Jumbo Pass 1999

Jumbo Pass Hut - Christmas Week 1999
Photos and Article: Peter LaGrandeur
this page last updated 2005 February 7

The Place

The Article

Jumbo Pass Hut was to be our back country ski trip for this year's Christmas week. The hut, one of five owned by the Columbia Valley Hut Society, is available on a reservation system.

Originally, our plan had been to retain the services of a local helicopter firm to fly us directly into the pass. However, it was learned that the Jumbo Pass area can be socked in on a frequent basis in the winter. If we were to arrive in the whirley bird in the pass area we may find the ground too obscured to attempt a safe landing resulting in having to return to the starting point. There would be no entitlement to a refund of our monies for the flight, We then decided to take the more time consuming approach which consisted of:

driving as close as we could to the pass - ~34km west of Invermere to a winter parking lot
snowmobiling westward to the base of the pass on an unplowed fire road, a further distance of 16km west of the winter parking lot. We hired Toby Creek Adventures (TCA) of Invermere, adjacent to Panaroma resort.
finally donning our laden backpacks, slapping on the skins, and humping our way the last 5km "UP"hill to the pass.
The departure several days later would consist of:

skiing down the mountain back to the trailhead
skiing along the 16km road to the winter parking lot
driving back to civilization, with a lengthy stop at the pub at Panorama resort, before the drive home to Calgary that evening.
Yes we played it safe with the transportation arrangements, but, as it turned out, we had clear blue sky days the whole time. Well, we did not complain. We had a great time and saved money by using snowmobiles instead of the helicopter.

Snowmobiles are fun, but they aren't for everyone. Some of us rode on the seat of the sled, while others reclined in the toboggans. Toboggan riders, on a reprise of this motorized snow journey, may wish to bring a gas mask in order to avoid the exhaust emissions.

TCA offered to let us "ski-jore" on a long rope behind the snowmobiles for the sixteen kilometres to the trailhead, however no wanted wanted to start the climb with rubbery exhausted legs, so we decided to just ride the distance.

For some of us, this was our second trip to Jumbo Pass, the first being a bicycle ascent five months previously. See the Purcell Circuit Cycle Tour elsewhere on this web site. We knew how steep the last five kilometres would be, and to attempt this with heavy backpacks in the deep snow would add to our challenge.

At the end of the day, after arriving at Junbo hut at sunset, it was decided that the ascent was MUCH easier on skis with backpacks compared to pushing bicyles and BOB trailers. The problem with the bicyles and gear was that it was all so heavy that we ended up doing the ascent in relays, making several trips for each relay to get all our stuff moved up the mountain. That previous summer we ended up climbing some sections several times.

Upon arrival, we found the hut as cozy and warm as it was last August, the area then still being covered with snow in mid summer. The hut sleeps eight very comfortably, and had a wood stove for heating.

We spent the next several days leisurely exploring the environs of the hut. The weather was gloriously warm, clear and calm for the time of year. (I can remember continuous days of grey cloud cover socking us in at places like Slocan Chief cabin in Kokanee Glacier provincial park at the same time of year.) We dug the mandatory snow pits and assessed the hazards before we ventured far from our refuge. We even went on several night ski tours in the pleasant temperatures and clear night skies. In the mornings, we could look east to see the cotton batten clouds far below us over the Invermere valley.

The trip out (another clear sunny day) was a skiier's adventure in paradise. We floated down the slope in the deep powder, either shuushing on the flatter sections, or bounding down through the steeps. We were soon at the trailhead, where we had lunch, before doing the stride 'n glide technique along the ten miles of snowmobile-broken fire road back to the cars. Stopping only once to wax, the kilometres flew by. The temperatures were colder in the valley compared to up on the pass and we arrived at our vehicles with snow moustaches.

The adjacent Jumbo Glacier is the site of a proposed year round ski resort. A web search will find numerous sites with information on this topic.

My new Scarpa T2 boots with the Chili binding system on Elan Monoblock parabolic skis performed well on this trip.