Island Lake Cat Skiing, Fernie B.C.

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    A skier cutting through backlit powder among snow-covered trees at Island Lake

    Your best days on skis.
    With your favourite people.

    Island Lake Lodge · The Lizard Range
    ~15Runs on a typical day
    20k+Vertical feet in a typical day
    45 ftAverage annual snowfall
    12Guests per snowcat

    Daily runs and vertical depend on conditions, group pace, and your guides’ decisions.

    An Island Lake film

    Friends on a powder day.

    A day of skiing, riding, and going back for more. 5,000 skiable acres of pristine alpine terrain in the Canadian Rockies. Limited to just 36 skiers and boarders per day.

    Friends on a powder day.Play film

    Watch on YouTube Video plays after you choose to load YouTube.

    Cat Skiing, simply put

    The ride up is half the fun.

    A heated snowcat takes your group uphill. Your guides choose the run. You ski or ride down together, then climb aboard for another lap. That is cat skiing: backcountry skiing in the Canadian Rockies, with a warm ride between runs.

    01 / The ride

    Bring your people.

    Peel off a layer. Pass around lunch. Replay that last turn. In the cat, you face your friends instead of the back of a chairlift.

    02 / The skiing

    Find your rhythm.

    You should be a strong intermediate skier or rider, comfortable in varied snow and fit for full days. Tell us how you ski; we’ll help you decide if it is a good fit.

    03 / Your pace

    Make it your day.

    Tired or uncomfortable? Tell your guide. Sit out a run in the cat or arrange a return to the lodge. Any ski-out via a road must be agreed with your guide—never head off alone.

    A red Island Lake snowcat travelling along a snowy forest road
    The red cats · Your ride into the Lizard Range
    An Island Lake ski group celebrating beside a red snowcat in the Lizard Range
    Your group · The mountain to yourselves

    Trail Map

    104Distinct named runs
    38Unique pickup points
    34Unique drop-off points
    Open the Full-Screen 3D Map View the Illustrated Trail Map Open the Technical Map

    Island Lake films

    The peaks. The powder. The feeling.

    Island Lake in print

    Stories from the mountain.

    Through the lens

    This is Island Lake.

    A skier in a red jacket carving untouched snow beneath the limestone peaks of the Lizard Range.
    A skier in a lime jacket almost hidden by powder between snow-covered trees.
    A skier throwing a high arc of powder into the sun above the forested valley.
    A red-jacketed skier disappearing into a cloud of deep powder beneath snowy firs.
    Scot Schmidt in a yellow jacket airborne on skis against a snow-covered rock face.
    A skier in a red jacket carving down an open alpine slope below sunlit limestone peaks.
    Craig Kelly snowboarding through deep powder, framed by an arc of snow.
    Scot Schmidt carving through powder beneath a towering peak in the Lizard Range.

    From the Island Lake Lodge photography collection.

    More from the mountain on Instagram

    Know before you go

    Before you arrive.

    The Mountain

    Explore 5,000 skiable acres of alpine terrain and gladed forest.

    See the terrain

    Conditions & Webcams

    Start with the current official report and forecasts, then follow your guide’s plan.

    Check conditions

    Explore Island Lake

    Plan your cat skiing trip.

    Your invitation

    If you’ve been invited to Island Lake Lodge and are considering whether to accept, stop what you are doing, go to your email and accept the invitation. We’ll wait right here.

    A conversation is the beginning

    Who would you
    bring here?

    Tell us your dates, your group size, and what you have in mind.
    Our concierge will help you plan the stay.

    Book NowCall 1-888-422-8754