Ski Cross Racer Robby Mahre samples our powder platter yesterday.

Weekend Storm Dumps Over Three Feet

Old man winter made a major powder play this weekend, dropping over three feet of snow in our 35,000-plus acres of snowcat skiing terrain in 48 hours. And if that wasn’t enough, the southern San Juans picked up another three inches yesterday!

A film crew from Peak Media/Peak Travels was the first group out catskiing after the skies cleared.

Check out this video clip Jim Bolser, co-owner of the Spokane, Wash., based Peak Media Video Productions, filmed yesterday, January 30.

Ski film legend Scott Kennett and crew rip pow in Cascade Creek with the San Juan Ski Company, Colorado’s largest snowcat skiing operation.

Peak Travels and crew, including Ski Cross Racer Robby Mahre, Ridgeway resident and Crested Butte four-time Extreme Freeskiing Masters Champion and ski film legend, Scott Kennett, Purgatory/DMR locals Grady James and Paul Iudice (aka Bubba of Bubba’s Boards), rip three feet of fresh yesterday.

With January’s thaw and drought behind us, it’s time to catch up on lost powder turns and faceshots. For all you hard-charging powder fiends who haven’t had your fix of the white stuff this year, make up for lost first tracks and book a snowcat skiing seat. We guarantee you’ll ski powder.

For the remainder of the season, we are offering a 10 percent discount for season pass holders (any resort world-wide) and for DMR, Silverton Mountain, Telluride or Wolf Creek day-ticket holders.

Offer is good on new cat skiing bookings only and cannot be combined with other offers. You must mention this promotion when booking seats. Discounted seats cannot be booked online. Call 800.208.1780 for details.

It was inspiring to have Scott Kennett, featured in the films, Aspen Extreme, Blizzard of Aahhh’s, Legend of Aahhh’s (Greg Stumps newest film), Cold Fusion, Vertical Reality, Steep and Deep II, Extreme Winter, Black Diamond Rush, Escape to Ski, Ski Time, Carving the White, Tales from the Snow Zone, Maltese Flamingo, The Good the Rad the Gnarly, and Time waits for Snow Man, on the ‘cat with us. Thanks for joining us, Scott!

And many thanks the rest of the awesome skiers including Scott Evans of Shotz Ski, Nikol Hampton, Bill Savitz and Robert Hoskinson. We hope to cross ski tracks with you again!

Show us your season pass (any resort) or lift ticket to Silverton Mountain, Telluride, Wolf Creek or Durango Mountain Resort for a 10 percent discount on snowcat skiing seats

01/25/2013 – The forecast calls for snow through the end of the month. After a slow start to the season, winter has arrived to Colorado.

With January’s thaw and drought behind us, it’s time to catch up on lost powder turns and faceshots.

The San Juan Ski Company, Colorado’s largest snowcat operation, is offering a 10 percent discount on snowcat skiing seats for season pass holders (any resort world-wide) and for DMR, Silverton Mountain, Telluride or Wolf Creek day-ticket holders.

Offer is good on new bookings only. You must mention this promotion when booking reservation.

For all you hard-charging powder fiends who haven’t had their fix of the white stuff this year, make up for lost first tracks and book a snowcat skiing seat.  The SJSC guarantees untracked powder.

Discounted cat skiing seats cannot be booked online. Call 800.208.1780 for details.

Go Big – fill a snowcat, save $$ and get one free seat, or book a private for two  or more days and save 10 percent each day

Colorado’s largest snowcat operation, the San Juan Ski Company, is offering a rippin’ deal for skiers and riders who want to go big – fill a snowcat with a group of 12 and save $700 (based on single-seat price if booked individually).

And to sweeten the deal, the Durango Mountain Resort-based catskiing outfit is throwing in one free seat that can be used at a later date. Or, if you book a private cat for two or more days, you can save 10 percent each day you book.

Owners Bob and Carrie Rule acknowledge that organizing a group of 12 skiers/snowboarders to commit to a date and cough up the cash for a deposit can be like herding cats in a blizzard.

“We know how hard it is to get a group of 12 people together, so we wanted to compensate trip leaders and give them a free snowcat trip for rallying the group. It is our way of saying thank you,” said Bob Rule, lead guide and operation manager.

This offer is good throughout the season; so round up a posse of 12 powder slayers and catski for $290 per person, plus get one free seat. Price includes powder skis, lunch, snacks, and avy gear (BCA beacon, shovel, and shovel pack).

Groups can save even more if they book lodging at Durango Mountain Resort.  Catskiing guests get 10 percent off lodging units, including ski in ski out, slope side, and nearby properties.  Discounted lodging is not available during holidays.

Based at Durango Mountain Resort and located 23 miles south of Silverton Mountain, the SJSC is Colorado’s largest snowcat operation.

Come and get your own faceshots and freshies!

Click on the link below to see how great skiing has been this year!

Since October, storms have been tracking south and the Southern San Juans have been hit with fresh powder on almost a weekly  basis. This weather pattern appears to be holding. And, since March typically brings the most snowfall to the San Juans, the next few weeks could be epic.

The snow is piling up and our prices are going down!  Offer is good Monday-Thursday. Private snowcats hold 10, taxes and fees apply. Trips cannot be booked online. Call 1.800.208.1780 for reservations.

The storm that blew in February 2nd just keeps on giving. Almost a foot of snow fell Thursday night, followed by four inches Friday; four more on Saturday and eight inches last night. And more snow is predicted this week.

In the past couple of weeks our area has received over four feet of snow.

Skiing has been phenomenal! Almost daily, however, we get calls from people inquiring if we are open. Of course we are! And conditions are great!

We might even have the snowcat skiing bragging rights to the deepest base and best snow in the state.

We started the season with one of the deeper snow packs in Colorado which allowed us to get our roads built before the dry spell, which was also accompanied by high winds and warm temps, hit the state and grounded all snowcat operations. This early snow also allowed us to open earlier than any other snowcat operation in the U.S. We ran several trips in December and after a brief halt in operations, started running trips the middle of January.

Whereas several Colorado snowcat companies are still struggling to build roads or aren’t open due to lack of snow, we are skiing in all of our zones – including alpine bowls and lower elevation trees.

If you are hungry for first tracks, now is the time to schedule a trip. And, as always, we guarantee untracked powder.

Fortunately, the waiting has ended; we are open for business and are ready to ski powder!

The storm that rolled in late Sunday brought around 12 inches to our lower terrain.  The new snow and predicted stormy weather throughout the week and upcoming weekend can tide us through the next dry spell… if needed.  

We appreciate your patience while waiting for more snow and your concerns about upcoming trips. Those of you who have trips booked now through the end of January (or who are thinking about booking a trip) you will have great conditions even if it doesn’t snow this week. The last storm brought enough snow to allow us to ski most of our trees runs; which, till now, needed more coverage.

The Southern San Juans still have one of the deeper snowpacks inColorado.

Warm temps and weird jet streams have contributed to scant snowfall throughout most of the western states.  While the San Juans have one of the deeper snowpacks in Colorado, the SJSC hasn’t run snowcat trips since Dec. 31^th when high winds blasted alpine terrain and warm temps melted lower elevation cat roads.  Since then, we haven’t picked up any measureable precipitation in our catski terrain.

However, the storm track appears to be changing…

Forecasters agree that the dominant ridge of high pressure is shifting and may signal an end to the blocking pattern that has pushed recent storms away from Colorado. Snow is predicted in the San Juans late Sunday and a second storm is predicted out of the northwest Monday morning. Local forecasters call for an unsettled northwest flow developing by middle of next week. One national forecaster even predicted a total flip from the current weather pattern.

Here at the SJSC, we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that the rest of January and remaining season will be snowy and stormy.

 This year marks our 15^th anniversary.  Since we have been unable to celebrate with scheduled specials and events in December and January, we have extended our specials in February to include three days of discounted seats.

 We kick off our anniversary revelry on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, with a romantic catskiing package that includes lodging. Price is $600 per couple and includes lodging and catskiing for two and photos of your day. Single seats are also discounted $25. Gift certificates are available, with or without lodging.

 On February 15, we debut our steep clinic. Conditions and weather permitting, we will officially open our doors to “gnarvana” and take skiers and riders down some of the steepest lines in our 36,000 acres of terrain. Seats are discounted by $25.

We are offering discounted private cats for $2,000 (plus tax)  February 16.  Get a group of 12 together and ski for $166 (plus tax) per person.

Discounted trips cannot be booked online. Please call 1.800.208.1780 for information and reservations.

By Carrie Rule

Our first trip of the year was December 24. We were gifted with great powder skiing.

As a young ski bum in Montana, dry spells during winter always led to adventure. I’d head north to Canada and follow the storms – getting face shots at Whitewater, Fernie and Red Mountain, hopping on helicopters at standby rates, or flying into BC backcountry huts for a week of power skinning and epic powder turns on glaciers. 

Other drought years took me to Colorado, Utah, California and even the Alps. 

Twenty years later, it’s not so easy for me to follow storms across North America. And fortunately, I don’t have to travel far to find powder, since skiing untracked lines (even weeks after the last storm) is just a snowcat ride away – until this week.

The Southern San Juans started the season with south tracking storms stacked one after another. By the middle of December, our area had one of the deepest snowpacks in the West. Since then, winds have blasted our snowcat terrain (even below tree line), warm temps have melted and consolidated the snowpack (as well as creating a killer crust), and no snow has fallen in almost three weeks. Despite this, the Southern San Juans still have one of the deeper snowpacks in Colorado.

Because of less-than-ideal ski conditions, we are not running any snowcat trips until it snows.

For those of you who had trips this week that were cancelled, we are deeply sorry. And for those of you who are hesitant about booking a trip later this season, we understand your concerns.

 Who knows what this winter will bring?

We know you are jonesin’ for powder just as much as we are. Snow will eventually fall in the San Juan Mountains. And if you can’t follow the storms around the U.S.and Canada; remember that once it begins to snow again, the SJSC has over 36,000 acres to play in.

We are booking trips, but will not charge a deposit on your credit card until we get enough snow to reopen. Please call 1.800.208.1780 to take advantage of this offer. We still have many seats available in February and March as well as April. (Might as well ski late into the season since the season is starting late).

Forecasters predict the current dry spell in the San Juans and Colorado to end Saturday. Let’s hope they are correct!