MOVIES: Click here for a list of all 2005/06 online movies.Check out the documentary movie Boat Trippin' that Dave Genchi, our videographer, produced in 2005. The film captures the heart and soul of our winter lifestyle here in Steamboat Springs. Images from the Steamboat Ski area, ski patrol and Buffalo Pass will provide you with a great idea of the day to day adventures that we have. Boat Trippin' will get you amped. Also watch clips from Genchi's '04 movie Boat Trip.
Date
Comments and image gallery/movie links and image of the day
Dave Genchi, the man behind many of the images and all the video on this website was injured on December 21, 2006 while working on the Pass with us! Please check out the below link and keep Genchi in your prayers.
After sorting through nearly a hundred thousand images from this past season, we've compiled our "Best Of" image galleries to carry you thru till the next.
We start with you our guest, those of the Powdercats Nation, who keep coming back to visit us year after year after year. Beyond all the elements of our acquaintance and friendship, its the powder filled experiences and passion we share that link us all deep in the backcountry together.
Oh the Face Shot. What would we do without you? You must feel sorry for those who have never had one, won't ever get one or just don't know how. It's a pity for sure, but probably means there will be less tracks in front of you and more for your taking.
Not all of these images in this gallery are of big face shots but also of those fine skiing and snowboarding images that just have something about them.
We are blessed to have a fantastic group of guides; a loyal crew of co-workers, friends and family. Many of us have been working here for many years and its this tradition in seeing the same faces in our staff that builds on the connection with our our guests.
Beyond all the hard on snow skills and the leadership required its the friendly nature and unique personalities that really make our crew click...most of the time at least.
Thank you again to our staff for making the experience at Steamboat Powdercats as much safe and fun as possible.
At the end of the day, during our apres ski party, we showcase our daily best of images for each snowcat group to reflect on. There is no question that it's these crash images that always make for the biggest cheers.
Sometimes it's not fun and games, so be careful when crashing but remember that the image will last and it is really funny, for the moment at least, when you are deep, upside down and yard saling across the slope.
Along with the Face Shots and the Crashes, it's the jumping images that are always the crowd pleasers. Catching big air in the powder makes for a softer landing and having a bit of Kodak courage always helps.
If it wasn't for our snowcats where would we be? Though hiking and chairlifts are good and all, it is these machines that provide us the lift to get the access we need as a snowcat operation into the backcountry.
Thank you to Felix, Tigger, Calvin and Hobbes for your ease of operation and reliability (most of the time) and comfort you provide us with during the fantastic days on Buffalo Pass.
When it is not dumping snow, overcast or a white out, the landscapes seen from our terrain on Buffalo Pass are unparalleled.
Big, huge views of the commanding valley and of our skiing and snowboarding terrain provide our guests with inspiring glimpses into the big picture that is Steamboat Springs and that of Steamboat Powdercats.
Back to Utah we go. Snowbasin and Powder Mountain offered up some serious fun for us last season so this year, it seemed fitting to get after some more of the same classic, steeper and fresh lines that these resorts offer up.
For many of us here at SPC, it was strange leaving the Valley for the first time in several months after guiding the entire season. As well, it snowed hard for the days leading up to this company party so we played big time at the Steamboat ski area where many said that the Tuesday prior (3/31) was the best snow of the season; think super dry, light powder lapping up into your face, turn by turn with no one on the lifts. Why leave?
You know why, it's got to happen. Just like the thousands that come to SPC to get into the goods, we also have to vacate the familiar so to refresh the mind, body and soul. Though on these trips, we typically pollute the mind, corrupt the body and bypass the soul, we did have a ton of fun again with 15 of us loving life and missing each other already. Until next season...Click here for images from our trip.
Amongst the skiing, eating and partying we celebrated the 20th season of powder guide Mike Rakowski working at Steamboat Powdercats. Mike's been guiding guests for so long at SPC that many of our staff weren't even in grade school when Mike started showing people fresh turns on Buffalo Pass.
His knowledge and dedication to everything that is SPC goes beyond what we could have ever asked from Mike when he started so many years ago. There is not a day that goes by during the winter that his influence on our staff and guests isn't noticeable in one way or another.
We'd like to thank you Mike for helping us all get to where we are today.
You the man, man! Keep kicking ass for another 20.
March 29
Today we celebrated the end of our 08.09 snowcat season in style. Just one, lively group, who enjoyed the snowcat access for the last time and had unlimited opportunity to any line they wanted.
We'd like to thank all the guests who came to visit us this year. Your dedication to the Steamboat Powdercats experience is unparalleled in the industry.
To our guides, you are the greatest staff anyone could ever ask for.
No new snow today, our first in some time. The wind buff we had yesterday evolved quite a bit, allowing us to get into and ski the terrain a bit faster than yesterday. We toured all over the terrain and found some great snow in places where we couldn't get to yesterday.
Just one snowcat out, our expert group. We had a blast launching off more or less anything and the gang were all rippers.
Yesterday's blizzard and especially the afternoon wind storm buffed out the terrain quite a bit, leaving us with some major wind pack to deal with. Several of our go to aspects were tough to ski so we poked deep in the trees to our most westerly aspects and found the best snow.
We received over 48" of new powder from this storm. It's been an absolute blessing and put an exclamation point on the end of our season.
K2 ski's hosted a sales incentive trip with us today. Their best sellers for the year came to reap in the benefits of another sick day as another foot of snow fell overnight. The boys were spoiled rotten and guess what, they are all coming back again for another round in the fluff tomorrow.
Conditions are insane right now and we have space the next few days....what are you waiting for?
It was dumping on and off again today! March storms are always a blessing, treating you with possibly your last, deeper day spent in the backcountry this season.
After a 12-day break in the storm cycle the powder has once again arrived. Our next few days look good for at least cold and overcast days...more snow insight? We have space on our cats so call us if you want some.
10 super, powder pig guests enjoyed lap after lap of fresh turns today. Big cheers to everyone for making the trip a memorable day. Positive vibes out to you all.
A group of snowboard and ski instructors from across Colorado came to celebrate a bachelor party with us today. High flying, ripping fellas who had more fun with us than most have during the deepest day. We went all over in the expert terrain and we couldn't show them any pitch that they didn't pillage.
A storm looks to be finally arriving Sunday night!!!!!!
March 17
Happy St. Patrick's day to all. We didn't have a cat go out today so the guides went up anyway and played in the expert terrain, searching it out and enjoying a day without guests. We had a blast, as always, a true comedic adventure exploring and harassing each other.
The one thing you'll know about us is that the guides and staff that is Steamboat Powdercats will never allow a day in the backcountry go to waste. We lapped up Far East a couple times then after lunch on the top of Soda, we toured the lower reaches of our terrain and found some great terrain that we hope to show all of you someday.
Two groups out today, an intermediate and expert tour. We started the tour a half hour later than usual to allow the snowpack to warm up a bit. After a couple challenging runs in the am, we hit it right after exploring to our most northern aspects.
Another look at the forecast shows an even more daunting ridge of high pressure resting over us of what seems to be forever into the future. Hopefully by the end of March, it'll snow again.
We are locked in a high pressure ridge that looks to continue into the near future. Snow conditions are evolving to spring like which mans the dry, light snow that we provide is getting harder and harder to find. The guides are working and succeeding in finding the best conditions under the circumstances and putting a great trip, as always. Click here for images from today
March 13
Monkey business today...good fun with good friends.
Another day of cold temps are keeping the sheltered, northern slopes nice and dry. The light snow is exactly what we are hoping for in March.
The boys from Ride Snowboards came visit us this week and today was their big event, hosting 2 snowcats full of sales managers and associates who won a sales incentive trip. We had a ton of fun with the mostly Colorado, California and Washington based folks.
There may have never been a more blue bird powder day than there was for us today. Cold temperatures allowed the powder to stay crisp and clean.
We only took out 2 cats so you missed it again. Keep an eye on our calendar for available seats and get up here when the conditions call for it...like tomorrow!
Cold temps have dropped into northern Colorado once again. Add in a more substantial 4 inches of light powder overnight, and then turn on the sunshine and wammo a true blue March powder day is here to entertain us all.
Now this is more like what we've come to expect in Steamboat and with Powdercats. Though some turns you can still feel the bottom, the lighter snow reminds us all why we enjoy backcountry skiing and riding.
The unsettled weather continues as another couple inches teased us again. Conditions are fast and fresh, meaning it's not super deep but the new snow allows us to move around the terrain with ease and most every turn is a fresh one.
Depending on which aspect we are skiing, the depth of the snow varies and is either bottomless or scratchy. This equates to what we call "variable" conditions, a fabulous term for backcountry enthusiasts who understand that every aspect and possibly every turn will hold a different type of powdery condition.
The weather cleared for us a bit today, in and out of clouds with another slight dusting of new snow.
We had 3 cats out today, including our Women's PowCamp where 8 skiers and snowboarders whet up with our lady guides and a couple female ski and snowboard coaches to enjoy the backcountry together. A big thanks to Julie from SheRide for organizing a majority of the gang.
A fast moving, short wave of weather came in today adding an inch or two on the terrain. Lots of wind and cold temps back in Valley. Good fun as always.
Spring has sprung for us here in Steamboat Springs. Due to a southern flowing jet stream, warm weather has arrived in the Valley and the snow has evolved into creamy powder.
When this happens, we at Steamboat Powdercats, our guides and guests, work hard to search it out and find the best conditions under the circumstances. Expectations during times like these can be fairly low, but when you come, the day will continue to be special as we always have a blast here up on the Pass, away from the crowds, enjoying the backcountry all it is worth.
More new snow today arrived with wicked winds and cold temperatures. The powder was light and soft and you couldn't feel the firmer layer from the other day.
3 private cats out today made for some great turns and good times with friends, co-workers and counter parts all with one focus - deep fresh turns, ohhhhhhh yeaaaaaaa.
A really interesting day here at SPC. Last night it was cold so the warmer snow from yesterday froze, making it a really difficult day of skiing; even on the sheltered North facing aspects - Yikes!.
We found our best snow way up top, on Soda. Though the snow was rough, the guests and guides made it happen and still enjoyed another day in the Steamboat backcountry.
Five inches new today on the stake. It wasn't our typical five, but more Coastal Range consistency. Yes, this storm came in very warm and it rained yesterday in downtown Steamboat. The rain didn't get very high up into the terrain so the snow was saved.
Today, the crews had good times. Yea, the snow wasn't the super fluff, but it was fresh, not crusty and folks enjoyed the day. The guides found best snow on our most northern and most upper terrain areas.
We had a cat breakdown today so Spike, our photographer had to take over for Meeker, our mechanic, so no images were taken. This is why we recommend that all of our guests bring their own cameras on the tour so just in case we cannot capture the magic, you'll have your own camera so to get some memories documented. This was the first time we haven't taken images in over a year.
Feb 22
A solid performance from our crew out there today. Another round of sunshine, at least in the morning, provided for fantastic conditions.
We had to stay off the south today as the sun yesterday put a decent crust on all southern tipping aspect. No worries, we have plenty of other aspects to keep things soft and fresh.
Blue skis forever today, allowing for unlimited views of the surrounding Valley, making for some outstanding skiing and riding.
With sunshine comes the guiding dilemma of hitting our south facing terrain as much as possible before the sun cooks the snow. So, we nailed the south and then turned our attention to north facing slopes to finish off the day.
Cast in shade, cloudy and colder, conditions are primed, retaining soft snow on all aspects. With the wind from the last set of stormy days, there are crazy tree wells and whoopties everywhere making for some fun skiing and riding.
Three groups out today and for most part all returning guests. Lots of happy people hooked up with their powder fix once again.
Weather looks to clear over the next couple days then moisture returns after the weekend as a wave re-enters the Rockies.
After dumping 6 inches today, the storm pulled out just in time to open up the skies and bring down the sunshine. Really, a perfect combination of weather.
Beyond that, it was also an ideal subset of guests with a wide assortment of first timers and long time, return guests to bring smiles to us all. Welcome back folks, can it ever get better than this?
We are still entrenched in a pretty wicked winter storm. Winds continue to be considerable at all of our drop offs. Overnight, 10-inches accumulated allowing for great powder skiing on all aspects. It looks as though we will continue in this pattern for a few more days then a ridge of high pressure is sliding back into the Valley over the weekend.
As always, we hosted several groups today but one individual stood out for us. Phil Wagner, a powder skiing guide from Powder Mountain, Utah come with us today for a pay back trip as he was our guide when Steamboat Powdercats descended on his mountain last April for our company party. We had a blast showing Phil the terrain on Buffalo Pass and he will certainly go back to his Utah crew with a satisfied powder smile from his time spent with us.
Today's wave of weather blew in hard with sustained winds and decent moisture. You know it's windy when the snow stake falls over, which happened several times throughout the day. It's been over a month since we last had wind along with a storm, so getting used to these arctic conditions took a bit of adjustment.
Due to the blowing wind we took advantage of our forests by going directly into them or hugging their edges to provide the visibility necessary. It was definitely an adventure on Buff today.
Presidents Day Holiday party here at SPC. Instead of working we took the day off and ripped up the powder with a bunch of friends...oh right, that is what we do everyday.
Roses are red, violets are blue, the powder was deep and where were you? Hopefully you were getting some, powder that is, with your honey, spoiling each other rotten, knee deep in the fluff.
We had another snowy day here and the 3 cats full of return guests were once again enamored with love and romance from the Steamboat Powdercats experience.
12" of the pure Buffalo Pass Thunder Fresh out there today. The cold temps arrived just in time. No wind allowed for perfectly shaped and placed snow crystals. Fast, dry light powder.
Two groups, both private cats, both not completely full, allowed for lapse and lapse of face shots over and over again.
Where were you today? We had one cat open you should have been here. There is space on Friday....who want's some?
Good times on the Pass today. Only 2 cats, neither full, deep powder, smiles, laughter, a fresh turn every turn, what more could we ask for?
Sunshine and powder, okay that is what we'd ask for and guess what, in the afternoon, once it stopped snowing, we got it. That's right, dreams come true and today was one of those dreams that you hope will reoccur, over and over and over again.
After burning 10 pairs of ski's, dancing erotically around the fire with paganistic undertones and sacrificing stuffed ski bunnies, the powder gods have responded and dumped a foot to two feet of new snow on Buffalo Pass.
Listen closely and you can hear the sigh from all the powderhounds rejoicing in the Steamboat Powdercats nation and beyond. There is nothing like a new layer of snow. We dream of deep powder, live for it, pay homage to it's healing powers and inspirational qualities and most importantly enjoy the effortless, free feeling when floating within the snowpack.
With 3 Cats out today. We had 36 guests all chomping for some new snow. Though the big dump hasn't happened, yet, we did get some wind and a minor accumulation last night so things freshened up just enough for the them all.
It's now been 10 days since our last big storm. This is the longest we've gone between storms since March of 2007.
Our guides have to be given huge credit for the tricks they are pulling out in finding fields of fresh for our guests.
A transitional day for us, in between sunny weather and the next system. A slight surge of weather is on the horizon, but it's spotty at the moment and we are unsure when the moisture will arrive. A tease of snow fell in the afternoon but it didn't matter as the vibe with our crew was solid.
We've now eclipsed the half way point in our season and we are in the midst of our busiest time. In February we typically see about 40% of our guests.
Another round of sunny and warm weather here at Steamboat Powdercats. We are now in day 7 of drought.
Everyone asks us "How is the skiing like when you don't get any snow". Obviously, the dream is to get 6-20" the night prior with 20-degree temps to make the snow super deep and super light, but in reality, post powder conditions exist more than you'd think.
Boot deep, old fields of fresh await those who come with us in times like this. Our guides hate putting our guests onto tracked out runs, crust and crappy snow so more than likely you'll be amazed with the clean, boot deep freshies you'll get. Pleasantly surprised is the word.
Things have warmed up here the past couple days with temps nearing 35 degrees up top.
Though we haven't had any fresh snow since last Thursday, we have been getting a daily dose of surface hoar. The image of our snow stake shows the 1/2 inch crystals that appear as frost builds during these humid and calm conditions.
The next storm looks to be coming on Friday, so keep your fingers crossed if you are coming this weekend. The more snow the better of course!
The folks from Steamboat Magazine came for their annual trip with us. Deb and the gang were all smiles after realizing really quick that the snow was still, plenty fresh.
If you've never met these guys from The Mag, you really should as they are the nicest, most genuine people in Steamboat Springs. Their insight and take on everything Steamboat is written out 4 times a year. Subscribe if you haven't already and grab a copy the next time you are in our office. Click here for images from today.
It was a 50th birthday party for a long time return guest so we hosted a two day event. We also had an expert cat full of long time returnees from Boulder. Finally Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Tavern crew came today and will be coming the next two days as well. Charlie and his crew come for their annual company appreciation party. The neon orange purse and scarf accessories are utilized as punishment for the worst crash on any run. If you fall you must wear the purse. Click here for images from today
Jan 31
A sick day today. Tons of sunshine again. Loads of fresh tracks. Solid groups. Good friends, family and new powder comrades.
It doesn't get much better than the conditions we had today. Deep, blower, cold, pure, smoke like snow. It was just the right depth, not too deep, perfect enough to carry your speed through 90% of the terrain. Guests were disappearing turning into phantoms as they dropped into the runs. Guides were going bonkers.
Many of the guests mentioned it was their best day ever.
This past week has been silly. Since last Friday when the faucet got turned on we've had day after day of snow. The combination of cold temperatures, no wind and just the right amount of snow has made the past couple days ridiculous.
It snowed today harder than it has all season. We had 3-inch per hour, nuclear fall out type dumpage, and it piled up knee high before the group came home. It didn't stop snowing once today.
After all was said and done, we hit the mystical, 100-inch base total for the season at our mid-mountain cabin snow stake.
We had one cat out today, our expert group. Two of these fortunate guests were celebrating their birthdays. As powderhounds, there isn't a better way to spend a day, let alone your birthday, waist deep in the powder.
Snow looks to stay with us over the next couple days. Forecast suggest warming early next week and beyond that who knows.
Words and images have a tough time explaining the pure magic that occurred today. Cold snow, freezing temps, blue sky mixed with interspersed clouds, South side runs all day long...a fantastic, truly magical day!
Times like this allow you to reflect on only the best days of your life and how they should never be taken for granted.
We didn't go past the cabin today to check on the snow stake as we only had 1 cat out, our expert cat which has lunch in the snowcat. So we are unsure about the exact amount of new snow, but we did get a few more and the flow looks to continue tonight and into Wednesday. The warm weather has pushed East and a cold front has arrived with temps in the teens and 20's.
No tracks all day long. Great company and solid backcountry skiing and riding.
The snow keeps coming. 10" new for us today. Just 2 cats out and once again all old friends here visiting; of the 23 guests, all but 1 are returnees. We are blessed with a 70% return clientele but these past few days it has been more the 90%.
It's always great to see all the good friends that have become dedicated Powderhounds in our Steamboat Powdercats nation. Not that the new blood of first timers isn't as good, but the comforting feeling of skiing with friends is like none other.
Another 8" of fresh for us. It's still the slightly heavier, more Budweiser than Champagne, type powder but better than the alternative, no?
It's day two of our large group visiting us and the other cat that went out was all but 1 return client so good friends back here again to lap up the clean, fresh goods.
Nine days later, the storm arrives. That's right, 10" of new snow was waiting for us and it came down hard for most of the day. This wasn't the lightest of snows, more Maritime than Rocky Mountain, but we'll take it.
We hosted an annual event for coworkers and counterparts in the finance world. They hired all our cats and we traded them our secrets about how to best to spend their money....go powder skiing!
It looks like the weather pattern will keep up. The favorable forecast is now predicting snow all weekend and into next week.
We have space on Sunday and all next week so this would be the time to make it happen.
It seems like blue skies forever here at Steamboat Powdercats.
Several repeat guests descended from afar here today, many of which are spending the next couple days with us. It's always great to see these returnees come back and enjoying their time again with us. It's like old friends, ski buddies who keep the days fresher and real.
Being that it hasn't snowed for days, the powder is holding up fine. It's been cold enough up top to keep the northern aspects soft enough to surprise everyone on the trip.
Amazing how that happens. During drought, the perception of what you think the conditions are going to be like typically get blown away as soon as you drop in on a completely fresh line. Love that!
Another beautiful day here in the Yampa Valley. Today we opened our expert terrain so we had our first 3 cat day of our young season. 36 guests enjoyed the wonderful skiing that is Steamboat Powdercats. Lots of clean, fresh turns for everyone.
Several of these folks are visiting us for their 6th day today, which means that we gave them a "FREE DAY". That's right, once you ski 5 days with us over time we'll hook you up and give you a 6th day on us.
The goal of the event was to change the perception of what people with disabilities can do and we at Steamboat Powdercats loved being part of this inspirational day. Along with Adaptive Adventures, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the International Disabled Free Skiing Association and Dave Genchi, we once again proved to the world that the adaptive world isn't just relegated to gates and groomed, resort style skiing.
These athletes tore up our most cherished runs like the Tube, the Funnel, Tasty Waves and the north faces of Soda Mountain. What an incredible day it was.
Today we hosted the Steamboat All Mountain Ski Camp, the 4th annual event, where our adaptive skiing friends come to play in the powder. The fast snow made a great impression on these folks, many of which have never had a powder day to test their skills.
We'd like to thank our guides for absolutely embracing the challenges and joys associated with helping this group. A big thanks also goes out to Access Anything, Adaptive Adventures and Backcountry Provisions for donating their time and food for the event.
In light of the 2006 injury to Dave Genchi, our staff photographer at that time, where he suffered a series spinal injury, this day is extra special. For all of you who have been keeping up on Dave and wish to continue, keep an eye on his website (www.davidgenchi.com) for the most up to date information. Also, Dave has been posting lots of video on his YouTube page as well, check it here.
Jan 14
Two groups out, a private cat of long time return guests and a mixed group that became fast friends before the day was over. Fast, clean turns, all day long. Friendships and powder skiing go hand and hand.
It looks like a January thaw is coming as a ridge of high pressure ascends across the Rocky Mountains. The forecast isn't looking promising for any new snow into next week so expect boot depth freshies and remember to lather up the sunscreen.
A fantastic day of skiing today. Only 1 cat, 5 guests and 10 new inches of powder. Okay, so the running total is 6-feet in 10-days, not bad at all.
The sun was out, the group was solid, the guides were in rare form and we went over to Bitch Creek for the first time all season. That's right, the steeps are back.
Another round of powder today. We have really been on a great flow since last Saturday with over 5 feet of snow falling fresh for us to ski and ride. Similar to last year, this early part of January has been fantastic powder.
We had a single, private cat out today, a 50th birthday party. What a way to celebrate. The family group had a great time with all the fresh snow.
It looks like more snow is coming. The weather report shows a good amount of moisture coming Sunday through Tuesday, possibly.
After yesterday's epic conditions, things have gotten a little bit weird here. The good news is we received 16" more, the not so good news is that our feather like, cold smoke turned into styroformish, denser, glue like powder. Oh the joys of the backcountry. You take what is given and enjoy the conditions for what they are worth.
When the snow is so deep that you gag on it, is it deep enough?
20+" of the super fluff on the stake today. It was feather type snow, effortless to ski through, just the perfect density to float up onto your chest on most every turn.
We had 1 group, a full cat of first timers here for a visit. Behold the power of the powder gods to provide them with something they may not have been prepared for. When we called the ski area this morning for a quick estimate of how much snow we may be dealing with they reported 9". Surprise, it was much deeper on Buffalo Pass.
Last season, we had a ton of snow, but only 3 days of 20+" or more, so when you get a day like this, the powder gods must be looking down on you....big time.
There may not be a better combination of elements than sunshine and powder. Today we had both. The morning was brilliant blue skies but as the day played out, clouds rolled in and by the time we came down it was snowing once again.
Okay, so, just when you want something, when it hurts so bad and you never think it will come again and then it appears for you right at the exact moment when you need it most, how does it feel?
Oh yea, that's right, 12-inches of fresh snow today and it feels soooooooooooo good.
Only 1 cat out today, a group that has skied with us 3 years in a row, some locals, mostly out-of-towners, all here for one reason: THE POWDER! Well, it was so good, even better than that.
Mother Nature is toying with us again. We are now in day 6 of a drought but we've had 40% or more chance of snow forecasted the past few days and nothing has happened.
Being powderhounds, we of course hope for 6-10" of fresh for all our guests every night, but the realists in us understands that this is just not possible so we take what we can.
Everyone on the trips today had a blast and enjoyed it for all that it could be. Even in times like this, where it hasn't snowed in awhile, our guides will always put you into the fresh. Where the ski area may not have any clean turns left, we'll have thousands for you still waiting to be hit up. Maybe not every turn is fresh but the goods are still there to be found.
Celebrating the last day of the year with a powder day is a grand way to say sayonara to the old and to welcome in the new. As always, we had a blast on the pass today with 2 groups loving the sunshiny day.
Two really fun groups out with us today; about half and half, first time and repeat guests. It wasn't the deepest or the driest snow we've had, actually we are in the midst of our longest drought yet this season, a 3-day stint of no new snow. Even without the over-the-head freshies, everyone was super positive and enjoyed the day and all the clean turns.
The next storm is looking to arrive on Wednesday night so keep that candle lit!
Guess who came for a visit today? The sun reappeared for us this afternoon. That's right, after almost a month of constant weather, the clouds parted and sunshine once again filled our Valley. We did get 6" of very light snow overnight and it was cloudy most of the day.
The next system looks to be coming into Northern Colorado on Wednesday night for a grand kick off to the New Year.
The gifts keep coming as Santa continues to pummel us with snow. It was dumping all day on the Pass, but the wind in the morning caused for some interesting conditions.
The guides had to work extra hard to pin point where the less affected slopes were. This took a few runs of hard turns in the compacted, wind affected powder. They did a good job of figuring it out and as the day, and the lighter snow piled up, the turns progressed and only got better.
So is life in the backcountry. Even when it snows, you never really know what the conditions are going to be like. Anytime there is wind along with a storm, things get tricky and you can should not expect conditions to be as perfect as they were like on X-mass eve.
An early X-Mass gift arrived for us today. 17" of new snow lay wait on our snow stake and life couldn't be deeper. We now have a 69" base at our cabin, almost 2-feet more than we had this time last season. It has snowed everyday but one since we opened.
This storm came out of the south west which for us in Northern Colorado is hit or miss. We either get pounded or teased with only slight accumulation. Well today Mother Nature hit a grand slam.
When it snows like this the vibe in all of us, not only the Powdercat Nation and the fortunate guests who hit the jackpot, but the entire Steamboat community comes to life. Those of us who didn't make it up on the cats, went to the mountain early with all the local powderhounds. The mountain reported 19" at the summit overnight. It was a very, very special day for us all here.
The adventure continues for us. Not only did it snow an inch an hour at times and the turns were deep and fresh, but we had one of our cats get into a very tricky predicament. After a classic line in Fatties, our cat tipped off the road into a super funky place and we had to call in the troops to rescue.
Once another cat came to meet us, we ended up with 11 runs and salvaged what could have been a long, cold day staring at the powder pile up.
We really appreciate the patience and understanding from our guests when and or if this ever happens to you whilst out with us, and a big thank you to our staff for doing their best to manage the situation. Check out the images from the trip.
After 8 months and 18 days, we are finally back in the fresh, officially deep in the powder once again. With a 49" base and 5" of new freshies (20" over the past 5 days), we commenced our 08/09 snowcat season in familiar style: big smiles, good friends, return guests, lots of laughter and freshies all day long.
It was your typical stormy day here in Steamboat, in and out of slight snow showers, wind, clouds and cold. The powder wasn't super fluff but it was as fresh as you could ever imagine, not a single other track from our first run to the last.
We are looking forward to the next 103 days of our powder season.
So here's to a fantastic, safe and enriched powder year. May the snow come often and deep, dry and cold. May our days be filled with friends and family, laughter, smiles and positive thoughts. Finally, may our days be safe, void of injury and ill will so that everyday can be an epic powder day.
At this time of year, most everyone, is interested to hear about snow conditions. You will see in the image link below that conditions are typical for this time of year. With around a 40” base, there are the typical bushes, downed trees and specific rocks that you will need to be cautious of. The theme is to ski lightly and understand that any bump in the snow could be a rock, so pick the freshest looking line and be confident in your turns. Big crashes are not recommended.
Until mid January we will not be into our steeper, expert level terrain. If you are familiar with us, you will remember our traditional terrain in and around our Cabin with names like In The Buff, Scotty’s, Sweetness, Revo, Success and Exhibition, which are all skiing great as of today. The tree lines in Fatties, Dingo Done It and Andy’s are still a bit thin, but with a couple solid dumps will ready ready to go.
Bruce Edgerly from Backcountry Access came and helped us with our avalanche training today. Bruce is a co-founder of BCA the premier avalanche equipment manufacture in North American. We have been using the BCA Tracker avy beacon for many years as well as their shovels, probes and packs.
He helped us put together 4 stations: single search, multiple searches, deep probing and shoveling. We were all intrigued with the shoveling techniques that Bruce showed us. It’s this aspect of avalanche recovery that is the most cutting edge and where you can truly save time in recovery. Check out the BCA link here to see how to properly shovel out your next avy victim.
In the 27-years that SPC has been in operation we have been very fortunate to not have to search for one of our guests our guides in an avalanche. Here is to the next 27 years of more of the same.
Our guide training is in full swing. We have finished our Outdoor Emergency Care portion of the course and are now into our “on snow” scenarios covering all aspects of how we remove injured skiers from the pass.
Toboggan training is critical for us as we don’t get many opportunities, if any, to do real life rescues during the year. Of course, this is what we hope for and the goal of our operation: safety first. So, taking turns running as well as riding in the toboggans is always a good learning lesson.
It has been hammering all day. Big, white flakes dumping and our first serious snow storm of the ski season. We have started out annual guide training where we run down all of our scenarios, medical situations and logistical considerations as well as clean our office, cabin and setting up infrastructure on the pass.
As of yesterday, our cabin had 33" of snow and 5" of new while we were up there for half the day. We won't be up again till Saturday, where we will run our medical training on the pass. As you'd expect we are chomping at the bit in expectations for the first face shots of the season.
Nov 24
Now on sale - Steamboat Powdercats 2009 Calendar.
After talking about this for years, we have this available for you as a perfect Christmas present or stocking stuffer.
We are selling them for $22 per calendar (includes tax, shipping and handling) and you can call 970-879-5188 or email us your order.
For every calendar sold, we will be donating profits to the Dave Genchi Recovery fund.
Nov 24
The ski area is blowing snow like mad in preparation for their opening, just 2 days from now. Fortunately for us at SPC, we don't start with guests till the 13th of December. Looking at the forecast, we could see some snow in on Wednesday night through Friday. Keep your fingers crossed for us because things look thin as of today.
Oct 5
It snowed for the first time on us today. Not a bunch, just 1/2 inch, but enough for us to start getting a bit more amped for this coming season. As many of you know, annually we host a powder prediction contest where you have the opportunity to pick the first day it snows and how much will come down. Over two hundred of you participated this season and only 1 of you picked the right date.
Steve Miller from Dallas TX, not the musician, but a friend of a guest, made the right call. Where many of you just shoot from the hip and pick a random date, Steve worked some serious math into his pick, building a graph from website's to fine tune his prediction. Check out this graph that Steve built below. It's a great tool for any of you to use for next seasons contest.
Now that the snow has fallen, we are just waiting for the games to begin. As of today, we have 67 days till our season begins here at SPC, but who's counting?
It looks like another wave of cold and moist weather will be coming into the Colorado this coming weekend. It will be interesting what develops over time and how our snowpack evolves over the next couple months. It is always nice to have plenty of snow up on Buffalo Pass for us to start building our road system and for our annual guide training which will start early December. Last year, you may recall, it didn't snow at all in the early season and we opened with a very thin snowpack. But, as the season progressed, it became the deepest ever that was recorded in the history of Northern Colorado.
Oct 1
We have now completed our annual cat maintenance where we tear down all of our snowcats, from the track to the engines tin hopes to make for a none eventful, none breakdown, winter operating season. Of course, doing this work in advance should help but you just never know. Where we always pray for snow for all of our guests, we here at SPC also pray that every day our cats remain in solid form. Without new snow for you guys, we have to poke deeper into the terrain, but without snowcats, we have no chance to get you to where the next powder field lies.
Also, we bought a new Bombardier cat this summer, swapping out our oldest cat and keeping our fleet fresh.
Sept 25
The Three Forks Ranch, located on the Colorado-Wyoming border, north of Hahns Peak is home to the worlds largest river restoration project. With 3 forks of the Little Snake River converging on the property, hence the name of the ranch, the owners have built a fishing empire by placing rocks in the river channel to increase the habitat for their prized rainbow trout.
Kent is currently writing an article for Steamboat Magazine regarding river improvement projects around Steamboat Springs. Be it a ranch like Three Forks that caters to destination fly fisherman, a master-planned community like Marabou or Storm Mountain Ranch that sells properties to families who like to fish or the example of the City of Steamboat improving the Yampa River on city property for all types of recreation to increase tourism; a landowner has the opportunity to increase their economy by placing rocks in the river by improving, rehabilitating and building new fish and insect habitats.
During the trip, Kent and Dave Lawler from the Magazine received a fascinating tour from the Three Forks Ranch General Manager Jay Linderman and master guide Duncan Draper. After the tour, Duncan took the boys out on the main fork of the Little Snake to fish and land a dozen or so nice rainbows on dry flies.
Coincidentally, they were accompanied by Val Atkinson, one of the most renowned fly fishing photographers in the world. Val was there to shoot stock images for the ranch and himself for inclusion to the countless fly fishing images that he shoots for.
Powdercats' guides Pete and Kev O took their first trip down the Grand Canyon, an 18-day trip during August and September. The trip was with a small group of 9 friends. They took some great images and have provided us with outstanding video of the rapids.
Check out images here.
Genchi hooked up the boys with waterproof video cameras which they used to capture the rapids for this video:
The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the Grand Daddy of all river trips, the Mt. Everest for any river runner. With 160 named rapids over 226 miles long, the river drops 1600 feet providing for excellent, big-river whitewater. During the trip, they were fortunate as Mother Nature provided almost perfect weather. As well, they got lucky with water as the Park Service was releasing from Lake Powell at a consistent 12,000 c.f.s.. The Park Service was doing environmental studies on beach erosion, tamarisk removal and archeology investigations so the increased flows just happened to coincide with their trip.
Along the way they had dozens of epic side hikes, pristine canyon panoramas and only one flipped raft, whoops!
Sept 7-9 2008
One of our guides got hitched! Amy, whom many of you know, tied the knot with a Kelly, a good friend of all of us at SPC. We are incredibly happy for these two and wish them all the best in a lasting future together.
View images from wedding week.
The wedding was preempted by a rafting trip for many of the wedding party down the Green River in Split Mountain Canyon. Then the following weekend the wedding itself was at the Midnight Ranch, a true Northern Colorado gem of a place to set a wedding and rage in comfort, Colorado style.
July 24
Random summer in Steamboat images: free Michael Franti & Spearhead concert, river boarding thru town with kids on the Yampa, fireworks, building, red neck style skeet, tubing, ski jumping, beetle kill, Steamboat Powdercats lunch cabin and terrain in summer...
After paddling and getting mucho adrenaline exposure in Cross Mountain earlier in the day, a trip fishing was in order to tame the evening into night.
3 friends, 2 rods, 1 boat, a case of beer and 40 fish equals a very, very good trip. Add in some quality Smallmouth bass and life couldn't get much better. Oh yea, the sunset and glass on the reservoir helped take it over the top.
Cross Mountain Canyon is Northwest Colorado's most remote and wild, whitewater bonanza. Imagine warm water, a big river, a bigger canyon and not a soul beyond but your crew on the river enjoying the thrilling adventure of Class IV rapids. Oh yea, that and even more.
On this day, Pete Scully was guiding a commercial trip for Blue Sky West, SPC's old river company, and Kent and Kelly hooked up and R2'd a raft.
Cross is being recommended by the BLM as a potential, future National Wild and Scenic River. If there ever was a river canyon that would fit into this category it would be Cross Mountain Canyon. Though there is a bunch of localized resistance due to the struggle for water and it's political power, a subscription into the W&S program would be fitting indeed.
Yes, Steamboat Springs is a nice place, but Sitka, Alaska hell yea! Seven days spent hiking, biking, boating, flying, eating, drinking and fishing, Alaska style.
A crew from Worthington, Ohio, including Kent from Powdercats, made good work of the recreational potential of Sitka. If you've never been there, you must check out the images and if you are a fisherman, you must get to Sitka before your days end.
With a perfect combination of mountains and ocean, islands and wild lands, Sitka has it all. Mike Wallisch, fellow Steamboat Springs local, has owned Alaska Adventures Unlimited Inc. since 1993 and has the tools to get you into the fish and the knowledge of the area to keep you busy when not on his boats. His captain, Jim Michener is an absolute wizard in guiding the waters of the area. Jim's uncanny nack had us in the fish when other boats were left with empty coolers. You'll have a man-crush on Jim after a couple hours watching him handle his boat, his clients and the fish.
We stayed at the Fly-In Fish Inn, a new bed and breakfast right on the bay in Sitka. Ken Bellows and his sister Dee are generous hosts and allowed us to hang out on the deck late into the night; it was getting dark at 11:00 pm with an hour long sun set. Ken has been a pilot in Alaska for decades and took us up in his customized Cessna 185 float plane. After circling over grizzly bear and mountain goats, we dropped in on a remote lake and river system where we caught wild rainbow trout and fished for the elusive
steelhead. Ken isn't a fishing guide, though he could be, but he'll take you anywhere you want be it a trip like ours or to a remote Forest Service cabin, a bear hunt or a sight seeing tour.
Though we've seen peak flows in the Yampa River, though downtown, as the deepest snowpack on record continues to melt away, it hasn't happened as quickly as many would have thought. Summer just hasn't yet taken over as we've seemed to have snow and cold rain just about every week since our ski season ended.
In fact, just yesterday it snowed on us. Snow in June, oh my.
Powdercats guides Todd Dills and Rob Meeker got their trip of a lifetime as they took their spouses on a private trip down the Grand Canyon. With 4 rafts and only 8 people on this 2+ week trip, the gang enjoyed the Canyon mostly to themselves.
Not a bad gig these guys have with powdercat guiding in the winter and living the ultimate rafting dream of a Grand Canyon trip with their ladies and best friends.
An article, written by Kent Vertrees from Powdercats, was recently published in the Spring/Summer edition of Steamboat Magazine. This feature piece outlines the Yampa River and it's important attributes in light of a recent proposal from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. The proposal identifies an opportunity to build an off channel reservoir that would divert 1/3 of the Yampa River's water; a $3-4 billion dollar proposal, one that would require the building of hundreds of miles of pipeline and tunnels, pumping water up river, under the Continental Divide and into the future homes of Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver.
The Yampa River is widely considered to be the last, large river of the entire Upper Colorado River system that still retains a natural hydrograph. Basically, because there are no large dams along the Yampa's route, the river peaks during its runoff in Spring and early Summer with huge, over bank flows, allowing for endangered fish and ecologically rare habits to exist in our modern world.
As well the Yampa River provides rafters and kayakers with a destination for overnight trips down the Yampa Canyon, in Dinosaur National Monument. With unaltered flows in the Yampa River, this world class river trip, is rare because most other rivers have already been dammed or diverted thus allowing for recreation on a truly "wild" river. View images from a rafting trips down Yampa Canyon.
With Colorado's ever increasing population living in such an arid environment, rivers like the Yampa will be sought after in the near future to satisfy the thirst for future residents.
Also, view the Yampa River Awareness Projects short film about the Yampa River. This film project's goal is to raise awareness about the Yampa River's importance and Colorado's uncertain water future. If you know of anyone able to help fund or advise the filming of a feature regarding this project, please connect with Kent.
A trip to Paradise was in order, that is the Paradise Valley in Montana for more R & R and a friends wedding.
Staying at the Chico Hot Springs, visiting Yellowstone National Park and the town of Livingston, Montana allowed a quick glimpse into the similarities of other mountain town environments and communities outside of Steamboat Springs and Colorado.
The scenic beauty of the Paradise Valley reminded us of what we have in Steamboat Springs, but the town of Livingston was a throwback of what our community must have been like 25+ years ago - i.e. no Walmart and mostly smaller mom and pop type stores but with same Western flair and heritage that we have in our Valley.
Images from a trip to Puerto Morelos, Mexico along the Riviera Maya and the Yucatan Peninsula, just south of Cancun.
Kent and his wife Jules took their kids, Josephine and Sophie, along with two other Steamboat Springs families to the El Cid resort. After such a long winter, one in which Steamboat Springs received its most snow ever recorded, some beach time was clearly necessary. Sipping cocktails, lounging by the pool, chillin' on the beach, windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and eating massive amounts of food from the buffet line allowed for some serious relaxation and a well deserved break from the wild and crazy season we had at Steamboat Powdercats.
Now that the ski season is over for us, we will continue to post updates and images from our escapades throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Here are some images from a Colorado Mountain College - River Orientation course that Kent and Pete teach every spring semester at the CMC Alpine Campus here in Steamboat Springs. The trip which teaches "everything river" to 12 students who voyage down the Colorado River above and below State Bridge just south of Steamboat Springs.
Pete who still works in the rafting industry and Kent who recently retired from the rafting world when Steamboat Powdercats sold off our summer operations called Blue Sky West, have a combined 25 years of guiding and paddling experience allowing a wealth of knowledge to be passed down to the students, many whom had never been in a raft before. Click here for images from this river orientation course.
Once again, we raised the bar for our company trip. This season, we decided to ski some more and headed to Utah to visit Powder Mountain and Snowbasin ski resorts. We rented a huge townhouse in Eden, Utah, and visited Powder Mountain the first day and Snowbasin the next couple. Timing was great as a storm hit the day prior to our visit.
Powder Mountain pulled out all the stops for us with 2 guides who allowed us to chase them all over their private mountain. Fresh turns all day long. The lifts basically turned on when we showed up at the bottom and shut down when we got off. They sent us on their snowcat tour up into Lightning Ridge and also took us into some of their future snowcat skiing terrain.
Powder Mountain is a throwback, though they have grand plans for future development, today visiting the area it's like going back a decade where the lodges are basic, the skiing is pure and the people are the friendliest ever.
We didn't get into their James Peak terrain as it was a cloudy day, so the majority of terrain we hit up was of a similar pitch to ours on Buffalo Pass, mostly gentle, intermediate to advanced gladed and treed goods with pockets of steep. When we go back, we will go straight to that James Peak area as it is a big mountain with some nice pitches and fresh powder for what would seem to be days after a storm.
Snowbasin also pulled out all the stops for us, providing guides and access into some of their out back terrain. We met great people here as well and they sent us into their steepest areas. This place rocks if you like steep, lift accessed terrain. We were chomping at the bit for the steepest they had and definitely got what we were looking for here with lots of technical chutes and money lines.
Snowbasin is like a European resort, with the fanciest of everything, from their gondolas, high speed lifts and gondolas, their lodges were over the top and the food was super yummy. The people here were great and the skiing was exactly what we were looking for.
We definitely recommend heading to this area and skiing both of these resorts for what is a classic one-two punch of off the path ski resorts.
Game over folks! After today, we are closed for the season. What a phenomenal season we've had; a season where we had the most snow ever recorded in Steamboat and the most guests ever taken by Steamboat Powdercats.
Today was similar to yesterday, where the snow was spring like. We are now tucking our tails and running for warmer climates. Check out the images for Mar 26.
Please keep an eye on this blog as we have some fun adventures to come including a company ski trip to Utah (Powder Mountain and Snowbasin) next week and many rafting, fishing and other adventures to keep you interested during the summer.
Thank you to everyone who supported us this season. Without you, we wouldn't be here and all that snow on Buffalo Pass would be left untracked. Keeping it fresh since 1983, your friends at Steamboat Powdercats.
If you are interested in seeing images from the 07/08 season or other seasons in the past, click on below archived links. We have also placed in the rows below some of the deepest days of the 07/08 season which was our deepest snow season ever recorded in Steamboat Springs.
MOVIES: Click here for a list of all 2005/06 online movies.Check out the documentary movie Boat Trippin' that Dave Genchi, our videographer, produced in 2005. The film captures the heart and soul of our winter lifestyle here in Steamboat Springs. Images from the Steamboat Ski area, ski patrol and Buffalo Pass will provide you with a great idea of the day to day adventures that we have. Boat Trippin' will get you amped. Also watch clips from Genchi's '04 movie Boat Trip.
Mar 23
We were all dreaming of flying in this A-Star and whisking off to some 4,000 foot unclaimed, powder laden peak. Our hopes were shattered when after 20-min of logistics training from the Flight For Life heli team at St. Anthony Hospital, the heli crew had to quickly head off to Copper Mountain to save another life.
Because of the heli training, we didn't have any guests along with us. It was guides and a special filming crew, friends of Dave Genchi's, ripping some new lines in the terrain. No explanation needed as to the fun that was had.
We were filming for a future online video inspired by Genchi. More to come on the project here later in the Spring.
After sorting through nearly a hundred thousand images from this past season, we've compiled our "Best Of" image galleries to carry you thru till the next. 
Oh the Face Shot. What would we do without you? You must feel sorry for those who have never had one, won't ever get one or just don't know how. It's a pity for sure, but probably means there will be less tracks in front of you and more for your taking.
We are blessed to have a fantastic group of guides; a loyal crew of co-workers, friends and family. Many of us have been working here for many years and its this tradition in seeing the same faces in our staff that builds on the connection with our our guests.
At the end of the day, during our apres ski party, we showcase our daily best of images for each snowcat group to reflect on. There is no question that it's these crash images that always make for the biggest cheers.
Along with the Face Shots and the Crashes, it's the jumping images that are always the crowd pleasers. Catching big air in the powder makes for a softer landing and having a bit of Kodak courage always helps.
If it wasn't for our snowcats where would we be? Though hiking and chairlifts are good and all, it is these machines that provide us the lift to get the access we need as a snowcat operation into the backcountry. 
When it is not dumping snow, overcast or a white out, the landscapes seen from our terrain on Buffalo Pass are unparalleled. 
Back to Utah we go. 
Amongst the skiing, eating and partying we celebrated the 20th season of powder guide 
Today we celebrated the end of our 08.09 snowcat season in style. Just one, lively group, who enjoyed the snowcat access for the last time and had unlimited opportunity to any line they wanted. 
No new snow today, our first in some time. The wind buff we had yesterday evolved quite a bit, allowing us to get into and ski the terrain a bit faster than yesterday. We toured all over the terrain and found some great snow in places where we couldn't get to yesterday. 
Yesterday's blizzard and especially the afternoon wind storm buffed out the terrain quite a bit, leaving us with some major wind pack to deal with. Several of our go to aspects were tough to ski so we poked deep in the trees to our most westerly aspects and found the best snow. 
K2 ski's hosted a sales incentive trip with us today. Their best sellers for the year came to reap in the benefits of another sick day as another foot of snow fell overnight. The boys were spoiled rotten and guess what, they are all coming back again for another round in the fluff tomorrow.
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A group of snowboard and ski instructors from across Colorado came to celebrate a bachelor party with us today. High flying, ripping fellas who had more fun with us than most have during the deepest day. We went all over in the expert terrain and we couldn't show them any pitch that they didn't pillage.
Happy St. Patrick's day to all. We didn't have a cat go out today so the guides went up anyway and played in the expert terrain, searching it out and enjoying a day without guests. We had a blast, as always, a true comedic adventure exploring and harassing each other.
Big skies.
Two groups out today, an intermediate and expert tour. We started the tour a half hour later than usual to allow the snowpack to warm up a bit. After a couple challenging runs in the am, we hit it right after exploring to our most northern aspects. 
Monkey business today...good fun with good friends.
Another day of cold temps are keeping the sheltered, northern slopes nice and dry. The light snow is exactly what we are hoping for in March. 
There may have never been a more blue bird powder day than there was for us today. Cold temperatures allowed the powder to stay crisp and clean.
Yes, it was one of the best day's of the season and some in the groups said "Best day Ever!" 
Cold temps have dropped into northern Colorado once again. Add in a more substantial 4 inches of light powder overnight, and then turn on the sunshine and wammo a true blue March powder day is here to entertain us all. 
The unsettled weather continues as another couple inches teased us again. Conditions are fast and fresh, meaning it's not super deep but the new snow allows us to move around the terrain with ease and most every turn is a fresh one.
The weather cleared for us a bit today, in and out of clouds with another slight dusting of new snow.
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Creamy, fresh turns, new friends, old partners, big blue skies, short sleeve shirts, lots of sunscreen and plenty of comedy.
Spring has sprung for us here in Steamboat Springs. Due to a southern flowing jet stream, warm weather has arrived in the Valley and the snow has evolved into creamy powder.
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March is now upon us and the Madness has begun. Big turns, crazy days and lots of love here. Chicken's and Yeti's and wild times. .gif)
After some fear and loathing from yesterdays conditions, the snow gods kicked down and surprised us with a new 5 inch layer of goodness.
A really interesting day here at SPC. Last night it was cold so the warmer snow from yesterday froze, making it a really difficult day of skiing; even on the sheltered North facing aspects - Yikes!. .gif)
Five inches new today on the stake. It wasn't our typical five, but more Coastal Range consistency. Yes, this storm came in very warm and it rained yesterday in downtown Steamboat. The rain didn't get very high up into the terrain so the snow was saved. 
A solid performance from our crew out there today. Another round of sunshine, at least in the morning, provided for fantastic conditions. 
Blue skis forever today, allowing for unlimited views of the surrounding Valley, making for some outstanding skiing and riding. 
Cast in shade, cloudy and colder, conditions are primed, retaining soft snow on all aspects. With the wind from the last set of stormy days, there are crazy tree wells and whoopties everywhere making for some fun skiing and riding.
After dumping 6 inches today, the storm pulled out just in time to open up the skies and bring down the sunshine. Really, a perfect combination of weather. .gif)
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We are still entrenched in a pretty wicked winter storm. Winds continue to be considerable at all of our drop offs. Overnight, 10-inches accumulated allowing for great powder skiing on all aspects. It looks as though we will continue in this pattern for a few more days then a ridge of high pressure is sliding back into the Valley over the weekend..gif)
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Today's wave of weather blew in hard with sustained winds and decent moisture. You know it's windy when the snow stake falls over, which happened several times throughout the day. It's been over a month since we last had wind along with a storm, so getting used to these arctic conditions took a bit of adjustment. .gif)
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Presidents Day Holiday party here at SPC. Instead of working we took the day off and ripped up the powder with a bunch of friends...oh right, that is what we do everyday. 
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8 inches new at the cabin with pockets of really deep here and there. It seems like every cat we have run recently has had a birthday on it..gif)
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Day 6 of stormy weather allowing for spectacular conditions. Several "Best day ever" comments and not only skiing, but best day ever in life, period. .gif)
12" of the pure Buffalo Pass Thunder Fresh out there today. The cold temps arrived just in time. No wind allowed for perfectly shaped and placed snow crystals. Fast, dry light powder. 
Good times on the Pass today. Only 2 cats, neither full, deep powder, smiles, laughter, a fresh turn every turn, what more could we ask for? 
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After burning 10 pairs of ski's, dancing erotically around the fire with paganistic undertones and sacrificing stuffed ski bunnies, the powder gods have responded and dumped a foot to two feet of new snow on Buffalo Pass. .gif)
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With 3 Cats out today. We had 36 guests all chomping for some new snow. Though the big dump hasn't happened, yet, we did get some wind and a minor accumulation last night so things freshened up just enough for the them all.
This storm is toying with us and has stalled out in California. Now it looks like Sunday evening it will kick in. Doesn't matter, today was a blast! 
A transitional day for us, in between sunny weather and the next system. A slight surge of weather is on the horizon, but it's spotty at the moment and we are unsure when the moisture will arrive. A tease of snow fell in the afternoon but it didn't matter as the vibe with our crew was solid.
Another round of sunny and warm weather here at Steamboat Powdercats. We are now in day 7 of drought. 
Things have warmed up here the past couple days with temps nearing 35 degrees up top. 
The folks from 
It was a 50th birthday party for a long time return guest so we hosted a two day event. We also had an expert cat full of long time returnees from Boulder. Finally 
A sick day today. Tons of sunshine again. Loads of fresh tracks. Solid groups. Good friends, family and new powder comrades.
It doesn't get much better than the conditions we had today. Deep, blower, cold, pure, smoke like snow. It was just the right depth, not too deep, perfect enough to carry your speed through 90% of the terrain. Guests were disappearing turning into phantoms as they dropped into the runs. Guides were going bonkers. 
It snowed today harder than it has all season. We had 3-inch per hour, nuclear fall out type dumpage, and it piled up knee high before the group came home. It didn't stop snowing once today. 
Words and images have a tough time explaining the pure magic that occurred today. Cold snow, freezing temps, blue sky mixed with interspersed clouds, South side runs all day long...a fantastic, truly magical day!
We didn't go past the cabin today to check on the snow stake as we only had 1 cat out, our expert cat which has lunch in the snowcat. So we are unsure about the exact amount of new snow, but we did get a few more and the flow looks to continue tonight and into Wednesday. The warm weather has pushed East and a cold front has arrived with temps in the teens and 20's. 
The snow keeps coming. 10" new for us today. Just 2 cats out and once again all old friends here visiting; of the 23 guests, all but 1 are returnees. We are blessed with a 70% return clientele but these past few days it has been more the 90%. 
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Nine days later, the storm arrives. That's right, 10" of new snow was waiting for us and it came down hard for most of the day. This wasn't the lightest of snows, more Maritime than Rocky Mountain, but we'll take it. 
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It seems like blue skies forever here at Steamboat Powdercats. 
Another beautiful day here in the Yampa Valley. Today we opened our expert terrain so we had our first 3 cat day of our young season. 36 guests enjoyed the wonderful skiing that is Steamboat Powdercats. Lots of clean, fresh turns for everyone. 
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Today we hosted the 
Two groups out, a private cat of long time return guests and a mixed group that became fast friends before the day was over. Fast, clean turns, all day long. Friendships and powder skiing go hand and hand. 
Another round of powder today. We have really been on a great flow since last Saturday with over 5 feet of snow falling fresh for us to ski and ride. Similar to last year, this early part of January has been fantastic powder.
When the snow is so deep that you gag on it, is it deep enough? 
Okay, so, just when you want something, when it hurts so bad and you never think it will come again and then it appears for you right at the exact moment when you need it most, how does it feel?
Mother Nature is toying with us again. We are now in day 6 of a drought but we've had 40% or more chance of snow forecasted the past few days and nothing has happened. 
Two really fun groups out with us today; about half and half, first time and repeat guests. It wasn't the deepest or the driest snow we've had, actually we are in the midst of our longest drought yet this season, a 3-day stint of no new snow. Even without the over-the-head freshies, everyone was super positive and enjoyed the day and all the clean turns.
Guess who came for a visit today? The sun reappeared for us this afternoon. That's right, after almost a month of constant weather, the clouds parted and sunshine once again filled our Valley. We did get 6" of very light snow overnight and it was cloudy most of the day.
The gifts keep coming as 
An early X-Mass gift arrived for us today. 17" of new snow lay wait on our snow stake and life couldn't be deeper. We now have a 69" base at our cabin, almost 2-feet more than we had this time last season. It has snowed everyday but one since we opened. 
The adventure continues for us. Not only did it snow an inch an hour at times and the turns were deep and fresh, but we had one of our cats get into a very tricky predicament. After a classic line in Fatties, our cat tipped off the road into a super funky place and we had to call in the troops to rescue. 
We really appreciate the patience and understanding from our guests when and or if this ever happens to you whilst out with us, and a big thank you to our staff for doing their best to manage the situation. 
After 8 months and 18 days, we are finally back in the fresh, officially deep in the powder once again. With a 49" base and 5" of new freshies (20" over the past 5 days), we commenced our 08/09 snowcat season in familiar style: big smiles, good friends, return guests, lots of laughter and freshies all day long.
At this time of year, most everyone, is interested to hear about snow conditions. You will see in the image link below that conditions are typical for this time of year. With around a 40” base, there are the typical bushes, downed trees and specific rocks that you will need to be cautious of. The theme is to ski lightly and understand that any bump in the snow could be a rock, so pick the freshest looking line and be confident in your turns. Big crashes are not recommended.
Bruce Edgerly from 
Our guide training is in full swing. We have finished our Outdoor Emergency Care portion of the course and are now into our “on snow” scenarios covering all aspects of how we remove injured skiers from the pass.
It has been hammering all day. Big, white flakes dumping and our first serious snow storm of the ski season. We have started out annual guide training where we run down all of our scenarios, medical situations and logistical considerations as well as clean our office, cabin and setting up infrastructure on the pass. 
Now on sale - Steamboat Powdercats 2009 Calendar.
It snowed for the 
The 
The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the Grand Daddy of all river trips, the Mt. Everest for any river runner. With 160 named rapids over 226 miles long, the river drops 1600 feet providing for excellent, big-river whitewater. During the trip, they were fortunate as Mother Nature provided almost perfect weather. As well, they got lucky with water as the Park Service was releasing from Lake Powell at a consistent 12,000 
One of our guides got hitched! Amy, whom many of you know, tied the knot with a Kelly, a good friend of all of us at SPC. We are incredibly happy for these two and wish them all the best in a lasting future together.
After paddling and getting mucho adrenaline exposure in Cross Mountain earlier in the day, a trip fishing was in order to tame the evening into night. 
On this day, Pete Scully was guiding a commercial trip for Blue Sky West, SPC's old river company, and Kent and Kelly hooked up and R2'd a raft.
Yes, Steamboat Springs is a nice place, but 
ocean, islands and wild lands, Sitka has it all. 
We stayed at the 
Summer in Steamboat Springs? Not! 
Powdercats guides 
The Yampa River is 
With unaltered flows in the Yampa River, this world class river trip, is rare because most other rivers have already been dammed or diverted thus allowing for recreation on a truly "wild" river. 
Staying at the 
Kent and his wife Jules took their kids, Josephine and Sophie, along with two other Steamboat Springs families to the 
Now that the ski season is over for us, we will continue to post updates and images from our escapades throughout the spring, summer and fall.
Powder Mountain pulled out all the stops for us with 2 guides who allowed us to chase them all over their private mountain. Fresh turns all day long. The lifts basically turned on when we showed up at the bottom and shut down when we got off. They sent us on their snowcat tour up into Lightning Ridge and also took us into some of their future snowcat skiing terrain.
Game over folks! After today, we are closed for the season. What a phenomenal season we've had; a season where we had the most snow ever recorded in Steamboat and the most guests ever taken by Steamboat Powdercats. 
We were all dreaming of flying in this A-Star and whisking off to some 4,000 foot unclaimed, powder laden peak. Our hopes were shattered when after 20-min of logistics training from the 
