Powder Skiing & Freeskiing

at Snowwater, BC, Canada

We have designed our evening arrival policy with your needs in mind.

You will arrive the night before day 1 of skiing or riding. This way you can get settled in, have a gourmet dinner and wake up to the magical mountain setting of the lodge.

Breakfast
Everyday begins with a hearty buffet breakfast at 7:30am.

Day One
On your first morning you'll go

through avalanche awareness and transceiver training. We also set your rental skis up at this time and give you a heli briefing with our pilot.

Each day
The snowcat skiing/riding portion of the day starts at 9:00am when we load in the cat. We ski all day, eat lunch in the cat or in the field with the helicopter, and stop one hour before dark for safety reasons. We ski six runs min in a day. That can be anywhere from 10-15,000 vertical ft. Then it's back to the lodge for apres ski life. In the snowcat we often ski right to the door of the lodge on our last run!

If you are heli-skiing, we start as soon as the weather permits. Six runs in a helicopter takes a lot less time than six runs in a snowcat, but we prefer to start early in case people want to ski extra runs - which they usually do!!

Lunch and snacks
All day long you can snack on goodies, pure mountain water, hot tea or hot chocolate and juice. Lunch is in the field and consists of hearty sandwhiches and wraps, homemade cookies and bars, nuts, candies, and whatever other surprises lurk in the box!

Once home the day is not over yet! The outdoor hot tub, cocktails, hot home-made soup and massages eagerly await your tired muscles and hungry appetites.

Dinner
Dinner is served at 7:00pm.

It is a casual affair, but not without the intricacies of a gourmet meal:

fine wine, cold beer, spectacular food, candles and flowers. Our chefs prepare everything from scratch including smoking their own meat or fish!

If you have special dietary needs or food allergies please be sure to let us know in advance so we can be sure to accommodate you.

Here are some sample menus:

TABLE d'HOTE MENU

Sample 1

Guinness & Cheddar Irish Soda Bread

Roasted Snap Top Carrot & Star Anise Soup

Creme Fraiche

Hand Made Ricotta Gnocchi, Truffled Morney Sauce

Tomato Fennel Coulis, Basil Oil

Beet Root Confit Salad, Field Greens, Toasted Almonds

Garlic Herb Boursin Dressing---

Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Wild BOarr Bacon Risotto, Sauteed Baby CArrots

Poached Alaskan King Crab Legs, Horseradish Glaze

Maple Ginger Creme Caramel

Sample 2

Oven Roasted Tomato & Fennel Sour Dough

Smoked Spanish Onion & White BEan Soup

Crisp Pancetta, Fresh Thyme

Cayenne Crusted Sea Scallops, Peppered Green Pea Puree

Lemon Brown Butter

Spiced Red WIne Poached Anjou Pear Salad, Field Greens, Crumbled Stilton

Candied Pecans, Apple Cider Viaigrette

Pan Seared Alaskan Black Cod, Warm Wild Rice & Arugula Sald

Braised Fennel, Smoked Tomato Broth

Phyllo Wrapped Port Wine Infused, Stilton Blue Cheese Cake

Fild Berry Compote, Frangelico Whip

Last Day
On the last day of your trip we ask that you pack up your gear in the morning so your room can be cleaned for the next guests. We're out all day and are home around 3:30 so we can tidy up bills and have a drink before you head out in the snowcat to meet your shuttl, which will take you back to the junction meeting spot.

RENTAL SKI EQUIPMENT
Rental Rossignol B-sqads fat powder skis and poles are available at the lodge.

These skis greatly help skiing deep powder as they are very wide under foot. If you choose nto to rent skis please make sure you have nice fat skis!

Digital avalanche beacons are supplied.
Sorry, we DO NOT supply snowboards.
We DO NOT supply ski or snowboard boots. We recommend you take your ski or snowboard boots in your carry-on luggage so as not to lose them. There is nowhere in Nelson to rent them.

WHAT TO WEAR
On any given day we may encounter a wide variety of weather condition and temperatures. We suggest dressing as you would at to ski resort for a sub-zero day.
Both our snowcat and our helicopter are heated but it is wise to dress for the worst and expect the best.

Layering is the key to being warm in the mountains. Never wear cotton as your base layer. When cotton gets wet it gets cold and stays cold. We recommend wearing polypropolene or a fine wool base, followed by fleece and then your ski jacket. The same for the bottom. A base layer, then a mid layer and a shell.

Don't forget your sunglasses for those bluebird days or your bathing suits for the hot tub! We do sell lip balm and sun screen at the lodge if you forget them.

HOW MUCH SKIING DO I GET?

SNOWCAT
We ski all day in the cat until one hour before dark, which is usually 3:30 -4:00 depending on the time of year. You are guaranteed 6 or more runs. We search for the best snow and ski where the group has the most fun. Deep powder in gladed old growth, big open bowls, knarly coulours - we've got it all. Our snowcat runs range from 1000-2500 vertical ft so there is lots to choose from.

HELI
In the heli, you get 6 runs included in your package. Runs range from 1500-4000 vertical ft of the most epic terrain you've ever seen. Because helicopter skiing can be so fast you could theoretically ski a huge amount of vertical in one day. The record is 20 runs in one day!!!

Extra runs are $90 each, min group of 4 per heli load.

DO I HAVE TO SKI ALL DAY?

SNOWCAT
The snowcat is a flat rate: you can ski however much or however little you like. We do recommend you get insurance to protect youself against injury and other unforseen mishaps.

HELI
Also a flat rate. 6 runs are included in your day. If you do not ski those runs, either by choice or other, you will not be reimbursed, or have unused runs carried forward to another day. On the other hand, weather and pocket book permitting, you could ski all day long!

SNOWCAT HELI STANDBY

If we go in the snowcat due to weather, 2 runs in the cat is equal to 1 run in the heli.

TIPPING

Guests often inquire as to what is an apporpiate tip.

There are many people that go into making your stay very enjoyable. For a 3 day trip a typical tip is $100-200 per person. For longer trips, the amount increases. 10-15% of the trip price is considered appropriate.

Please see terms and conditions for more details. Be sure to read FAQ's to see answers to your most frequently asked questions.