What a cat skiing week costs all in

The package and what it covers

The cat week is five days of skiing and five nights at the lodge, with all meals. Your seat in the cat and the guides are in the price, and so is the safety kit: every guest carries an avalanche transceiver, probe, shovel and avalanche airbag pack, at no charge.

Early season and spring weeks cost $4,100 CAD a guest. Deep season weeks cost $4,950. If five days is more than you want, the three-day cat costs $2,450 or $2,950, and a day cat $720 or $850.

GST and lodging taxes

GST is 5%, and it applies to the package and to every extra you add. It is one line on the receipt, worked out once on the package and the extras together. On the package alone it comes to $205 on an early week and $248 on a deep one.

Lodging taxes apply to the lodging share of a multi-day package. We estimate them at 6% of the package: $246 on an early week and $297 on a deep one. A real quote itemises the exact amount. With both taxes, a cat week comes to $4,551 early or $5,495 deep, before any extras.

We round every line to the whole dollar, half up, and the total is the sum of the rounded lines.

The shuttle from Castlegar, Trail or Kelowna

Fly into Castlegar (YCG) or Trail (YZZ), and our shuttle brings you to the lodge for $180 return. The ride takes about 1 hour 45 from Castlegar and 1 hour 30 from Trail.

Fog closes Castlegar more often than Trail. Kelowna (YLW) is the fallback, at $260 return and about 4 hours 30 on the road. The shuttle is an extra, so GST applies to it. If you drive up, it drops off the bill.

Rentals and your own boots

Powder skis or a board rent for $65 a day, so five days come to $325. We don't rent boots. Bring your own, already fitted, because a week of deep snow in boots that hurt is a long week.

If you own powder skis and bring them, the rental line drops off the bill. Pack to our limit: one soft duffel, 23 kg, plus a ski bag.

Coming solo and the private room

Coming alone costs the same as coming with a friend. We pair you with a roommate of the same gender. If you'd rather have a room to yourself, it costs $95 a night when one is free, which is $475 across a cat week, plus GST.

The lodge has 14 rooms, so in the busiest weeks there may be none to spare.

The tip

Guides and lodge staff are tipped at the end of the week. We suggest 10 to 15% of the package: $410 to $615 on an early week, and $495 to $743 on a deep one.

It's your call, so our bill shows the tip beside the total and leaves it out.

The deposit, the balance and Snow cover

A 25% deposit holds your seat, and the balance is due 60 days before your first ski day. Cancel more than 90 days out for a full refund less $250. Between 90 and 60 days, your deposit becomes credit for any week in the next two seasons. Inside 60 days there's no refund, unless standby resells your seat, and then we refund you less $250.

Snow cover costs 7% of the package, and you add it when you pay the deposit. With it, your booking is refundable in cash up to 14 days out, for any reason. On a $4,100 week it costs $287, and on a $4,950 week $347. GST applies to it like any extra.

Two weeks priced side by side

Here are two cat weeks for one guest with the same extras: the Castlegar shuttle and five days of rentals. Only the season changes.

GST on the early week is $230: 5% of $4,605, the package plus the shuttle and rentals. The deep week works the same way.

See the whole bill

What the weather can give back

The cats run in storms, and storm days are the deep days, so a snowy week costs what it says. When weather does stop us, money comes back.

If the cats can't run at all, a day of a cat week is worth $820 in early and spring weeks and $990 in deep season. You take the whole day as credit, or 60% of it in cash: $492 or $594. If the helicopter can't fly on a heli add-on day, the add-on is refunded in full to your card.

See every storm rule