Maintaining the trails at a ski resort can be an adrenaline rush as snowcat operators drive up extreme inclines and maneuver through snow. It is a technical job that requires hours of training and planning even before getting on the trails.
At the Antelope Butte Ski Resort in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, Chase Walden has been preparing to drive snowcats since he was 12 years old. While can't wait to get out and ski the trails, he dreams of grooming them.
Walden began by volunteering wherever he could as he slowly worked up the ranks at the ski resort, becoming an employee a few years later.
Last winter the day after he turned 18, Walden was in the parking lot in the snowcat taking it for a slow spin.
Walden was finally legal to drive the machine himself and was learning how to use the various controls before hitting the slopes. Walden, an avid snowboarder, is now looking forward to finally grooming the trails himself this year as he continues to fine-tune his skills.
“I love it, honestly,” Walden said. “When I first got in the snowcat, going up and down real steep trails was probably the best feeling I've ever felt.”
Ryan Morris, director of mountain operations for Antelope Butte, has been training Walden not just on operating the snowcat, but on the mechanics of keeping the cat running.
Morris oversees all the mechanics on the mountain from the snowcats to the chairlifts, and Walden has been shadowing Morris for years.
Chase Walden, 19, is one of two snowcat operators at Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area. (Courtesy Photo) 
Ryan Morris, operations manager at Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area, said that he is careful about which trails he and Chase Walden groom with the snowcats at the mountain. Suze Moose is one of the easiest routes they tackle but still has its challenges. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Last Tango is a black diamond run and one of the toughest to groom according to Chase Walden, 19, who has been training to groom the steep terrain at Antelope Butte Ski Resort in the Big Horn Mountains. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily)
Maintaining The Trails
“We only groom so many trails in these snowcats since they can only go so many places,” Morris said. “We keep it pretty minimal, because we're trying to take good care of our cats and not go too many places and wreck things.”
The Butte has two PistenBully 400 Park Pro snowcats, a 2016 and a 2017, to maintain the trails.
One of the hardest trails to groom is Last Tango since it has more than a 30-degree slope at the top headwall, Walden said. The operators also want to make sure that they don’t drive into deep snow and create a hole.
“It’s crazy steep to the point where you can start sliding and spin your snowcat 90 degrees the opposite way,” Walden said. “It is definitely the hardest to groom, but it's fun.”
Morris said that as an operator, you always need to be looking 180 degrees and ensure you're not going to run into anything.
As a snowboarder and skier, himself, Morris said that operating a snowcat gives him a different perspective of the mountain.
“You get to learn the mountain in a different way when you're in a snowcat (compared to) when you're skiing and snowboarding. You get to zoom in and out of everything and kind of explore the mountain at a different aspect,” Morris said.
Knowing the different snow conditions is also important when determining which trails to groom and how to approach the steep drops.
“You get the adrenaline going, especially when you are going up and the engine's just screaming and you're spinning your tracks,” Walden said. “It is kind of scary and risky at the same time.”
Last Tango is a black diamond run and one of the toughest to groom according to Chase Walden, 19, who has been training to groom the steep terrain at Antelope Butte Ski Resort in the Big Horn Mountains. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Ryan Morris and 19-year-old Chase Walden operate the snowcats at Antelope Butte and say that the job is challenging, but rewarding. They get a different perspective of the mountain as they groom the trails and the steep inclines. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Ryan Morris and 19-year-old Chase Walden operate the snowcats at Antelope Butte and say that the job is challenging, but rewarding. They get a different perspective of the mountain as they groom the trails and the steep inclines. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
The trails on the mountain at Antelope Butte can be steep for a skier or snowboarder, but driving it in a snowcat can be even more challenging! Teenager Chase Walden has been training for years to drive the snowcat and said that it has taken hours of cab time to be able to maneuver the machine over the trails. (Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area)
Behind The Scenes
General Manager John “J.D.” DeVito said that the roles Walden and Morris serve at Antelope Butte are critical to the resort.
“Your primary components are lifts and lift maintenance, groomers and groomer maintenance,” DeVito said. “After that, you get into patrol and lift operations.
"Everything else is secondary to mountain operations itself.”
Walden describes himself as a multi-tool and is always eager to learn as much as he can about running the mechanical side of things at the ski resport. He is grateful that Morris and others have been so willing to share their knowledge.
“I can run a snowcat, build terrain park features and do the mechanics,” Walden said. “I've just been trying to absorb it all as much as I can.”
Walden moved to Sheridan when he was 12 and missed snowboarding, so even before Antelope Butte was open for the season, he was hiking up during the off-season to volunteer his time.
“I started helping in the rental shop and then I got involved in the terrain park a little bit later,” Walden said. “I just stuck with it and just love the family and the community I found here.”
Walden has also learned chairlift mechanics and his education is ongoing. He said that the key is asking as many questions as possible and having those around him willing to share their knowledge.
“Chase is awesome and has a lot of ambition for a teenager,” Morris said. “Recently Chase has been training and getting comfortable with the cat and I'm out grooming with him to help him out.”
The best education for Chase has been job shadowing Morris, and he has spent hours with his mentor in the passenger seat of the cat.
He is now excited to be in the driver’s seat, learning the controls and how to safely maneuver the trails in the machine.
“Driving snowcats and working here is my dream job,” Walden said. “I just want to give back to the Butte for all these opportunities they have given me.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
