Booking Policies

Bookings

Call us at (250) 362-2271, or email.

Availability & Skill Level

We recommend that you check our availability calendar in order to select the appropriate day or group.  It shows which seats are booked, and what ability level each tour is targeting.  We can run up to 4 cats a day.  If you book yourself into a group which is obviously stronger than your own ability, you may be asked to sit out a couple of runs so that the rest of the group can enjoy their day.  You will have a better time if you are grouped with others of a similar speed, ability, and level of fitness, so please tell us a bit about yourself and your group when you are booking.

Waiver

All guests are required to sign a liability waiver and assumption of risks document on arrival.  It essentially eliminates the ability for you to take legal action on anyone for any reason, so it is important to be aware of that.  Click here to read the waiver

Deposits, Refund Policy 

A 30% deposit is required at time of booking to reserve your seat.  The remainder will be billed to the card you authorized 90 days prior to your trip.  A 2% discount is available if paid in full by cheque before 1 December.  You may change the date of your reservation any time 30 days or more in advance of the trip, provided that space is available.

Your payment is for a cat skiing or package RESERVATION.  It is NOT REFUNDABLE FOR ANY REASON.   Your reservation is NOT locked in until after we have received your payment.  Once payment is processed, you have the reservation, and the payment is irrevocable.

In the extraordinary event that the weather renders the skiing conditions potentially dangerous, or a mechanical failure which our two spare snowcats can't cover for, you may be given the option of a rain check.  This essentially transfers your existing reservation to a new date within the next two years.  If you evaluate your options and do not want to opt for a rain check, that is fine, we will take you cat skiing, though the terrain on offer may be limited.  However, if we do offer a rain check, it is transferable, and it is likely that is a good choice to ski at the resort instead, and return another day.  Please understand that we cannot control the weather and we will always try to operate, but the option to ski at the resort and change your date is the best "ski guarantee" we can offer.

We strongly recommend that all guests from outside BC have in place their own travel and medical insurance, including trip cancellation and evacuation.  If you don't have your own, it can be purchased online at  Sanderson Travel Insurance, as their coverage does include off-piste skiing.  Remember that YOU are the only one who is responsible for your safety (and you'll be signing a waiver to acknowledge that), so if you fall over onto a buried tree stump and need to go to hospital, if you don't have insurance, or if you have a huge deductible, the buck stops with you.  We try to keep you safe and manage risks as best as we can, but some accidents are unforseeable, and accidents do happen.   Click here for more info on medical evacuation and its associated costs.  Hospitalization can quickly run into the tens of thousands of dollars.  It happens very rarely, but it can happen.

Note:  Cancellation insurance will generally NOT cover if we recommend that you reschedule your trip due to unsafe conditions or mechanical, but it will help if you need to cancel due to health issues, etc.

Average Vertical & Vertical Guarantee

On most days, intermediate groups will get 6-8 runs, advanced will ski 8-12 runs, and experts 9-16 runs.  There is no daily maximum, so you'll get more runs in in March than in January because the days are longer.

There is a vertical guarantee of at least 6 runs: A $30 future credit will be placed on your account for each run less than 6 if we need to cancel due to mechanical failure to help to lower the cost of a future trip.  If the day is slowed because someone is lost or injured, the vertical guarantee does not apply, as our safety focus cannot be compromised.  If you are asked to sit out runs because you overestimated your own ability and booked yourself into the wrong ability group, this will not apply.

Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and drugs are strictly forbidden while you are still skiing and riding, and you will be "benched" if you are found to be drinking from a flask or toking up behind a tree.  There is a $50 fee if you disturb the other guests and we need to return you to the resort.  Safety is our first priority and we want all of our guests to have all of their faculties while out on the mountain, and we don't want anyone putting the rest of the group in danger, or disregarding instructions, getting lost, and ruining the day for the rest of the group.

If you are prone to motion sickness, we strongly discourage you from drinking very much the night before cat skiing, as the cat ride can be quite uncomfortable for the hung-over.

You are quite welcome to bring some cans of beer or a plastic bottle to enjoy after the last run of the day while the cat is heading back to the staging area.  A cool beverage after a hard-charging day in the pow can be a beautiful thing - but do remember that there are 12 people in the cat...