Great Northern Powder Guides — Attraction in Montana

I was on the SAME cat as Robert Nierenberg and hoping to set the record straight regarding what happened. Even with the incident that occured (yes, our CAT slid off the road) I would still HIGHLY recommend Great Northern Powder Guides.

The terrain is fantastic - obviously as mentioned by every other review, the guides are fantastic and the company has safety as it's highest priority. What happened happenedd, you are in the back country- there are known risks, the staff does everything possible to mitigate those risks, but sometimes something happens out of your control and you deal with the cards you are dealt. I do not think this was the fault of the driver, but an unfortunate turn of events, with a very positive outcome. I have lost friends to the dangers of the back country and think that we had the best possible outcome for our situation - no injuries! We were headed to our last run of the day, travelling on a road that we had been on earlier. It had been snowing hard that afternoon (the next day's guests had 12 inches of fresh powder - lucky dogs!!) and one of the tracks slipped off the road. The driver attempted to move the track back on, and the guides (in the back with the guests) were calming and concerned focused on the guests during the event. Once the cat started sliding backward, they continued to make sure that everyone was ok. They knew where we were in their territory and knew that we were in a formerly logged area, so the trees that we were hitting were young saplings - it sounded worse than it was. When we came to a stop the guides immediately made sure everyone was ok, ensured that the CAT was secured.

When the incident occurred, we were 25 miles from the base camp - which is the planned route, the farthest out we could be, approximately 1 mile to their back country yurt. All guides, cat driver, photographer, etc had strong radios, but we were in the ONE area that had no radio coverage. Once the CAT stopped, the driver immediately hiked back to the road and toward the yurt where he knew he would be able to get a hold of base camp.

Snowcats are not the fastest moving machines, and thankfully GNPG keeps extras at base camps (not all companies have this luxery). They immediately deployed two additional CATs to come and get us out. It did not take 4 hours for the CATs to arrive, it was closer to 4 hours for us to get back to base camp - but do the math - 25 miles back and the CAT maybe goes 10MPH (so we are looking at about 50 MILEs round trip...).

I can't believe that anyone would say that this is an unsafe or hazordous operation! Saftey seems to be their main concern. Robert was not a good back country participant and had to be reprimanded by the guides for NOT following their instructions. as is typical in an off-piste situation we were paired up for every run, this is Northwest MOntana and we have tree wells (we have already had a tree well death this year - on the RESORT, not in the back country). Robert often left his partner behind, you could not have paid me to partner with him! The guides all carry medical kits, the CAT is equipped with additional emergency equipment and an AED (which was out because many of us thought that Robert was going to need it).

When the second CAT arrived to pick us up, the owner (and the guides) did offer us two more runs... i was all in, ready for more! It was still light out and the snow was fantastic. Unfortunately one group was complaining because they were late for their dinner reservations so that didn't happen.

This was my first CAT skiing adventure and I could not have been more pleased with my experience. The owners, staff, etc do everything possible to make the adventure memorable. They can't control the attitudes of the guests, which is unfortunate because the one thing I wish I could have changed would have been that.

Thanks Ky and Jay for such a classy operation. Thanks to our guides - Scott, Jude, Emily (Photographer) and our 'zamboni driver' for a fun and adventerous time!!! I cannot wait...

I worked at GNPG in the winter of 2013-14 as a senior in college for my internship and it was one of the most unforgettable and valuable experiences of my life. The entire operation starting with Jay and Ky is professional, they literally give every ounce of blood and sweat to their guests, and want everyone to come away with an unforgettable experience. There is so much that makes GNPG unique, and worth the while, it's hard to condense it all in one review. The team manufactures from scratch essentially, the cat cabins that they operate in, starting with Tarn, Jay's son who has a diesel mechanic background and several others. The team is there months before and after the snow falls working on these cats, the cabins, and the yurts that all guests get to enjoy. The knowledge and level of comfort within the team is unmatched by anyone else I've come across in my years in this industry. Odds are your lead guide, and/or snowcat driver can get under the hood god forbid any mechanical issues were to arise, and they are so few and far between, that there is no need for worry, but it's just another aspect that adds to the badassery and uniqueness that is GNPG. Other guests have said it, and I can echo it from personal experience that even when the snow isn't working in their favor, they're able to squeeze some magic out of their terrain due to excellent planning/conservation, knowledge of the different aspects and trends in snowpack and plain old knowhow. On a personal level I sat in on pre-trip/post-trip meetings every day, and am so grateful for it because these guys/gals are painstakingly breaking down everything that happens on a daily basis and determining how to make the following day even better. So if you're reading reviews today considering a day or more with GNPG, do it! Keep an eye on the snow obviously as late january to mid march is prime time anywhere in the northern rockies, but you will walk away from a day with GNPG with a huge grin, tired legs, a full stomach, and the desire to skip your other days you may have planned at the resort just to get back in a cat and rip around with this awesome crew. Take it from somebody who spent a whole year living/working with these guys. They truly embody professionalism to the nth degree, and have a kick ass time in doing...

What an amazing experience!!! This might be the best hidden gem in North American cat skiing. I’ve experienced 4 other cat operations in the US and Canada and this had hands down the best terrain, was the easiest to access and it didn’t break the bank. It was an authentic skiing experience - super deep powder and steep terrain with incredibly fun features (jumps, stumps, cliffs). The actual cats were the fastest and best maintained I’ve experienced and the operators handled the incredible machines with skilled precision. The cat cabins were the most comfortable I’ve enjoyed, and were situated for quick loading and unloading. The time between runs was quick which meant we got in a lot of skiing.

The tree spacing couldn’t have been better for advanced or even intermediate skiers.

We did two nights at the yurt which I’d highly recommend. The yurt is about 25 miles into the backcountry and the snow conditions there are amazing. The yurt is a true yurt (a portable nomadic home). It’s warm, no frills, and perfect for someone wanting to unplug and connect with people and nature. All of the terrain around the yurt is skiable and means that right after you wake up you are minutes away from incredible skiing.

Finally the guides (Carl, Kira, and Tarn(Cat Operator)) were really incredible professionals and people. We gained trust in each other and once they knew our limits and trusted us they took us to terrain that pushed us but was within our limits. They were very knowledgeable about avalanche safety and took great care of us.

Overall - I’d recommend the experience to anyone who enjoys skiing deep powder. This place is...