Montana's Only Catskiing Operation Hits Market for Millions

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 3:01 PM ET

Sitting on a few million dollars and thinking about getting into catskiing? You're in luck.

Great Northern Powder Guides (GNPG), Montana's only catskiing operation, is now available for lease with a listing price of $3,750,000.

The outfit, stationed just north of Whitefish, Montana, operates on more than 15,000 acres of backcountry terrain under a special use permit with the Stillwater State Forest.

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According to the listing, this footprint covers glades, logged areas, pillow lines, chutes, steep runs, and tree skiing. Guests at GNPG typically ski between 10,000 and 14,000 vertical feet daily, with individual descents covering up to 3,788 vertical feet.

"The experience is nothing short of exhilarating, set against the stunning backdrop of Montana's rugged landscape," the GNPG listing reads.

The lease includes GNPG's name and assets. The catskiing operation has a fleet of 13 snowcats, two permanent structures for housing guests and staff, and an outdoor sauna.

In GNPG's base camp, there is a guest area, locker rooms, restrooms, a merchandise area, a kitchen, two offices, and a first aid room.

GNPG is currently owned and operated by Jay Sandelin and his family. Jay is a former speed skier. Previously, the Sandelins ran a helicopter tour company, SKI reports.

In 2024, Jay told SKI that GNPG will always remain "the only cat skiing company in the State of Montana" due to regulatory and state land use factors. Jay, during a separate conversation with the Big Sky Journal in 2017, also said that GNPG occupies a microclimate and often receives more snow than the nearby Whitefish Mountain Resort.

"If it rains at Big Mountain (Whitefish's former name), it's snowing here; if they get a foot of snow, we might get two," he explained.

William Mcdonald, a realtor with PureWest, can be contacted regarding GNPG purchase inquiries at will@purewestMT.com or 406-871-7787.

The listing of GNPG mirrors the trajectory of Selkirk Snowcat Skiing — a British Columbian cat skiing operation — which hit the market last fall.

A price for Selkirk Snowcat Skiing wasn't made publicly available, and according to the operation's listing, it appears to still be for sale. Selkirk Snowcat Skiing's operating footprint is nearly double the size of Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia.