup cat (normally used for road building) can be used as primary cat if primary breaks down. While this wasn't an issue during our trip, it's extremely valuable to know that your skiing won't be limited because the sole snowcat is broken down and awaiting a spare part that needs to be sent from a parts supplier in a big city. This can happen at other cat ski operations. For us, the group dynamics were odd, but that may be particular to our group. The lead guide had only been guiding this particular location for a few weeks, and lacked the experience of skiing the complete terrain over multiple seasons, which encompasses several thousand acres here. We had several runs which were difficult wind slab that were tough skiing. You don't learn all the terrain nooks and crannies in a few weeks. The tail guide Carla was superb. She was warm, personable, competent, eager to help guests and has skied the terrain over her several years guiding at Skeena. She's a great asset to the organization. We had two minor avalanches during our stay- the first one was caused by a repeat guest who skied beyond the guide's designated boundary (the guides will give you landmarks for how far left and right of their tracks you should go). This person knowingly went slightly outside the guide's direction and caused a small avalanche on themselves. The second avalanche was on a relatively tame (maybe 35 degree) but unskied slope when several people congregated in the same place. The weight of several people in the same spot on the slope crown caused a minor avalanche below them. Nobody was injured in either slide, but several people were very spooked by witnessing the avalanches, and this unease threw the group dynamics off even further than they were before. The group dynamics on our trip were very strained. Guides were justifiably furious with the person who knowingly skied outside of boundary, and there was a lot of arguing. There seemed to be personality clashes too between the tail and lead guide.It's a small group (12 skiers+ 2 guides) so these fights flow through to the entire group. In summary, we had a great experience of skiing powder for 4 days in a very remote area that few people will ever get to see. I will treasure this unique experience for the rest of my life. Seeing the stars at night, the clouds whip over remote peaks, the adventure of the unknown, sharing the passion for skiing and life, good food, and lots of laughs made for a great vacation. If you're the type of person who treasures a unique wilderness active ski vacation, there's nowhere better that I've found. Unlike heli skiing, you won't get grounded due to weather. A special shoutout to Lynn, who helped with the logistics and billing. Without her, we couldn't have made it happen!
Written March 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steve g
Salmon Arm, Canada40 contributions
Mar 2017 • Friends
Just came off the mountain from the best back country ski experience you can imagine. This is our 4th trip with Skeena Cat and they've always been awesome but we hit the best snow conditions I've ever experienced this trip. It was cold Skiing but the low temperatures made the lightest 2 feet of pure virgin powder you could imagine, 4 days of punching through one great run after another. The terrain is super easy to ski in, much of which is above the tree line, big long powder highways. The accommodations are in insulated, hotel room size, heated tents with large soft beds and comforters, glamor camping (glamping). The food is incredible, fresh baked bread, hot gourmet food 3 meals a day. Après ski every night till you decide to quit, no last call. Too many great things to say, thanks to Jev, Carla, Kevin, Logan and Cindy; see you next year, our silver anniversary.
Written March 14, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lee L
North Vancouver, Canada273 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
In a year with a sketchy snow pack my wife and I spent a day at Skeena Cat Ski and had a wonderful time. Jevon was a wonderful guide as was Peter. We skied safe terrain with excellent snow. The lodge is quite stunningly nice although perhaps located a bit low. It'd be great to go back again and see how the base-camp yurts up higher fit the experience. It can only make it better!
Written February 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael H
Smithers, Canada15 contributions
Feb 2016 • Couples
For novice and expert skiers a trip with Skeena Cat Skiing should be on your bucket list. The terrain is spectacular and the snow is even better.
Written May 7, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francis H
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada9 contributions
Feb 2020
Fantastic experience. Professional guides, endless powder all day long. Well worth the money. Will be returning.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tina M
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia50 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
Stayed at Bearclaw Lodge. Skied withSkeena Heliskiing. Bearclaw Lodge is an excellent Lodge in every way. Excellent staff, rooms, views, meals and extra activities. Skeena is a very professional Heliskiing company with very professional heli pilots and ski guides who are top quality and very safe and helpful in every way. What a tremendous heli operation. Great week.
Written March 14, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing