Joss Mountain, Monashees: Seeking The Halloween Powder

Adventurers at heart, Iannick Cyr-Michaud and I drove up a busy forestry road in search of more early-season Halloween powder. This time, we were looking for the perfect snow around Joss Mountain, located in the Monashee Range, seizing the opportunity to scope out this seldom explored terrain. To put it plainly, the Monashees are all about three things: steep chutes, pillow fields, and perfectly spaced old-growth trees. It was thin out there but we made a sweet day out of it!

Related: Ski Touring Mt Macpherson: Glacial Day In The Womb

skier jumping around on a mellow slope on Joss Mountain
Iannick hoping from stump to stump, a testimony to his playful style. Photo: The Uptrack

Report from October 23, 2019

After an hour-long sunrise drive up the forest service road, we began our adventure not by skinning up some difficult terrain, but by completing a morning yoga routine. Iannick’s back had unexpectedly locked up. What a fabulous start to our day!

skier stretching at sunrise above the monashee mountains
Sunrise yoga is the best remedy for a knotted back… minus the poor form. Photo: The Uptrack

After dealing with the pain, we stuck our skins to our bases and proceeded up the remainder of the road on foot, most of which was buried in snow too deep for his mighty 4WD truck. The calming silence was only interrupted by the loud crunch of our skis breaking through yesterday’s rain crust. Hoping the rain had transitioned to snow in the alpine during the previous storm cycle, we pressed on shoving the thought aside for the moment. Any day in the mountains is a good day!

man touring up a forestry road toward joss mountain
Iannick heading up a deserted forestry road with part of our objective in sight. Photo: The Uptrack

After a difficult bushwack up a recent cutblock, we climbed up a steep ravine to a col between two gnarly peaks where we spotted a large chute facing west. We opted to ski the chute after assessing the avalanche hazard based on our snowpack observations on the way up.

Snow Facts
Due to heavy rain coupled with strong NW winds, there was a 3cm rain crust lying on 70cm of consolidated snow at 2000m. Signs of water percolation over the crust was present. The snowpack below the crust appeared stable. It’s worth noting further snow accumulation over the slippery crust will be extremely unstable. Be aware.
For more information, look up the reports posted on the Mountain Information Network.


The skies parted, rewarding us with a glorious view of the surrounding peaks. With a little more snow, the face lying across the valley would be prime ski terrain judging from its numerous diving board and pillow fields.

view of Joss Mountain in the monashee
A view from just above the col. Can’t wait to go back and ski some chutes there! Photo: The Uptrack

Iannick hurried ahead carving a meandering path through the old-growth forest as the sun was warming up our southern aspect. Speed was key here: the warming snowpack wouldn’t remain stable for very long.

skier skinning up Joss Mountain
Iannick trailblazing through sparse trees. One of the few times we’ve seen sunlight over the last month. Photo: The Uptrack

We eventually climbed to the top of the chute and found an icy crust eroded by strong winds. The poor snow quality did not bother us one bit. The view the ridge spanning off the top of Joss Mountain was simply stunning. The Monashee Range delivered!

man looking at the monashee mountains
Iannick taking in the view. The Monashees are an unexplored gem of a range. Photo: The Uptrack

After struggling to fold my ultra-sticky skins for a solid five minutes, we packed our gear and transitioned for the descent.

skier preparing his gear for skiing down
Iannick playing around with his fancy Salomon skins. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the view. Photo: The Uptrack

I won’t lie: the beginning of the chute wasn’t great… as expected. My dull edges were no match for the wind-blown snow, crust, and rocks that were encountered. However, there is no substitute for good technique. Both Iannick and I executed careful jump turns down the slope until we overcame the difficult section.

skier slashing a turn down a steep chute o Joss Mountain
Iannick killing it down the difficult conditions. Photo: The Uptrack

Later, we reached the same ravine we skinned up, scarred at its bottom by an open creek. The stiff rain crust made for tough work, but nothing could stop us at that point. We launched off snowy stumps and slashed quick turns inches from the creek. We had a blast!

skier jumping off a snowy rock
Iannick launching off a boulder. Gotta love the Monashees! Photo: The Uptrack

We had already skied back to the truck by 1 PM, excited to have crossed off our extensive bucket list yet another run. A short, but sweet run on Joss Mountain.

We returned to Revelstoke just in time to enjoy handcrafted brews on the outdoor patio of the Mt. Begbie Brewery. Under the blazing afternoon sun, we discussed our next objectives and dreamt of further exploring our mountains.

Route Info