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Show March 15 - April 15 1997 oe scenesi, i APPLE SE ee eHe Py spe snowcat tour last Friday, I made no bones about hogging one seat. After all, I did write the definitive work on the Interconnect backcountry tour last issue, and this trip was a natural progression up the food chain on my way to helicopter skiing heaven. I’d seen film footage of the PC Powdercats terrain on channel 8 mobile hospital in case of injury. Less than half the price of most helicopter skiing Operations, snowcat skiing is also possible in the worst storms when ce copters are grounded. Utah hosts several cat skiing operations with a great variety of terrain and Dave price tags. Deer Valley skiers can buy a st piste introduction for their kids Ashley and Berkeley. I nodded politely at her tale, secretly maintaining my fantasy of forty-foot airs into silken depths but with a slowly sinking heart. Forty thousand acres, on the chance that you’re not tl single ride for a mere $5 on top of the daily lift ticket, but the “first come-first served” basis often limits skiers to a single, 1000-vertical foot ride. Powder Mountain and Snow Basin also offer cat skiing operations that start at $110 with moderately steep terrain and aging spartan snowcats. PC Powder Cats Continued on page 12... aims for the upper end of the income spectrum—their . average client boasts. an average annual income solidly Background: some of the UCSC SL figures— steep wooded avalanche chutes, and nary a lift tower or parking lot in sight. A gleaming new snowcat, one of two used by PC Powder Cats, idled at the ready. ‘Santa Maria and his partner Chip Pratt passed out lia- bility waivers to sign, Pieps to strap on, and powder skis to don. The group numbered eight including myself and my intrepid photographer John Bresee. Vermont ski purists both, with an ingrained long-ski mentality, we nevertheless accepted the proffered Atomic Powder Cruise gargantuans with a straight face. A quote from my favorite ski model Christy rang in my head: “Skiing fat skis is like sleeping with a fat guy. It can be a fun ride, but don’t let anyone catch you doing it.” Still they were included in the price of the our Cat skiing, or “Bulldozer skiing” as my mother absentmindedly calls it, offers several distinct advantages over other forms of powder pilgrimage. Snowcats allow skiers to escape the tracks, crowds, sun atrium. “I traded my beach house in Florida for this baby,” the suntanned Pratt intimated, including the price tag which was less than an F-16 but way more than your father’s Oldsmobile. On the half-hour trip New Home of MiDoule Cycling Club ‘Check Out Canyon Bicycles new racing team New Jersey New Name Same Kick Ass Shop! Front Suspension Sale 96’ Manitou Mach 5 SX $249.°° up to skiing altitude, we schmoozed with the father-and-son ‘Texan doctors, and the Bognerclad family of four from Ohio. The parents Hugh and Candy (of course you All other shocks 10%-15% off. ARE YOU are!) told us of their heli- skiing experience two weeks earlier in which Candy, an intermediate skier, had been erroneously placed in the fast group and scared out of her dry underwear. She READY FOR THE THAW? DRAPER 1138 E Draper SALT LAKE 3969 S Wasatch survived, and expected a gentler experience with cat skiing, and a safe off- Page 9 278-1500 BICYCLES aaa Be ee “nas Uintas. The views from the log cabin lodge took my already-bated breath away: high mountain passes, cially modified for cat skiing, with cushy seating, ample heating, stereo sound, and an overhead a Ranch, the 40,000 acre private playground high in the Two Pisten Bully 240D cats, the finest in North America, have been spe- Prey mind’s eye during my telephone call with Ray Santa Maria, partner and head ski guide. “Just remember, we’re only as good as our weakest skier,” Ray warned in closing. No problem, thought I. The Wasatch Canyon Reporter is only as good as its worst reporter! A forty-minute van ride from Park City, replete with deer sightings and interesting topographical tidbits by our driver, brought us to Thousand Peaks and opened six and their toys reflect it. between real estate ads, and the steep unmolested bowls highlighted in the film were forefront in my tour, so we swallowed our pride minds. : in and Hugh rip the deep alt generously offered two spots for our staff on their runs in a given day than touring, and you have a cozy support vehicle to house libations, extra gear, even a snowboard if you choose. A snowcat also acts like a tet powder days. However, when Park City Powder Cats and familiar terrain of the resorts. The mechanical advantage allows many more a What more could anyone ask in this winter of — incredible snowfall? Though the last few weeks have driven many to golf clubs and road bikes, the winter of ‘97 has truly been a month of Sundays in terms of |