All the thrills of heli skiing — for just £5

If you can’t afford to go off-piste in a chopper, the snow cat at Red Mountain is a great alternative, says Ben Clatworthy
Snow ploughs at work at Red Mountain resort
Snow ploughs at work at Red Mountain resort

There is one adventure that every ski fanatic has on their bucket list: to jump aboard a helicopter, whirl away to a remote mountain, before making virgin tracks in waist-deep powder. Naturally, this comes with a hefty price tag and, frankly, it’s overrated.

The alternative, swapping the chopper for a snow cat — a tracked piste machine — detracts somewhat from the James Bond appeal. And, while reducing the dent to your wallet, it far from eliminates it: you’ll still part with around $500 a day in many resorts.

There is, however, a place where the dream costs — whisper it — just ten Canadian dollars.

Which is why, having whizzed up the mountain in the cat, I’m now ripping down a powder-field with fat