Jumbo Pass Update

benjamin.yeager , Tuesday 12th November, 2024 1:15PM

This is a summary of the previous six days (November 6-11) spent at the Jumbo Pass hut. Upon arrival there was not much snow on the hiking trail in, but we were able to skin up 90% of the trail. Coverage improved significantly above 1900m where we found anywhere from 60-90 cms of supportive snow. The bottom 20-25 cms of the snowpack is generally a MFcr. It was very windy on the 6th at all elevations with the wind coming from the SW. The first two days were clear and warm. Skiing stayed pretty good, but by the end of the 8th there was moist snow present on all solar aspects and elevations. On November 8, around 1030 am, we pushed into a steeper alpine slope, SE aspect, and the second skier on slope triggered a size 1.5 wind slab that appears to have run on a buried MFcr. The skier went for a 60-70 metre ride, no injuries or lost gear. The sun was out in full force that morning and the surface snow was moist. We underestimated the power of the sun, especially in a shallow snowpack. A lucky outcome considering the low coverage, and a great reminder to be patient as the snowpack is in its very early stages of development. Be wary of this MFcr layer as the next few storms stack up on top! On November 9 we received 10-20 cms of snow which greatly improved the skiing for the remainder of the trip! We skied all aspects down to 1900 m. We were able to drive right to the trailhead on the Eastern access. Not much snow down there yet.