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| ~Jumbo Pass Trailhead~ |
We have both been up to Jumbo Pass in the early season, when you can still drive most of the way to the trailhead, and had an excellent time. This year, Kyle managed to book the hut in mid-February and we were pretty excited to see what it was like in the middle of winter. The Jumbo Cabin can be accessed from Invermere to the east or Meadow Creek to the west. Our original plan had been to meet some friends from Nelson at the hut and spend a week up there together, but like most of our plans during COVID the group dwindled down to just me and Kyle a few weeks before departure.
We spent two nights at Panorama prior to heading into Jumbo which gave us a perfect jumping off point for the trip. As our dates approached, the weather forecast got worse and worse, forcing frequent conversations about possibly bailing and contingency plans. It was going to be sunny, with stable avalanche conditions, but it was going to be COLD!
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| The forecast for our week at Jumbo included highlights such as highs of -30° and 60% relative humidity |
We made a game time decision to head up to the hut, with lots of layers and a booster pack to help start the sled at the end of the trip. We drove up the active logging road to the sled staging area and passed a logging truck who was stuck because their brakes had frozen up. It was -20 in the sun and was forecast to be even colder all week. Bundled up for the 20km sled ride to the trailhead, we made good time initially until we encountered a deep creek crossing. After piling snow on the banks to make a ramp, Kyle made it across without issue, but I think my foot got a bit wet ferrying gear across which led to a frostbite injury on my toes that I discovered when we arrived at the hut.
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| One of the many obstacles to face on adversity day |
Not much further up the road, a moment of distraction lead to an hour of digging when we drove too close to the side of the trail and got the sled hopelessly stuck. This was followed by another hour of digging at the trailhead when we got stuck trying to turn the powder piggy around. By the time we had finally got organized to start up the skin track, it had taken us 3.5hrs from truck to trailhead.
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| Isn't digging so much fun? |
Already wiped out from all the digging in the cold, we hoisted our heavy packs filled with food and fuel for 5 days. We marched up the hill in silence, lost in our own private pain caves. After missing an early turn we ended up on the steep summer trail. By the time we realized our error, we had already gained the ridge and it didn't make sense to descend to the more direct winter route. The summer trail gains the pass to the south of the cabin, adding extra elevation and distance to the approach rather than following the path of least resistance up the creek bed to the low point of the pass where the hut sits.
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| Low on energy, high on stoke |
The last few kilometers to the hut were a bit desperate. We were racing daylight and the temperature was plummeting. It had been a high output, low calorie day and by the time the hut came into view, Kyle was bonking.
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| Alpine glow on Bastille Mountain |
The hut was still warm from the party that had been there the night before and we got a fire roaring and dinner cooking right away. We were pleasantly surprised to find cold beers, red wine and lots of spare fuel too! Some people fly into the hut rather than sled and tour in, hence the surplus in luxury items which we were happy to enjoy.
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Hello Jumbo Pass Cabin!
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| Surprise beer is the best kind of beer, especially after a long, cold day |
After our harrowing day, it was a lazy next morning before getting out for a ski. Due to the cold temps, we opted to stay close to the hut for all of our ski missions. The conditions were epic with clear blue skies, cold deep powder and a super stable snowpack. It was awesome to be able to ski for a few hours then warm up with a hot lunch and coffee before spending the afternoon shredding more pow.
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| We found all the bluebirds at Jumbo Pass |
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| Out for a lap above the cabin |
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| Extra bundled |
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| Dropping into pow town |
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| Skin track to heaven |
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| Kyle finds the goods |
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| A little sample of the Kootenay cold smoke before dinner |
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| Cabin labs |
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| Endless sunsets at -27 |
On Tuesday night, after an amazing day of skiing, we got in touch with Connor who updated us with the avalanche conditions and weather predictions. We also made use of the inReach weather report which turned out to be incredibly accurate with hourly temps, wind, and snowfall for the next few days. The news was better than expected. We had been planning on skiing out Wednesdaymorning because the forecast called for a drop in temperature with highs of -30 on Thursday and Friday. Concern that the sled wouldn't start and we would be caught out in the cold was weighing heavily on Kyle so when we got word that the high for Friday had improved to -17 and made the call to stay for the full week we were able to settle in and relax a bit more.
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| Another morning in paradise |
Wednesday was another stellar bluebird day full of smiles and face shots in the playful terrain below the hut.
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| Over the head face shots |
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| Fun in the sun |
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| Admiring our tracks |
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| Bottomless |
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| Back to the hut |
Thursday was the coldest day of the trip and despite the enticement of deep powder, we made an early decision to spend the day at the hut. A forced rest day in the backcountry is a luxury that I savour. Having the entire day stretch out in front of you with no tasks, emails or mindless scrolling through phones felt too good to be true. Kyle and I read books, sketched, played games, and lounged around sipping tea (and later wine) deep in conversation. It was a great day of connection and relaxation.
Our final day we had one final pow lap back to the sled. There were a few minutes of tension as the machine did not want to start, despite the booster pack, but it finally putt-putted to life in a cloud of smoke and we were off down the road. One kilometre from the truck, the hitch for our little toboggan snapped so Kyle went back to rescue it as I warmed up in the truck. I had been trying very hard to avoid a second injury to my frostbitten toes. My boot heaters definitely paid for themselves this trip.
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| Fresh pow all week |
Jumbo is a magical place and I can't wait to return (hopefully with our friends) very soon.
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