Steamboat Powdercats, Colorado’s premier powder riding operation, is now entering its 30th season of operation.

When Steamboat Powdercats opened in 1983, it was Jupiter Jones, along with his wife Barbara who had a vision after heli skiing in Canada the year prior. “We went heli skiing and some of our friends on the trip convinced us to purchase a snowcat and give it a try in Steamboat,” says Jupiter, who sold the operation to the current ownership team in 1999. “The Snow Ranger at the Forest Service was more than willing to allow us to give it a try so we asked some friends to help us tail guide and we were off and running.”

Jupiter acquired the original permit of nearly 10,000 acres into the iconic snowfields of Buffalo Pass which annually receives Colorado’s deepest snowpack. “We knew the powder on Buff Pass was amazing and with the Steamboat Ski Area bringing in nearly a million skier visits a year, Steamboat Powdercats was bound to be a success,” Jupiter said. “During our first year in 1983, we skied about 400 guests and most of them only saw a fraction of the terrain we had under the realm of the permit terrain.”

“We are planning a 30th Anniversary Season Celebration party on December 19th to blast off the season to commemorate this special achievement for the company,” said Eric Deering, General Manager at Steamboat Powdercats since 2007. Party details will be announced in the coming months on Steamboat Powdercats’ website, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The annual Powder Prediction Contest, where Steamboat Powdercats gives away a free cat trip (a $450 value) for whoever predicts the first snow of the year on Mt. Werner is already under way. Snowfall predictions, including the date and amount of snowfall, must be emailed to Steamboat Powdercats at least four days prior to the first snow recorded at the Steamboat Ski Area. Full contest details can be found on the website.

Mike Rakowski, who has been ski guiding with Steamboat Powdercats for the past 24 seasons, understands the evolution of the legacy that is Steamboat Powdercats. “When I first started ski guiding, it was a job that allowed me the ultimate ski bumming experience.” Mike said. “It was kind of a maverick operation back then but today it’s a full blown profession for myself and the other guides who have made this a true career.”

Over the years, Steamboat Powdercats has added to this model, developing the terrain and the experience into an all inclusive, three-cat operation that annually receives 2000+ skier days per year.

Since 1983, Steamboat Powdercats has built a Powdercats Nation of mostly return guests who make Steamboat an annual destination to get their powder fix.  “We now have an 80% returning guest rate which speaks volumes to the experience that is uniquely Steamboat Powdercats,” added Deering.

Since those early days, tens of thousands of guests have utilized Steamboat Powdercats to get deep in it including celebrities: Warren Miller, Martina Navratilova, Cindy Nelson, Dr. Richard Steadman, Klaus Obermeyer, Billy Kidd, Doak and Skeeter Walker, Ricky Mewborn and Seth Morrison.  Warren Miller Films and a handful of other filming and clothing companies have also included Steamboat Powdercats in their ski films and commercials.

In May of 2011, Buffalo Pass registered the deepest snowpack ever recorded in Colorado’s snow measuring history.  “We always knew that Buff Pass recorded some of the deepest snow totals annually in the State, but this all-time record blew the charts off of all the other years,” added Deering.  After it was all settled, the Tower Site, which is located in the heart of Buffalo Pass and monitored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, registered an astounding 200+ inches of on-the-ground snowpack.