Cat skiing in Colorado: Scaling untouched heights with Scarp Ridge Lodge's snow cats

Though Colorado’s Irwin is only 10 or so miles from Crested Butte, it receives three times the amount of snow - at an average of 600 inches per year - than the town itself. That heavy snowfall makes it perhaps the best place in the state in which to try one of the most exhilarating snow sports experiences there is: cat skiing.

Among the amenities at Crested Butte’s Scarp Ridge Lodge are a tranche of snow cats, costing up to $1m apiece, akin to luxury bulldozers with caterpillar wheels. The most high-tech are equipped with such unexpected luxuries as a flatscreen TV and minibar. They can comfortably accommodate parties of up to 10 guests, and the three ski instructors or guides who might be expected to accompany them.

Ensconced in one of these winter wonderland-ready tanks, groups drive the 40 or so minutes to the snow-laden mountains of Irwin, where Scarp Ridge Lodge operates two outpost cabins and has exclusive access to over 1,000 acres of terrain. Further hardier snow cats are in place there, each able to ascend almost vertically up these lift-free mountains. Their crew are taken on a vertiginous journey to mountaintops that would otherwise be entirely inaccessible, allowing them to ski perfect, untouched powder time and again throughout the day.

Standard procedure is for groups to complete four to five runs before enjoying a gourmet lunch and then repeat the process in the afternoon. After some apres-ski cocktails, it’s time to make the journey back to Crested Butte and the comfort of Scarp Ridge Lodge.

Surrounded by 13,000ft peaks and with so many chutes, glades, bowls and steeps to navigate, Irwin entices some of the lodge’s guests to return repeatedly throughout their stay, but Crested Butte itself is also one of the most charming ski stops in all of Colorado.

A remote Victoria town with a population of just 1,500, it was made all the more attractive to discerning skiers when Chad Pike of real estate empire Blackstone Europe opened Scarp Ridge Lodge here in 2011. A former dance hall, the 131-year-old building is now the flagship of his Eleven Experience portfolio of lodges, chalets and beach houses aimed at adventurous travellers and set in destinations from Iceland to the Bahamas.

Guests who arrange use of Scarp Ridge Lodge, accommodating up to 20 guests and available only on an exclusive-use basis in winter, will have access to facilities including a media room and saltwater lap pool with underwater sound system but it’s of course what awaits outside that makes it worth the journey. Beyond cat skiing in Irwin, guests can stick to Crested Butte for 1,500 acres of in-resort skiable terrain, including 542 acres of double-diamond terrain for the most accomplished skiers. Children and adults not confident enough for such expeditions can instead practise at the Crested Butte ski school, considered one of the best in the country.

Exclusive-use winter stays at Scarp Ridge Lodge start from $17,180 (£13,750) for 10 people. This price includes guide service, activities including cat skiing, one day of professional photography, board including alcohol, and transfers. The winter season runs until mid-April.