# Pow holiday - where to go?



## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Our region in the Alps is very crowded (we're 7mio people in a tiny county* with 16000 sqr miles and sometimes it feels like all of them are gathering on "my" mountain, ruining "my" pow runs). Sure, if you hike, you'll get fresh pow... but to once be somewhere with easy accessible fresh runs would be a dream. We thus intend to travel to the USA next season but I have no clue, where to begin... I don't know anything of your mountains/regions :icon_scratch: 

Where should we go for great powder holidays? (focus on cat and maybe a day heli)
When woul be the best month? 
How long (is 2 weeks to long/short)? 
With whom (good local guides)? 
Which are the high avalanche risk regions/seasons? Which are not? 
How high are the mountains? How many how long rides can you do at one day? 
How experienced do one have to be?

I'm really not looking for a party resort. It could be a cottage way off every town (as long as there serve a refreshing beer in the evening). And I don't want to go anywhere, where they take risks just to get the tourist satisfied. 

(This might be a naive question, but is it really the case that some spots are that big that all the tourists going there for the same reason get their part of the fluff?)


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## Banjo (Jan 29, 2013)

*whispers* Nelson, BC.


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## Efilnikufesin (Oct 8, 2011)

Mt. Baker, Washington would be my choice, or pretty much many of the places in the Pacific Northwest US, but Baker gets the most.


Edit: March seems to be the time of year it really dumps snow there.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Southern Hokkaido, anywhere that doesnt start with the letter N. Stable snowpack and regular, REGULAR dumpage


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Silverton, CO on a good year.


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## atr3yu (Feb 15, 2012)

Banjo said:


> *whispers* Nelson, BC.


Can't disagree with that.... I swear this is not biased opinion.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Anyone with suggestions of companies offering cat boarding you had good experiences?


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

30cm since my last post. Is anyone beating that tonight?


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

Powderhounds; in search of the best powder ski holidays

is a good site for this info

they say best powder resorts are:

Rusustsu Japan, Solitude Utah, Silverton Colarado, 

they also list: 

Hakkoda Japan, Kiroro Japan, Wolf Creek Colorado & Grand Targhee in Wyoming

As a Canadian I will also mention British Columbia interior Canada also good for powder , revelstoke, kicking horse etc.

This is for resorts. I think that the answer changes if you are talking about expedition trips or heli/cat skiing. 

good luck with it, sounds like a great trip


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## hktrdr (Apr 3, 2012)

ETM said:


> 30cm since my last post. Is anyone beating that tonight?


The N place is...


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

neni said:


> Anyone with suggestions of companies offering cat boarding you had good experiences?


I have never cat boarded...

However, I can't disagree with the people suggesting Nelson, BC. There's a reason that the Redbull supernatural/ultranatural is filmed there. There's a reason they shoot a lot of movies there.

Here are the big name cat outfits in the surrounding area.

Island Lake Catskiing - Snowcat Boarding, Snow Cat Skiing in Canada

Baldface <- the supernatural film location

There's some good info here too... Cat Skiing BC | Cat Skiing Canada | Snowcat Ski Reviews


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## walove (May 1, 2009)

For cat, heli, guided touring and resort skiing, eastern british columbia is the place to be. Look into "the powder highway". You could spend a month traveling around.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

The powderhound link is extremely helpful! BC sounds great.Thanks a lot, this will keep me buisy some days 
:tongue4: can't wayt to go there :yahoo:


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## Sim79 (Aug 15, 2008)

x2 Japan, in the 9 days there we had 24hours with no snowfall. 

And we had three big days in one week, like this. This isn't me its ETM I was boarding with him on this day, we forgot the go-pro this day.
rusutsu snowboarding 5/2/2013 - YouTube


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

@sim79: great vid!

Spent some time studying the links. Sounds awsome but... got insecure. Anyone here done cat holiday, who could recommend the operators and give info about what skills one has to have at least? I'm very bad at judging mine. What do they mean when they say "advanced"? I'd hate to disturb a whole group 'cause I'm too weak


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

In Pacific Northwest, if you are able to ride double-black runs, in any snow condition, with ease and without fear, then in my humble opinion you are at an intermediate to moderate advanced level of riding.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

neni said:


> Hahaha, AND far too slow (again )


It's not a matter of speed unless you're in deep poo and need to keep your speed up to prevent sinking. In many ways if you have good basic techniqueto ride double blacks, as you ride more advanced terrain it's more about reading the terrain, your line selection and riding within your abilities. There's no shame side slipping, Billy goat hopping and keeping in control when you're in gnarly terrain... It's much better than falling, digging yourself out or injuring yourself.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Hmmm... looked up the double black at wiki (we only have a blue-red-black rating here, with the black having 60%). That works as well if icy, covered with bumps or also if narrow. Our pow runs also begin with about 60%.
I'm most concerned about having to jump off/over something. After having a neck injury some years ago I avoided to have any fall: I avoided jumps so I simply have close to zero experience. I'm only just beginning to do small ones since the neck is finally fine again and I feel confident enough. I'll exercise, but it'll take some time to develop the muscle-memory :huh:


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

wrathfuldeity said:


> In Pacific Northwest, if you are able to ride double-black runs, in any snow condition, with ease and without fear, then in my humble opinion you are at an intermediate to moderate advanced level of riding.


Jesus! Just whatched the vid of Snowolf at Christmas chute http://www.snowboardingforum.com/alaska/65354-alyeska-place-2.html 
If thats what you had in mind by talking of double-blacks, I'm not at all on the "intermediate to moderate advanced level"! :blink: Yes, I'd try, and possibly even get down alive, and even more possibly would want to try it again and again, but certainly not "with ease and without fear"


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Not sure why the quotes didn't work, but Neni if you can attempt a run like that at all you're advanced. If you can get down it with any sort of style you're an expert! :yahoo:


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## WasatchMan (Aug 30, 2011)

Wherever you go - avoid Utah.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

poutanen said:


> Island Lake Catskiing - Snowcat Boarding, Snow Cat Skiing in Canada


After whatching huckfin's snorkel vid http://www.snowboardingforum.com/snowboarding-general-chat/62522-suggestion-share-your-last-best-shred-2.html island lake moves to my top list. That's exactly what I'm looking for: never ending floating  Don't have to fly 8hrs for short gnarly steep runs, got enough of this here  The operater you recommended, sounds very reliable.




WasatchMan said:


> Wherever you go - avoid Utah.


Why not? Your pics here look pretty inviting  http://www.snowboardingforum.com/snowboarding-general-chat/62522-suggestion-share-your-last-best-shred.html


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

neni,
just beyond the ropes...


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

wrathfuldeity said:


> neni,
> just beyond the ropes...


Can't see the pic... it's only a blue box with a questionmark


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Try this link
Mt. Baker, WA 2011.04.21 22, Nothing Like it in Lower 48. on Vimeo


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> In Pacific Northwest, if you are able to ride double-black runs, in any snow condition, with ease and without fear, then in my humble opinion you are at an intermediate to moderate advanced level of riding.


I can only speak to Whistler in the west but if you can ride those "double-black runs, in any snow condition, with ease and without fear", then in my humble opinion you are well beyond moderately advanced and are an expert rider. Only experts can ride the doubles at whistler with ease in most conditions, and there would be few who would ride them with ease in poor conditions.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Lamps said:


> I can only speak to Whistler in the west but if you can ride those "double-black runs, in any snow condition, with ease and without fear", then in my humble opinion you are well beyond moderately advanced and are an expert rider. Only experts can ride the doubles at whistler with ease in most conditions, and there would be few who would ride them with ease in poor conditions.


Experts have style...I don't have style...unless you call a 54 year old geezer eating shit a style :dunno: I can easily work my way down any named double black without fear...but there are folks here that kill it. A couple expert level examples....the other day saw this guy manual a black run that was moguled out...he made it half way down just riding his tail before he put the nose down; another aired off a cattrack, pulled a backflip and stomped the landing in a mogul field and zipper line the rest; and another ollied a 4 foot rope line, nose tapped the bamboo at the 180 mark, continued to 3, dropping 10-12 feet, stomped the 55 degree slope landing, pulled up the nose to manual out; there are folks that will drop a 70+ foot cliff...in the above vid there are places that folks on a good day will launch and drop 100 ft and ride it out...then you see a crew of 4-8-10 folks pull a train which is mobbin as fast as you can while following the leader through the trees, drops, windlips and the like....those are the experts...not me I am a shitty intermediate by those standards.


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## WasatchMan (Aug 30, 2011)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Experts have style...I don't have style...unless you call a 54 year old geezer eating shit a style :dunno: I can easily work my way down any named double black without fear...but there are folks here that kill it. A couple expert level examples....the other day saw this guy manual a black run that was moguled out...he made it half way down just riding his tail before he put the nose down; another aired off a cattrack, pulled a backflip and stomped the landing in a mogul field and zipper line the rest; and another ollied a 4 foot rope line, nose tapped the bamboo at the 180 mark, continued to 3, dropping 10-12 feet, stomped the 55 degree slope landing, pulled up the nose to manual out; there are folks that will drop a 70+ foot cliff...in the above vid there are places that folks on a good day will launch and drop 100 ft and ride it out...then you see a crew of 4-8-10 folks pull a train which is mobbin as fast as you can while following the leader through the trees, drops, windlips and the like....those are the experts...not me I am a shitty intermediate by those standards.


Very well said, it seems as if Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced just aren't enough categories...


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

WasatchMan said:


> Very well said, it seems as if Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced just aren't enough categories...


Yeah, most ratings I've seen include expert. If you're good, you could get from beginner to advanced in one season (a 50 day season of crazy riding!) but to get to Expert takes years. I think it comes from experience in picking your lines, riding in various types of snow, weather, etc.

I've been riding 21 years and I don't think I'm there yet. :icon_scratch:


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