Valhalla Powdercats
heliplanet.com
By Jamie Preston
You can't beat a helicopter. For the strong aggressive skier who wants to log vertical and has an unlimited budget (or is willing to sacrifice the college fund), a helicopter is choice one. The heli provides fast access to great terrain, and the ride is at least half the fun. In- fact, we were on our way to a heli week with CMH Monashees, when we decided to give catskiing a try. The Nelson/Rossland area, part of B.C.’s renowned “Powder Triangle” was having a good snow year, and we had skied a fresh blanket at Red Mountain in Rossland, B.C. Our day at Red began as it often does in Rossland – giving a friendly local a lift to the hill. In the course of our morning banter, our passenger suggested catskiing and Valhalla Powdercats. So we did, and it was a worthwhile detour.
During low season $299 CDN will get you a day in the backcountry with Valhalla. This is a fraction of the $800 or so a one day heli trip will set you back. The day begins in the “studio” on Route 6 where you meet your fellow riders and the guides. A father and three grown sons from Vernon, B.C., the enthusiastic owner of the Nelson Guesthouse, and two classic “hosers” from Calgary would be our companions for the day. The Calgary based “hosers” had been partying ‘til 4:30 a.m., and the question was whether they were drunk or hungover! One talked incessantly and the other said nary a word.
The obvious difference between heli and catskiing became quickly apparent – simply getting to the skiing is a good chunk of your day. A 20 minute van ride is followed by 40 minutes to the beacon training site, and then another 25 minutes to the skiing. One difference is that much of the safety orientation is done in the Cat on the way to skiing, and you have the chance to get to know your guides. Bottom line is that the time from the studio to skiing is a solid two hours. So, a little patience is key.
For the B.C. visitor, a constant marvel is simply being in the rugged B.C. backcountry. With catskiing another marvel is the catroads these guys have built. You are essentially zigzagging up the mountain on “snowroads”, and the guys driving are the same guys who built the roads. Both construction and driving skills are worthy of kudos.
The skiing? At Valhalla it did not disappoint. We go to B.C. strictly for the treeskiing, and Valhalla is terrific on that front. After the obligatory first intermediate “skakedown” run – the guides need to assess the snow stability and skiing ability – we moved to steeper and steeper trees. On our day the shakedown was a necessity, as we quickly lost one of the “hosers.” From the bottom of the first pitch we watched him cartwheel on his snowboard each and every turn. Drunk? Hungover? Didn’t matter, he simply could not board powder.
We looked at the guide and commented “your worst nightmare, our worst nightmare.” If you have never heli or catskiied, the unavoidable truth is that you are only as good as your weakest rider. This scenario looked bad for the group, and our $299 was looking like a waste of money. Diplomacy is the hallmark of a good guide, and Joe simply grimaced and looked back up the hill.
We were quickly saved, however, by another catskiing advantage – Paul, our rear guide simply grabbed the punter by the scruff of the neck and plunked him in the cat as it made its way down the criss-crossing road. Presto, problem solved and we were good to go for the rest of the day. The same scenario would present a logistical nightmare when heliskiing as the rider would have had to be flown back to the heli staging area – but first he would have had to get to the bottom of the damn run. The outfit’s owner, Lindsay, made clear that Valhalla will not hesitate to aggressively cull the herd. Valhalla caters to advanced skiers and riders, and those not making the cut or hungover “hosers” are simply not tolerated. If you are a strong rider, this is a very good thing. If you are not, look elsewhere.
The corresponding disadvantage of the catroad is that it leads to frequent stops – depending on the line chosen by the guide. It depends on the run, but the road can come up a little too often to get a really nice rhythm going.
The time lost getting to the skiing is regained skiing since the cat is your group’s alone. Waiting time is minimal or nil, and while the time to the top is not the 5 minute heli-hop, you are not competing with other groups and there are no fuel runs. These issues can leave you waiting for 30 – 40 minutes when heli-skiing. No such issue here.
We skied great treeshots all day, the weather kept us there. Valhalla does go high into the alpine, if the weather is right, and that is your thing. After our brief scare, we had a pretty strong group and the terrain we skied was better than anything you could ever expect to ski at most single-day heli-ski outfits where the run orientation is generally “Blue Squares”. The day’s best run was our last. A long, steep uninterrupted run through an older “burn” which takes you to the final pickup, and then out for the day. A finish like that guaranteed pleased clients, and made the Kokanee beer, naturally supplied by the hoser who actually distinguished himself with his riding, that much more tasty.
The owner of Valhalla is a Jackson, New Hampshire native who sports a Moriarty style wool toque and a great attitude. He is clearly in it for the skiing, and has overcome many obstacles getting Valhalla up and running. Although B.C. is in a business friendly phase, and has loosened up on the grant of provincial or crown land for “tenures” or territories, Lindsay still faces issues with the local backcountry community. These issues are being ironed out and may result in a unique situation where Valhalla turns over one of its areas for exclusive backcountry use. Time will tell, we ran into some snowmobiling snowboarders, but this had no impact on our skiing experience.
Would we trade a week of skiing in the Monashees with CMH for a week in a Cat? Absolutely not. Nonetheless, the bottom line is that a visit to the Nelson/Rossland area to ski Red or Whitewater should include a day of catskiing – at Valhalla, or one of the many other local outfits. It’s not heli-skiing, but you are never grounded, and your wallet takes much less of a hit. Also, those looking for a mellower pace will appreciate the Cat. As with any backcountry ski experience, you are at the whim of the weather, snow quality and avalanche stability, but chances are good that you will experience a great day of skiing. |
