Snowboarding
On My List of Things to Try: Cat Boarding / Cat Skiing
The fall issue of Snowboard Canada is totally badass. The rider profiles are hilarious, the photos are amazing, and the articles on destinations like Poland are interesting reads. But there’s one article that caught my attention in particular: their guide to ‘catboarding’, as they call it. I’m not sure what the correct term is, but the idea is the same: get dropped off at the top of a mountain in the backcountry, ride to the bottom, get back to the top using a snowcat, and ride back down again. Repeat forever, or until it gets dark.
Figure 1: Snowcat.
“… ask yourself: Whithin the context of snowboarding, what gives you great pleasure? I will harvest my own internal organs and sell them in an East Hastings back alley if the word powder didn’t just escape your lips. Deep powder. Face-shots powder. Kick up a spray and slash it like you’re goddamn Kelly Slater powder. Powder, powder, powder.”
<Snip. Insert description of lame high school prom here, which includes the heavy-duty scent of Aqua Velva.>
“Sound lame? That’s because it is. Let’s switch the scenario around. Instead of a limo, you’re sitting in the back of a modified snowcat. Trade the tux for something warm and waterproof … you’re with a handful of your closest bros, laughing, joking shit talking. When the cat grinds to a halt, you step outside to more snow than you’ve ever dreamed of.”
<Snip>
“This is better than prom. Shit, this is better than anything. Are you still wondering what luxury means to a snowboarder? If I could alter the definition in the dictionary, I would expand it with one simple word: catboarding.”
A monstrously entertaining article, and it reminded me of the fact that I really want to try catboarding soon. I think I need to subscribe.
Discussion
2 comments for “On My List of Things to Try: Cat Boarding / Cat Skiing”
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Don’t wait, go and book a catboarding trip right now. It’s one of those must do things in every snowboarder’s lifetime. If you don’t go this year, you’ll only be one year older when you do.
Yeah, it’s a poor man’s heli, but I’ve had a great time in cats too!
[...] in the smallest time possible. Besides, I’ve totally been sold on catboarding since I read a piece some time ago in Snowboard Canada Magazine that got me [...]