7:45am
Meet at The Longhorn Saloon and Grill in the Carlton Lodge, at the base of the Whistler and Blackcomb Village Gondolas, to check in and sign your waiver.
Be dressed and ready to ski except for your ski boots. We drive you and your equipment to our simple base lodge The Powder Mountain base Lodge is 20 minutes south of Whistler on Highway 99 at the Chance Creek turn off.
With The Longhorn being right at the base of the gondolas, you can watch everyone race for powder as you saunter over to the Pan Pacific Mountainside with your guide for your ride down to our lodge. Please be on time. Time wasted is skiing wasted. You can never get back turns you missed.
8:00am
Departure for "Your Best Day Ever" from the Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel. Don't be late.
8:30am - 8:45am
At our simple base lodge we have a cozy fireplace and bathroom
facilities. After a short talk on the day's proceedings and a safety
briefing regarding snowcat procedures, we load up the snowcat and head
out into the backcountry.
9:15am - 9:45am
You step out of the snowcat and begin a quick safety orientation. . After that, it's time to get our first taste
of the day's snow. You will be at 6,500 feet altitude, clicking into
your bindings for the first run of the day. The first run is always a
mellow one to let everyone get warmed up. This allows the guides to get
an idea of the ability level of the group. The groups' ability and snow
conditions determine what kind of terrain and runs we will be riding.
3.00pm - 3:30pm
The end of your day depends more on the energy level of the group, snow
and weather conditions etc, than what time it is. We ski down the cat
road as a fun alternative to riding home in the snowcat. If you are
feeling tired, you can also get back in the snowcat at any time on the
ski-out for a ride home.
4.00pm
You return to our Base Lodge and re-live the day checking out all the
photos from the day, then transfer into our
4x4 vans and head back to Whistler.
4:00-4:30pm
You are usually back in Whistler, dropped at the Pan Pacific Mountainside
around 4:30. Sometimes the weather makes for a slower drive back.
Chuck Barfoot at Powder Mountain Catskiing from Powder Mountain Heliskiing & Cat on Vimeo.