Level III – Expert Skiing & Riding
At this level, we ask that our guests be true, expert type powder skiers and snowboarders. We will have fast paced descents on a variety of terrain including: glades, steeps, wide and tight spaced trees and rocky, variable aspects. Our Level III guests actively seek out the most advanced terrain and deepest powder at any ski area and have no problem with black or double-black runs. Many of our guests in this level have been on other heli or snowcat operations in the past and/or are active backcountry enthusiasts.
All our guests in this skiers Level III ability level must:
• have significant and extensive powder experience
• are comfortable on any terrain, in any condition and at any speed, and can traverse on a single ski path to get to farther out destinations
• love to fly through tight tree runs
• ski and ride double black runs with style, all day long
• can handle any snow conditions from super deep to super light snow to crusty, nasty, windblown hell, though we never try to take any guest into this type of snow
• are not challenged by rocky terrain, especially rocks within trees. You don’t have to launch the rocks, but you must be able to stop abruptly above rock and navigate around them
• needs to be able to follow guides instructions in avalanche terrain
Please remember that should a guest arrive who greatly overstates their ability level, we reserve the right to sit them on certain runs. Please, if you are booking a trip for yourself or for others, you understand this and have fully taken this into consideration. No refunds will be given to these guests. When booking a Level II or III group, make sure that everyone in the group is capable of skiing at that level. We hate to sit our guests so please be conservative when making your decision regarding ability levels.
If you have ever skied the Steamboat Ski Area, then our Level III terrain is similar to the St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas Tree Bowls, the Gates and Chutes and the Fish Creek Canyon. Fortunately for us and you, our terrain has longer pitches and a lot less people accessing the goods.
Like the Steamboat Ski Area, our Level III terrain isn’t the steepest terrain out there. It’s not Jackson Hole or Silverton Mountain, but its a ton of fun for expert type skiers and riders.
We only run one Level III trip per day. Due to this, our Level III cat gets full very quickly. Check out our calendar to see for yourself. There are times when our Level II tours get into the Level III terrain in the afternoon during on your day so if you as a Level III guest don’t see availability during your visit to Steamboat Springs, ask us about this option.
Below images are from our Level III trips
Remember that we provide you with complimentary, fat Atomic skis and Never Summer snowboards designed for powder. These tools help with the float and making your turns pop in the powder. We also provide poles with bigger baskets that help you in the untracked snow.
LEVEL I
Guests at this level have limited powder experience and need more open type terrain to continue to learn how to float their turns. A level I guest is confident on lift served ski area groomed blue, blue/black and even some black diamond terrain but has not quite figured out how to pop or float their turns in untracked powder.
LEVEL II
Guests at this level can ski or ride at an up-tempo pace, are physically fit and already confident in the powder skills. Guests here can pop their powder turns and navigate thru tight aspen forests. At the ski area, these guests actively search out powder and ski black and some double black diamonds ski runs.