Jumbo Pass should stay as it is

Sep 29, 2009

Letter to the Editor
By Dieter Kindl, Austria
Invermere Valley Echo
September 29, 2009

As I came to your beautiful country about forty years ago, I had the opportunity to get to know the wonderful Columbia Valley with its magnificent mountains, impressive rivers, lakes, forests and charming people spoiling me with their great hospitality.

As Ski school director on North Star Mountain in Kimberley and Senior member of the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance I was also assisting to improve the Ski School at Panorama Mountain.

We already instructed Carving Skiing at this time. In those days nobody in Europe would believe that Carving was already taught in the late sixties, demonstrated by the Canadian Inter Ski Team in Germany in 1970. I had the honour to be a member of this team.

During my stay in Columbia Valley (1965-1970) all my intentions pointed towards developing Helicopter Skiing in the Purcell Mountains. First out of Kimberley, later up to Jumbo Pass. I skied most of the glaciers, surrounding this exciting pass area for the very first time, so I was told.

Art Druet was my Pilot. In very small copters it was difficult to find accurate landing spaces.

In 1968 I was able to lease twenty five acres Crown land from the government. Jack McLean, a well-known artist and other friends from Cranbrook, Kimberley and Invermere helped me to build the first hut on Jumbo Pass in 1969.

In the following winter we used the hut with up to ten skiers for Heli Skiing.

In 1970 I returned to Austria, managing Obertauern, a well-known ski resort in the Alps, where I later became mayor in 1989. With my family I returned several times to British Columbia and the Columbia Valley for vacation and visiting good old friends.

For the first time after forty years, on the August 28th of this year I returned to Jumbo Pass with the intention to visit our ski hut built in 1969. To our surprise we found the hut rebuilt by an alpine group supported by the government. We were happy about this improvement for hikers and maybe for Heli Skiers. As well surprised, but in an unhappy way, we heard about the discussions and plans to develop Jumbo Pass into a big ski area.

A drive for more than thirty miles from Invermere to the trailhead and a wonderful hike up to Jumbo Pass through untouched, impressive nature convinced us deeply that this area should stay as it is!

The existing, surrounding ski areas are plenty enough for the need of Alpine Skiers from all over the world.

For all future generations and for the joy of mountain hikers and maybe for Heli Skiing in restricted times and manners, we hope the people of the Valley will continue to stand up against the plans to develop Jumbo Pass.

Jumbo Pass should stay as it is!

....And the mountains shall bring peace to the people.