Park City Powdercats

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Park City Powdercats

Park City Powdercats4.4/58
Park City Powdercats4.4 out of 5 based on 8 reviews
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Park City Powder Cats Utah
Park City Powder Cats Utah
Cat Skiing Utah
Cat Skiing Utah
Park City cat skiing has great powder
Park City cat skiing has great powder
Park City Powdercats has some nice steep bowls
Park City Powdercats has some nice steep bowls
Park City Powdercats offers views as far as the eye can see
Park City Powdercats offers views as far as the eye can see
Park City Powdercats
Park City Powdercats
Snowcat Skiing Utah: "The Greatest Snow on Earth"
Snowcat Skiing Utah: "The Greatest Snow on Earth"
Park City Powdercats
Park City Powdercats
PC Powder Cats has plenty of open bowls with smatterings of trees
PC Powder Cats has plenty of open bowls with smatterings of trees
The famous Utah powder
The famous Utah powder
Some of the nice steeps at Park City Powdercats
Some of the nice steeps at Park City Powdercats
Plenty of great open terrain
Plenty of great open terrain
Possibly 1000 peaks of terrain!
Possibly 1000 peaks of terrain!
Park City Powder Cats has great advanced terrain
Park City Powder Cats has great advanced terrain
Park City Powdercats
Park City Powdercats
Cat Skiing Utah
Cat Skiing Utah
Park City Cat Skiing Utah
Park City Cat Skiing Utah
Park City Powder Cats has an abundance of terrain
Park City Powder Cats has an abundance of terrain
Park City Powdercats
Park City Powdercats
It
It's a great day out!

Park City Powdercats

Overall Rating

Park City Powdercats4.4/58
Park City Powdercats4.4 out of 5 based on 8 reviews
View all 8 reviews

Park City Powdercats

Park City Powder Cats provide the finest cat skiing in Utah! This Utah cat skiing and snowboarding outfit provides a first class backcountry ski experience all the way. The Park City cat skiing operates from the Thousand Peaks Ranch, which in summer is used by sheep, whilst during winter it’s taken over by steep and deep. 

The deep Utah powder is world famous! Utah has the best powder in North America. It’s delightfully dry, light and fluffy; the type of delicious powder that makes a powder hound feel completely euphoric. The quality of the powder is incredible, yet Park City Powdercats also has quantity, with over 400 inches of snow per season. “Deep” doesn’t really explain it…perhaps “bottomless” is more apt!

If you have any questions or want to ask about availability, you can make a booking request. 

What is Cat Skiing?

For the uninitiated, cat skiing is the purrrrrfect way to go backcountry powder skiing and snowboarding. A snowcat (a grooming machine) with a cabin on the back, transports guests up the mountain. A guide then escorts skiers and snowboarders down untracked powder runs. The snowcat then makes it way to the bottom and picks up the skiers for the next run.

Cat skiing is inexpensive relative to heli skiing, and the advantage it has over heli skiing is that it’s more social and you can unwind and warm up between runs. The Park City Powdercats snowcat is heated and comfortably appointed, so you can sit back and relax during the ride whilst you bond with like-minded powder hounds.

Check out our overview of snowcat skiing for more information on what is cat skiing.

Cat Skiing Utah – The Biggest

There are only three Utah cat skiing operations and Park City Powder Cats is by far the biggest. With more than 40,000 acres (about 17,000 hectares), Park City Powdercats has much more terrain than the skiable area of all the Utah ski resorts combined!

But PC Powdercats is not just large by Utah standards. It’s the second biggest snowcat skiing operation in North America (and the world!). Despite what some blokes say, big is always better!

Park City Cat Skiing Packages

PC Powder Cats offer single day packages. This gives you the flexibility to include cat skiing as part of your Park City vacation that takes in the Park City ski resort or Deer Valley. The single day format also gives you the flexibility to choose your own Park City lodging.

Of course if you become addicted to cat skiing after the first day (which is highly likely!), you can do multiple days of cat skiing (pending availability).

A powder buffet should be all the sustenance a powder hound needs, but if not, the package also includes breakfast, lunch, après-ski munchies, beverages and snacks.

If you don’t have your own fat skis, there are various options for Park City ski rentals.

Where is Park City Powder Cats?

PC Powder Cats operate from the Thousand Peaks Ranch in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. The ranch is just 25 miles east of Park City (a drive that takes 30-40 minutes), and 59 miles east of Salt Lake City. In addition to being close to the Park City ski resorts, Park City Powder Cats is also near many of the other Utah ski resorts such as Snowbird, Alta, and Solitude.

If you don’t have your own wheels to get to the Thousand Peaks Ranch, there are various transportation options from the Park City area. Here are a couple of websites to check out: Peak Transportation, Powder Transport.  Uber could be another option.



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Park City Cat Ski Terrain

Each day, Park City Powder Cats take out 2 to 4 snowcats with a maximum group size of 10 guests per cat. With such vast terrain, the untracked snow is endless, so you can have Utah's “greatest snow on earth” to yourselves. And the elevations are up to 11,000 feet so the snow generally stays pristine.

The 43,000 acres of terrain includes steep alpine bowls, aspen glades, fir tree skiing, meadows, and lots of other delights across a variety of angles and aspects.

Each day you’ll cover 8 to 12 runs and approximately 10,000 vertical feet of powder skiing, with each run providing 1,000 feet of vertical on average (with some runs up to 2,000 feet in vert!!).

The PC cat skiing is suited to advanced skiers and snowboarders or advanced-intermediates with powder experience (ie a strong intermediate in off-piste conditions). If you haven’t had the pleasure of backcountry skiing, a reasonable comparison would be that you could comfortably ride most terrain types in variable conditions at ski resorts in the western states.

PC Cats Cancellation Policy

A credit card deposit of 50% of the trip rate is required at time of booking to secure your spot with the balance due 30 days prior to trip.

  • If a cancellation is received more than 30 days prior to the tour date, a %3 service fee is retained from the refunded deposit.
  • If a cancellation is received before the reservation date, and the skier has an immediate replacement for the trip booked, the deposit and balance paid will be transferred to the replacement, subject to a rebooking charge of $45.00.
  • If a skier does not have a replacement skier at the time of cancellation, and the cancellation is within 30 days of their reservation date, all payments (deposit and balance) will be retained by Park City Powder Cats.
  • A reschedule or refund with no rebooking fee will be made if Park City Powder Cats cancels your trip due to a mechanical failure.
  • If Park City Powder Cats cancels your trip due to unsatisfactory snow or weather conditions your trip will be rescheduled with no rebooking fee.

Powderhounds Review of Park City Powdercats

Considering that Park City Utah has somewhat of an emphasis on glitz and glamour, we were a little curious if we’d be out cat skiing with fur adorned intermediate skiers on tame meadows. However there wasn’t a piece of fur clothing in sight, and thankfully the terrain was a long way from mellow! Park City Powder Cats was a fantastic backcountry experience.

Park City Powdercats is an outstanding outfit, yet no cat skiing company is absolutely ideal for everyone. Our review covers different features of the operation so that you can establish if Park City Powdercats is the right cat skiing for you. As a guide to the ratings below, a 5/5 equates to truly phenomenal, 4/5 is excellent, and 3/5 is very good. You can check out our cat ski ratings to see how PC Powdercats fares against other cat skiing operations.

Pros

  • The sheer terrain of the terrain at Park City Powdercats is impressive, which means that the guides have a super high chance of finding very good to excellent snow.
  • The terrain is on private land, so it’s not shared with snowmobilers highmarking slopes or tourers stealing your freshies.
  • There is plenty of variation in the type of terrain, and the steep pitches are a delight for advanced to expert riders.
  • Maybe Utah is a little arrogant to claim they have the “Greatest Snow on Earth” but one can’t deny that the quality of the snow is generally excellent!
  • PCPC have really nice snowcat cabins, efficient road systems and backup cats.

Cons

  • Transport to the ranch is not provided, so if you don’t have a car, getting a taxi there adds cost to the day.
  • PC Powder Cats don’t provide powder skis, so if you don’t have your own, there is an additional hassle and cost to rent them.
  • They don’t cater to intermediates so if you want lovely mellow meadows and don’t want to book out the whole snowcat, then you’ll need to pick another cat ski operator. 
Powder Snow
Whilst the volume of snowfall is generally not quite as high as in the Cottonwood Canyons, the amount of snow is still pretty impressive and the quality is also generally excellent. We visited after a dry and warm spell, and most of the trees were too low, whilst the alpine areas had been out in the sun. Despite this, the guides were impressively able to find some decent snow. If we were to be picky, perhaps some of the terrain gets whipped by the wind more than other alpine areas. The highest peak at almost 11,000 feet is called Windy Peak!
Overall Terrain
With 40,000 acres, of which approximately 20,000 are skiable, the terrain size is massive so the guides have an abundance of areas and aspects to choose from to find the best snow. The Thousand Peaks Ranch might not quite have one thousand peaks, but probably close to it! It is private land so unlike many other US cat ski operators (and some BC cat skiing) they don’t have a problem with freshies poachers.

Somewhat typical of US snowcat skiing, the runs weren’t particularly long compared to some BC cat skiing, but it depends on the fitness of your legs as to whether you consider this a problem. The vertical covered each day is pretty average for a US cat ski operator (less than for most BC operators). A little bit of time is lost stopping for lunch, and the trips between the ranch and the runs takes some time.

Despite often having multiple snowcats going out each day, they don’t group guests according to ability (unlike Steamboat Powdercats and Big Red Cats), so there’s a small chance you’ll get grouped with someone of a disparate ability level. For fast skiers, at least they don’t claim to be able to cater to intermediates.
Alpine Terrain
PC Powdercats has an abundance of alpine terrain, or at least sub-alpine terrain that is mostly open with a few smatterings of trees. Much of the terrain is delightfully steep at the top (mid to high 40s) before it quickly mellows out, but there’s still good variety. And thanks to avalanche blasting, there’s a high likelihood of being able to access the alpine areas.
Tree Skiing
PC Powder Cats also have copious trees. There are lots of aspens for storm skiing, as well as firs on north facing slopes for the days after storms. The trees are typically well spaced so it’s great for those who love to rip it, but those who like tight technical trees might not get quite the challenge they’re seeking. A minor limitation may be that the elevation is a fraction low during slight warm spells, but of course they have plenty of alpine.

Strong Intermediate Terrain
Park City Powder Cats doesn’t usually cater to intermediates. There is some low angle open terrain, but you won’t be able to play there unless you book out a private snowcat.
Advanced Terrain
PCPC has amazing variety for advanced (and advanced to expert) riders with both the alpine and treed terrain. They only lose half a point because some of the runs have a very mellow run-out.
Expert & Extreme Terrain
There are some great steeps for experts. We didn’t see a lot of features for hucking (with that much terrain, I’m sure they have them!), but our guides weren’t specifically seeking them out because our group was a bunch of everyday skiers and boarders like us, not super humans. If you’re a keen hucker, you’d probably need to book a private cat.
Guiding
The guides were realistic about the sub-standard snow conditions at the start of the day, and then endeavoured to find the best they could – and they did a really good job. In addition to safety aspects, the lead and tail guide were communicating very well regarding where to find the best snow. They were also clear in their communication regarding any hazards. Best of all, they were infectiously enthusiastic!

The group size is really good, with a maximum of 10 guests per 2 guides, which means better safety and more freshies!
Snowcat
PCPC have 3 snowcats plus back up cats so there’s no fear about losing much pow time in the unlikely event of mechanical failure. They also operate another snowcat to build and maintain roads, to keep travel times for the other snowcats nice and efficient.

With respect to the cabin set-up, it was pretty much perfect. It had front facing seats with backrests that aren’t too high so you can still chat really easily. The spacious snowcat cabin had rear steps for easy ingress and egress, big windows with side windows that open so there’s no fear of getting cat sick, good storage features and a stereo for some tunes.
Avalanche Mitigation Strategies
One safety backpack with shovel and probe etc was provided to a guest, but it wasn’t discussed, and as is somewhat typical of USA mechanized backcountry operations, any avalanche risk strategies were not particularly evident to guests whilst we were out in the field. This doesn’t mean that the guides didn’t put a lot of effort into mitigating risk, but unlike BC, the guides just didn’t talk about it a lot.
 
One major exception to this was the presence of a separate snow safety team who roamed the terrain undertaking mitigation such as avalanche bombing, which is rather unique for a cat ski operation.

Also somewhat typical to the USA, which is not highly regulated, the guides were very experienced but not necessarily highly qualified.
Safety Briefing
Along the same vein and typical of US operators (as it’s often dictated by the local forestry service), the guides seem to take the approach of “the less the guests know the better”. The briefing quickly covered that the snowcat in itself is a hazard, but it didn’t cover any other backcountry hazards. How to turn on the avalanche beacon was covered, but not how to turn it off or how to switch it between send and receive, or what to do in the event of witnessing or being caught in an avalanche. Probing and shovelling and the like were not included in the briefing.
Frills
I had expected that a Park City activity would have been super “frilly” and it was almost refreshing that it wasn’t! Our appetites were very well catered for, but the food was not gourmet or particularly fancy (not that it mattered!). The fare included a basic breakfast and coffee, cat snacks of chockies and commercial bars, and a nice lunch of soup, rolls and chips. We also got après ski food, but no alcohol, which made sense considering most people had to drive.

A great trimming was the photography service, which was incredibly inexpensive. Frills that were missing were on-site ski rentals and provision of transport from Park City. This is somewhat understandable considering PC isn’t just a few clicks away, but it’s a major cost for those without their own wheels.
Value for Money
Park City Powder Cats is one of the priciest US cat ski outfits (see USA cat skiing stats for a comparison). Firstly, Park City Utah is generally expensive so you expect to pay a little more for everything, and when you compare it to the cost of a day lift ticket at Park City Ski Resort (about 3 times as much), the value becomes more apparent.

Also you can’t necessarily make a direct comparison to other outfits. PCPC is real cat skiing, not just that sidecountry type cat skiing attached to a ski resort. It is more than 6 times the average size of a US cat ski outfit, and it gets more snowfall than many other operators, so the value stacks up a little more.

Factors that would give them more points would include: more daily vertical skiing, inclusion of rental powder skis, and provision of transport.

Notes Regarding Review

The review is largely based on our experience, but also on discussions with staff, former guests, and information available on their website. Our review has some limitations as it’s not possible to ski every run and in all possible snow and weather conditions. Every guide is somewhat different and we acknowledge that everyone’s experience will be slightly different.

The still images are not filmed using professional riders, but rather aim to show an example of an “everyday” experience.

 

Best powder day I have ever had

B man
28/01/2023
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Skier
  • Rider Level
    Expert
  • Rider Age
    36-50
  • Home Country
    USA
  • Month:
    January
  • Admin Rating
    3

Best powder day I have ever had

B man
28/01/2023
This was my first cat skiing experience and it was awesome. We had fresh tracks on every run and the snow was epic. The two guides Jonny and Bo focused on safety and providing a great guest experience. After the first run, they saw the group was all able to ski well and they sought out some fun steep runs for us. Highly recommend taking a trip with PC Powdercats. We did one day with them, other repeat customers in our group did 2days or 3days with them. Lunch was delicious. I will be back next winter for sure!!!
See our video here

Disappointed

Abbie Flanagan
08/01/2017
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Skier
  • Rider Level
    Intermediate
  • Rider Age
    51-70
  • Home Country
    USA
  • Month:
    January
  • Admin Rating
    2

Disappointed

Abbie Flanagan
08/01/2017
I took one run, fell twice and never felt comfortable at all. It seemed like every other skier in our cat was wanting to access more extreme terrain, so I thought I would hold back everyone. I rode the cat the rest of the way.

Wondering if you would consider grouping your cats by ability levels. I would have taken more runs if I did not feel like I was holding up the rest of the group. I think the majority of our skiers were experts.

At the end of the day, my wives skis were accidentally taken by another patron. The staff worked hard to get them back to her the next night.

I also think that a shuttle would be helpful.

Editors note: Park City Powdercats are quite up front that the terrain necessitates a minimum ability of advanced not intermediate, and there isn't "extreme terrain" so it's unlikely the other guests were looking for extreme terrain.
See our video here

February 7, 2016

Jamie Keiper
10/02/2016
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Skier
  • Rider Level
    Expert
  • Rider Age
    36-50
  • Home Country
    USA
  • Month:
    February
  • Admin Rating
    3

February 7, 2016

Jamie Keiper
10/02/2016
Park City Powdercats is a first class operation with spectacular terrain, top notch guides, and friendly employees. We were able to get 9 solid runs on varying terrain. I have heliskied and cat skied with other operations and none have come close to PC Powdercats in regards to the terrain offered, the higher level of difficulty of the runs skied, and the friendliness of the staff. I will ski with them again and highly recommend this operation.
See our video here

great day (even when the snow god's did not cooperate

David
22/05/2015
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Skier
  • Rider Level
    Expert
  • Rider Age
    51-70
  • Home Country
    USA
  • Admin Rating
    3

great day (even when the snow god's did not cooperate

David
22/05/2015
My first time ever in a snow cat. Nice drive out to the place, people at front desk fun and helpful. Very organized and good food (coffee and stuff) for those running later. Orientation was all about safety - easy to understand. Great group joining my son and myself. So, had not snowed in at least two weeks and guide took us to completely untracked runs. We had 9 awesome runs including one line/area the whole group wanted to do again. Great lunch break at an Aspen tree glade then a few more runs. They really made the most out of poor snow conditions and each run was nice and untracked. Looking forward to coming back next year when there is fresher snow and more options.
See our video here

Great Big Terrain

08/03/2015

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  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Skier
  • Rider Level
    Expert
  • Rider Age
    36-50
  • Home Country
    n/a
  • Admin Rating
    3

Great Big Terrain

08/03/2015
We absolutely loved cat skiing with Park City Powder Cats in Utah and can highly recommend it. Unlike some US cat skiing which is a little mickey mouse, this is real backcountry snowcat skiing. We were particularly impressed with the terrain, and the delightfully pitchy bowls.

We visited after a dry and warm spell, but the guides were still about to find decent snow, in part because of the huge amount of terrain they can choose from.

Note that our ratings are often lower than those of public reviews. If you’ve never been cat skiing before (or only a few times), it may well be one of the best days of your life and worthy of 5 paws all round. However we try to distinguish the subtleties between heli and cat skiing operations across the world. As a guide to the ratings below, a 5/5 equates to truly phenomenal, 4/5 is excellent, and 3/5 is very good.
See our video here

Nice terrain- mediocre experience

Luke
19/01/2014
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Snowboarder
  • Rider Level
    Advanced
  • Rider Age
    36-50
  • Admin Rating
    4

Nice terrain- mediocre experience

Luke
19/01/2014
I went out with PCP a few years ago. We had a good time but there were some areas for improvement.

The terrain was impressive if you like steep bowls. The tree runs were rather short.
The whole trip was pretty rushed. They called it an "all day" trip but we took our last run at about 1:00 pm and then packed it in after only 5 runs. There were some VIP's (magazine photographers) on board who needed to get to the airport, they said. The VIP's were also given first tracks on most runs while the paying clients took the leftovers.

Still, the snow was epic powder, even four days after the last storm. The bowls looked like Warren Miller type terrain. However, we were told many times to keep our tracks close together to "save some for the next group", even though the guides kept pointing out thousands of acres of additional untracked terrain they had access to. And a big storm was coming in the next day anyway... Go figure.

Over all, if you haven't been cat skiing in Utah, this would be a good starter trip, due to the close proximity to Park City. Who knows, maybe things have changed in the last few years. If I went with them again, I would ask how many vertical feet they guarantee before committing. I would also try to stay away if there are VIPs on the trip. Know before you go!
See our video here

PC Powdercats are LEGIT

Vince Tripp
15/01/2013
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Snowboarder
  • Rider Level
    Advanced
  • Rider Age
    36-50
  • Admin Rating
    2

PC Powdercats are LEGIT

Vince Tripp
15/01/2013
This team of cat operators are AWESOME! Friendly, efficient and well trained, very professional. The food was awesome and the guides worked their butts off making sure everyone was safe, having fun, and riding in a safe environment! Oh and the Powder, well you know it's Utah in a word "perfect".

Thank You, Thank you, Thank you!

Be back soon,

Vince
See our video here

Guided back country powder skiing

Leisa
14/01/2013
  • Recommend
  • Would Revisit
  • RiderType
    Skier
  • Rider Level
    Advanced
  • Rider Age
    36-50

Guided back country powder skiing

Leisa
14/01/2013
Awesome untracked skiing with experienced backcountry guides.
See our video here
PC Powdercats Packages
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Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing
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Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing
Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing Park City Powdercats - Day Cat Skiing
Price p/p From price based on per person single day for 2025 season.
Base/invoice currency is in USD ex tax.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 900
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PARK CITY POWDERCATS
Located near Park City Utah

Location: USA | Tour Focus: Guided | Terrain Focus: Backcountry
Ability: Advanced to Expert
Price p/p From price based on per person single day for 2025 season.
Base/invoice currency is in USD ex tax.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 900
Any snowcat skiing is awesome, but cat skiing Utah is phenomenal. Park City Powdercats offer daily tours in the backcounry so you can snort as much Utah powder as you wish! Packages include 8 - 12 epic guided runs, lunch, snacks & use of avo beacon. More
View inclusions & Add-ons
Inclusions
  • Full day guided cat skiing (8-12 runs; approx 10,000 vert ft)
  • Use of avalanche beacon
  • Lunch, water & snacks
  • Continental breakfast
Add-ons
  • Photography of your day
Not Included
Click here for rates, dates & availability
Future rates & dates are currently not yet available for this operator. Click here to enquire.
Custom Booking Period
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Custom Booking Period: Dec 23 - Mar 31, 2025
Min Days: From 1
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