Big Red Cats

Thank you for taking the time to read this review and doing some research before booking. It's essential to honestly assess your skill level when signing up for a trip like this. Overestimating your abilities can lead to a frustrating day for everyone. The skill level descriptions on the website are accurate and should be followed closely. If you think you're an expert but aren't, you'll likely hold up the group and annoy others as they wait for you all day. Unfortunately, this was the case for our group, and it negatively impacted our experience. Our first run was a warm-up lap, and it was immediately clear that half of the group shouldn’t have been there. Their inability to follow instructions put our guide in a tough position. While he remained safe and adhered to protocol, I felt there was a lack of communication regarding the terrain we were about to ski—things like the length, aspect, and stopping points. As a more experienced skier, I found myself navigating blindly, which could have been easily avoided with a brief pre-run discussion. Eventually, the guide asked the weakest guest to sit out a few laps to keep the pace up, but by then, the damage was done. The snow and terrain were fantastic, though unfortunately, it was scaled back to accommodate the less experienced members of the group. That made it even more disappointing knowing we missed out on at least two extra runs and more challenging terrain. This could have been an epic day—some of the best snow you’ll ever experience—but the key takeaway is to be honest with yourself about your abilities. It makes a world of difference for everyone

My son and I had an incredible two-day adventure with Big Red Cats in Rossland. Our guides, Matt and Kyle, were fantastic—expertly leading us through a diverse range of terrain, from exhilarating steeps to open glades, all covered in an abundance of fresh powder. The cat skiing experience was top-notch, and the great people I met on the trip made it even better. Thank you for an amazing experience!

Great knowledgeable guides had amazing blue bird, surprisingly with nice pow without new snow really in weeks. Unfortunately a hose blew on cat cost us at least an hr. But shit happens. Would go again 💯

Thank you for a lifetime adventure. Special thanks to Shannon for helping me out of the snow! Carrie and Shannon made sure everyone felt comfortable on the tour. I’m used to groomed runs and this was a very different experience. Glad I rented a powder board and would strongly recommend this. We did the intermediate tour. Thanks again to all the staff at big red cats!!

We had 2 fantastic days of Cat Skiing with the Big Red Cats Team. The guides were all there the be sure we had an awesome experience, and we did just that! They mixed up our runs between challenging steep tree runs and open lower angle snow fields. The powder was perfect. Lunch was pretty good too! Everyone was hooting all day and, speaking for myself anyway, exhausted, and fully satisfied at the end of each day.

We spent two days cat skiing with Big Red Cats this week. The first day was very disappointing, however the second was fabulous. Day 1: Our team of 4 was booked in a shared "Advanced Group" cat of 11 people. We arguably got the "6 run guarantee" in. We spent more time waiting for beginners who couldn't ski/board than the combined ski time + cat ride time. For a company that boasts access to 700 runs, we ended up skiing our own tracks twice. One of those repeats was a pancake flat 500m waste of time. Our lead guide chose to express his frustrations with the group instead of doing anything about it (like maybe benching the folks that clearly couldn't ski/board). Since we had only done 2 runs by noon we asked to be moved to a more advanced cat/group or to ski something with a pitch as we were bored. We were told it wasn't an option and to talk to the office. So afterwards we did speak with the office, our group felt ripped off having paid $800 each for that day. We wanted to ensure we weren't going to have the same experience on our second day. The office offered no solutions or assurances. They explained that they rely on accurate self-assessment of skill. The one silver lining to an otherwise disheartening day was our tail guide Shannon. Shannon brought such a cheerful, fun vibe to the day. We gave up on the epic ski day we drove 14.5hrs for and spent the afternoon chatting with Shannon and picking up beginners stuck in the powder. Day 2: Once again, our team of 4 was booked in a shared "Advanced Group" cat, this time with a total of 8 people. Our lead guide Keena (sp?) was so knowledgeable and fun. Her safety briefing in the morning was a great brush up on AST1. Up top she gave us great advice on what we were about to ski, tips for how to ski better in the less than ideal conditions, and what to expect. We skied a variety of terrain, some open cut blocks, some nice glades, some steep pitches, and some enjoyable cruisers. I lost count of how many runs we did because I was too busy yelling wahoo and yippie. We did have someone who self assessed beyond their abilities in our group again, however our tail guide Francisco and Keena managed this very well and it was a non-issue. Kodu's to Keena for her fabulous group management skills. Day 2 was amazing and definitely worth the price of admission.

I wanted to share an experience from a few days ago. It was a bluebird, gorgeous BC day. And, as can happen anywhere (in the backcountry, on the resort, getting out of the car, etc), someone blew their ACL. The story from here is how the guides (Cary, Dylan, and the rest of the team) immediately went into action to keep the group safe, get the injured person out of the backcountry safely and efficiently and move on with the day. The group was in a relatively safe location, and the Big Red Cats team had a sled to the injured skier very quickly. They were polite but firm in letting everyone know what would happen next, how and when. And their decision making was sound to get the person out on a sled, get them to a cat, and not risk any add'l danger for the group or the injured person by having him try to ski out. Anyway - kudos to the team for handling things professionally, efficiently and confidently. That's needed when taking groups of ppl out who may or may not have backcountry medical and safety experience and training. These are good guides who showed they were more than just another pretty face! ;)

BRC offered an amazing cat skiing experience for us. The staff are awesome and the terrain is amazing for everyone from beginners to more advanced skiers/boarders. We’ve come back 4 years and counting now, when the snow is good their terrain is as good as anywhere!

First experience w Red Cat in February and had a great time. They take safety seriously (which I like) but will admit if it was my first ever cat skiing experience (which it wasn't) may have been intimidated by the safety lecture and demonstrations before we departed in the cat. As in "what am I getting myself into???". But no need for concern, just be honest about your skill level, choose the right ability level (I'm intermediate) and have fun. Huge playground with tons of acreage to catch great snow. Timing is everything and while we didn't have the fortune of a lot of new snow, there was plenty of great powder in very good condition making it an excellent experience. Guides were friendly and professional and even shared tips w me for improving my skiing (greatly appreciated!). Pluses for this operation over others I've experienced: all skiers were given safety packs to carry including a radio (really liked the radio so I could hear direct conversation between the guides, for me, more information is better than less). Minuses: better, clearer communications on what is and is not included. They do recommend bringing your own water but they have water available. I brought a water bottle and they had water available, but is was hot water. Had I known that I would have planned better. But, not a big deal. All in all, ready to go back!

Friends and I went to Big Red Cat skiing March 11 in the "expert" cat with Ben who was nice and G, who was not, as our guides. At first, I thought maybe it was me and "g" and I just didn't click. Well, hours later and after speaking with others in my cat, I found out it wasn't just me. Comments like "all I did was worry about doing something wrong" or "that guy hates his job" were common. Including from people on the trip I stumbled into at the bar later. The way I would describe the experience was, picture the DMV (Dept of Motor Vehicles) operating a cat skiing company and then getting their grumpiest employee to "lead guide" the experience. I'll skip the poor food and run selection as some of those things can't be helped or aren't that important to me. Bizarrely, and the reason I gave 2 stars, is I met another guide at the same bar I stumbled on to other (extremely) dissatisfied clients and he couldn't have been nicer. His name was Alex. I'd hate to hurt his prospects but I gotta be honest, for me, this experience was a dud. And, actually kinda bizarre. How hard is it for a guide to at least pretend to enjoy his job?