1. Can you use any ski lifts if you go backcountry riding?
2. What's the fastest way to get to a backcountry ski place?
3. What's the most expensive way?
4. How high can a snowcat go?
Backcountry Riding in the Canadian Rockies
As the home to some of the finest skiing and snowboarding anywhere, the
Canadian Rockies call to backcountry snow riders from around the world.
What is backcountry riding? Simply put,
backcountry riding is skiing and snowboarding in places other than
resorts.
There are no lift lines, no day lodges, and no ski patrol.
The fastest way to get to a backcountry ski
place is to hire a helicopter and guide. “Heli-skiing” will take snow
riders to places that no other form of transportation can. However,
“heli-skiiing” is also the most expensive method of backcountry
exploration.
Another alternative to “heli-skiing” is “snowcat skiing”. A “snowcat” is a modified snowplough. Remove
the plough from the front, add the tracks of a military tank and you get
a “snowcat”. A “snowcat” can take snow riders up to 3,600 metres or
more. Snowcat skiing can’t get you the same vertical as a helicopter,
but it still provides the rich experience of any backcountry adventure.
B.
Read the article again and check your comprehension:
1. What is backcountry riding?
2. Where in Canada can you do backcountry riding?
3. What is “heli-skiing”?
4. What is a “snowcat”?
5. Which is more expensive –
“heli-skiing” or “snowcat skiing”?
6. Which can take you to a higher altitude – a helicopter or a snowcat?
As the home to some of the finest skiing and snowboarding anywhere, the
Canadian Rockies call to backcountry snow riders from around the world.