Western Canada and the location of Chatter Creek Snow Skiing, just north of Golden BC, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The nearest international airport is at Calgary, Alberta. Scroll down for more about Chatter Creek

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Chatter Creek Snowcat Skiing

                                                Photo by Dan Hudson.
Chatter Creek is a snowcat skiing operation located about 90 km north of Golden BC , on the western flank of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Chatter Creek operates a remote 19,000 sq. ft. lodge at an elevation of 5400 ft, from which it transports 36 guest in three separate snowcats to ski and snowboard on a glacier at almost 10,000 ft., on high alpine slopes and bowls and in forest glades. The Chatter Creek area of operation covers 130 sq. km and is expected to increase in size shortly, by over 80%.

This description of Chatter Creek is part of the Chatter News, a photo journal that provides a client’s prospective of snowcat skiing at Chatter Creek.

Scroll down to view maps and satellite imagery that locate Chatter Creek and marvellous 3-D images of the Chatter Creek mountain terrain.

Where is Chatter Creek?

This map from the “Google Maps” Web site shows the location of Golden BC on the TransCanada Highway (Route 1), between the towns of Banff (and Lake Louise),to the east, and Revelstoke, to the west. The nearest city is Calgary, Alberta, which is the location of the nearest international airport.. Provincial highway 95 links Golden with Cranbrook and the USA (Spokane WA), to the south.

The Microsoft MapPoint image to the right shows Golden BC and the region of Kinbasket Lake, including Chatter Creek. The Google Maps satellite image above it shows the TransCanada highway between Sicamous and Lake Louise, and the Chatter Creek location, north of Golden. Click on either image to enlarge it. Scroll down for more maps, 3-D Satellite images and driving information.

The Chatter Creek snowcat skiing tenure is shown about 90 km. north of Golden on the east side of Kinbasket Lake and just north of Bush Arm (Bush River). Banff National Park is to the west and Jasper National Park is to the north. The Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mountains is to the west, across Kinbasket Lake. Parts of the Kitchen Range, Vertebrae Ridge and Stovepipe Mountain lie within the Chatter Creek cat skiing tenure.

This satellite image shows the Chatter Creek tenure north of Golden BC. Kinbasket Lake and the Columbia River Trench can be seen to the west. Overlaid on this ©"Google Earth " image is the TransCanada Highway which passes through Golden BC from Lake Louise and Banff, in the east to Revelstoke, in the west. Provincial Hwy 95 runs south from Golden to Cranbrook and Spokane WA.

Chatter Creek cat skiing guests are transferred by helicopter from Golden to Chatter Creek's Vertebrae Lodge for 3-day and 4-day cat skiing tours.... powder skiing and "fresh tracks" every run is the norm. Click on any image to enlarge it. Click the link under the photo to the right to follow the helicopter trip from Golden to Chatter Creek's Vertebrae Lodge.

Golden BC from the East

Golden BC is located in the Columbia River Valley, at the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers. It is a mountain playground, bounded by the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east. The Kicking Horse Alpine Resort is located high on the far hillside and the Kicking Horse River is at the bottome of the photo.

The Chatter Creek Snowcat Skiing office is located in East (Upper) Golden. Cat Skiers joining a Chatter Creek tour meet at the Alpine Helicopters hanger at Golden Airport. Guests are transported by helicopter to the Chatter Creek lodge for 3-day, 4-day and 7-day tours.

The "Google Earth" image to the right is a second view of Golden from the east, but from a much higher altitude. Chatter Creek Snowcat Skiing is located at the top right hand corner of the image. Click any image for a better view. Use your browser's "Back" button to return.

Where is Golden BC?

Golden is located in Canda's western-most Province of British Columbia. The “Travel Information for Golden BC” Web site provides all kinds of information for travellers to Golden BC, in both summer and winter, including links to weather information, road conditions, Web cams and weather cams, local services in Golden, adventure and outdoor recreation opportunities in Golden, local history, restaurants, accommodation and much more. Road map by the Golden Tourism Association

The 3D satellite image to the right shows Golden and the neighboring Canadian Rocky Mountain terrain to the northeast. Chatter Creek is out of the image, to the left.

The second satellite image to the right gives driving directions, distances and estimated driving time to downtown Golden from Calgary International Airport. Click on either satellite image to enlarge it or click on this link for the original Google Map with driving directions. Here's a closer look at the roads to Calgary airport

This contour map shows the shape of the Chatter Creek snowcat skiing tenure, including the two new additions. The original tenure comprised 130 sq. km of mountain terrain. The new additions add another 108 sq. km to provide a total area of a little over 238 sq. km (92 square miles). The Cat Skiing Terrain Web site provides a photographic tour of the Chatter Creek tenure, with some photos of the new Lakeside Addition. Note: Chatter Creek also has a helicopter skiing tenure, which lies almost entirely outside the cat skiing tenure shown in the image.

The waterway at the bottom of the image is Kinbasket Lake and Bush Arm is shown to the right. The symbol in the center of the image indicates the location of Chatter Creek’s Vertebrae and Solitude Lodges. Scroll down to see 3D satellite imagery of this area.

This "Google Earth" 3D satellite image shows the approximate outline of the Chatter Creek cat skiing tenure after the expected additions. The view is from the south, looking west of north from an elevation of about 21 miles. Scroll down for more views of the terrain surrounding Chatter Creek.

Part of the Columbia River, Kinbasket Lake, to the west of Chatter Creek, is formed by the Mica Dam hydroelectric power project, far to the north. The extension of Kinbasket Lake to the east is Bush Arm, the outflow of the Bush River. The helicopter flight that transports guests from Golden airport to Chatter Creek passes beside Kinbasket Lake and crosses Bush Arm.

Looking from above Bush Arm, most of the Chatter Creek Snowcat Skiing tenure is visible in this "Google Earth" image, including the anticipated Lakeside Addition. Parts of the tenure that lie north of Vertebrae Ridge are not visible.

Vertebrae Ridge, at the right hand side of the image, lies just outside the tenure boundary, which follows Chatter Creek and East Creek, at the base of the ridge. However the tenure includes Stovepipe Mountain, at the north end of the ridge, the Vertebrae Glacier visible on the north side of the ridge and other areas north of the ridge. The Kitchen Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains lies at the center if the image, between the Chatter Creek valley and Kinbasket Lake. Much of the Kitchen Range lies within the Chatter Creek tenure.

The Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mountains lies west of Kinbasket Lake, with the Columbia Mountains further to the North.

The small image to the right names the Chatter Creek ski runs and other features in this view. Click on the image to enlarge it to read these names.

This "Google Earth" image looks east across Kinbasket Lake to the Chatter Creek tenure. The first range of mountains is the Kitchen Range of the Rocky Mountains. Beyond the Kitchen Range, Vertebrae Ridge runs fron Bush Arm to the Sullivan River. The Vertebrae Glacier is apparent on the east side of Vertebrae Ridge, centered on Stovepipe Mountain. The western slope of the Kitchen Range, immediately above Kinbasket Lake contains the new "Lakeside Addition" to the Chatter Creek tenure.

The small image to the right names the major features and cat skiing areas in the above image. Click the image to read the names. Click the above image to see an enlarged view. Make your browser window as large as the image will expand to.

Chatter Creek Snowcat Skiing is located in the Canadain Rocky Mountains. The cat skiing tenure includes the Vertebrae glacier, on the eastern side of Vertebrae Ridge and Stovepipe Mountain. The image at the top shows the spectacular view north and east from the top of Vertebrae glacier. The "Google Earth" 3-D satellite images show this terrain from a viewpoint about 5 miles above Stovepipe Mountain, which appears in the lower left hand corner of the images. The second 3-D image names a number of the features shown. The final image is John Dougall's photograph of 12,293 ft. Mt. Columbia, taken with a telephoto lens from Vertebrae Glacier. In the first image, the two highest peaks on the horizon are Tsar Peak, on the left, and Mt Columbia, on the right. For more views, look at our "Glacier Skiing at Chatter Creek". The last image in the sidebar to the right shows part of the Clemenceau Icefield at the top left, beyond the Sullivan Fault. The convoluted strata of the Sullivan fault forms the backdrop for skiers and snowboarders on Vertebrae glacier. Click any image above to enlarge it. More information