Experience a complete day of cat skiing in the untouched powder of the Irwin backcountry.
Due to our unique location Irwin receives two to three times the amount of snow that Crested Butte receives. With an average of 600 inches a season and over 1,000 inches in the 2007/2008 season, Irwin rivals the likes of Alta Utah and the Canadian Rockies more so than other Colorado resorts. We get consistent storms of low-density snow and therefore ski a lot of high quality, dry powder. In Colorado, it is sunny 300 days a year on average, often snowing all-night and sunny during the day. Temperatures can average from the teens to low thirties Fahrenheit, although it may feel warmer due to low humidity and sunshine.
The concept of cat skiing began over 30 years ago when it was realized that the ski area grooming machines would make an excellent tool for accessing the backcountry. Since that day, catskiing has become very popular and is more reliable than helicopter skiing as the snowcat can operate in any conditions. At CS Irwin our group consists of a hospitality staff, a lead guide, a tail guide, a cat driver, and up to 10 ski or snowboard guests. On clear days you can expect to be up above tree line, while on snowy and cloudy days you will generally be in the trees and glades. At the top of the ascent everyone disembarks while the guides unload the ski gear so that the cat can leave promptly and be down at the bottom of the run when the skiers arrive. Terrain selection is dependent on group ability and snow conditions. A typical run will take about 15 minutes to ascend in the snowcat – and a similar amount of time to descend on skis. The passenger cabs on the snowcats are heated, very comfortable and fairly quiet. Cat skiers often comment that they really enjoy the social aspect of the snowcat rides. We take an hour break for a gourmet lunch at our Cabin. We generally get in 8-10 runs a day.