Review Date
February 28, 2003

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Bill Turley, Double Diamond, from San Diego , CA

Price Paid: $0.00

Summary:
In Feb 2003 we snowcat skiing and boarding (my wife) at Big Mountain , Montana. There was about 16" of fresh snow. Heavier than Utah snow , to be sure, but the snow itself was really fun. The people / guides are more than great. Really good people. And good skiers. The price was modest. Basically $180 split by the number of persons in the cat.

The terrain is not the best. Mostly trees (which we love). The problem is that the runs are not very steep or long. That being said it sure beats the skied out trails that the masses were skiing. IF I were at Big Mountain and it was not actually snowing and the area was mostly tracked I would pay the extra for the cat. Without a doubt. This was our first time at Big Mountain. My wife and I could keep up with the guides. And they sky really well. And so do we. We got in 12 runs the first day. Because we could. Lots of fun. The second day we had to leave early (to catch a flight) and thus not as many runs.

Please understand that Big Mountain itself has good terrain. And lots of it. But we arrived a few days after 1 10 inch snow and we got 2-3" during the days we were there. So that's why we went for the cat skiing. However, I would not go to Big Mountain just for the cat skiing. because of the terrain limitations for th cat.

One last thing. If you ski fairly well tell the guide that you would like to do some hiking. Especially for the last run of the day. You will be glad you did.

Similar Products Used:
Snow cat operations in Utah.

Review Date
February 14, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
2-5 times

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: derek mau, Advanced, from sunnyvale, ca

Summary:
Big Mountain Resort is a 20 minute shuttle ride from Whitefish, MT. I've been out there twice for 5-day snowboard trips and the snow conditions were excellent each time. Lots of dry, fluffy white stuff to lay down fresh tracks. The shuttle bus ride is free, lodging is very reasonable, and the nearest airport (Kalispell, 15 minute drive) has jet service in/out.

The snowcat tour cost an extra $40 in addition to our lift tickets. YMMV as my last trip to Big Mountain was back in 1999. Many of the hotels/motels in Whitefish offer free lift tickets with their vacation packages. Thus, cost was not a large impact. The important thing is to make reservations with Mountain Snowcat Tours one to three days ahead of time. The first year we missed out because the snowcats were being prepped for the annual Winter Carnival parade on the day we wanted to do the snowcat tour.

Essentially, the group (maximum of 12) meets on a trail located on the backside of Big Mountain, jumps into the snowcat and taken to the dropoff point. The ride in the snowcat is approximately 10 - 15 minutes. Once everyone is "geared up" at the top, the guides lead us through the trees into deep untracked powder. If once is not enough for the powder hounds (is it ever enough?), the group is lead to one of the resort chair lifts and then back to the original meeting point for 3 more runs.

Big Mountain offers a lot of terrain for the skiiing and snowboard enthusiast. Access to the resort and town of Whitefish is very easy. Snow conditions are comparable to Colorado or Utah due to its location. Cold and dry snow is typical since Big Mountain gets its storms from the Gulf of Alaska and Canada. One of the few drawbacks is the presence of fog at low elevations due to the nearby lake early in the season. Once the lake is frozen over (usually by February), fog becomes a non-issue. Whitefish is not a "resort" town like Aspen, CO or Park City, UT. Apres ski and night life options are limited. The plus side is that costs are relatively low since Whitefish is not a "tourist trap" and crowds are almost non-existent.

Contact Ka-lei at Montana Reservation Central to setup your vacation plans (888-224-4759). Extremely helpful and has always found us the best deals with regards to airfare/hotel reservations/lift tickets.