Crossover Pass Descent gets you from the top of Slesse straight back to your car, thus avoiding 25km of roads. The Crossover descent has a reputation of being complex and sketchy. From my experience, the route is somewhat complex in 2 critical spots, but no sketchiness is involved. Aside from one rap (30m) at the second critical spot, the entire route is easy going, with only one or two 4th class spots. That said, good visibility (>500m) is recommended if you choose to give it a go. Finally, a short (200m) but intense bushwhack is involved. Here's a detailed topo that I put together.

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damned elaborate! i'd like to skip the monster slog out the road next time for sure

out of curiosity, does this route pass by water-sources faster than the standard descent? that was the hella-worst part i thought - having to listen to that goddamn river for hours before finally being able to slurp off the mossy cliff

Road walk wasn't that bad at all IMO.. the trail down however was living hell. And as Ivan mentioned, the lack of water. I took a nice cold shower under the drippy cliff to fill a water bottle.

I went nuts listening to the creek on the descent and probably drank from the same mossy cliff. My fingers went instantly pruney as soon as I touched the water. Funny to hear that someone else had the exact same experience.

The whole descent was like Tantalus from Greek mythology.

dude - i think practically every mofo's who's ever done slesse drunk off that same cliff-scrotum and was jubiliant for it!

so again though, for those who have done the crossover - how quickly do you come on a water-source? seems like it's gotta be faster, even if it's not till you get back down to the memorial

In my delerious, dehydrated state I kept thinking to myself that there must be water there earlier in the year or else why would so many people take the standard descent over the Crossover.

Just so your question doesn't get hijacked by me, it would be nice to know about water on the Crossover while all of this beta is flying.

unless you go REALLY late in the season there is always snow.... if you go early the entire scree slope is a 5 minute glissade.

I'm a sucker for strong statements.

I was there in early August of 2004 and we didn't have any snow or water on the descent. I remember some snow on the bivi ledges but my partner swears there was none. It was in the mid 30s in Chilliwack so we had a pretty thirsty day.

Also if you look at the pic in the approach section of the McLane guide there is little or no snow. I have no idea when the pic was taken though.

Last winter was pretty good for snow, so the conditions you found may be a little wetter than some years.

It would be nice to go early and get snow on the descent, but I'd rather be thirsty on the descent than crushed by a serac.

You can always do like Max and launch your paraglider from the meadows below the Fraser Tower

Jer made this up after our trip over Crossover Pass two weeks ago.

The first chance for water would be the snow-slopes leading down from the initial notch where you leave the Slesse Creek descent ("Critical Routefinding 1"). These face North, and although we easily avoided the snow, I think it'd be a pretty rare year when there wasn't some left.

It was pretty slimy as we dropped down from the "Wooded Stump" to the "Orange Scree"; if you were hard up, you could squeeze some water from the scunge...

We had camped (en route to the N Rib) roughly where the "Orange Scree" meets the sub-alpine, and had no problems finding (slowly) flowing water there. I imagine those little streams flow all season.

Some additions and alternatives to your Crossover descent route.

The peak you have labeled as "Wooded Stump" is "Stumpy Hill" according to McLane.

The sketchy grassy traverse ends up at the bottom of the raps/start of the goat trail.

There's an alternative to the 200M bushwack section at the end. Here's the written description.

From the end of the scree descent below Stumpy Hill, at the bottom of the lowest rock buttress of Stumpy Hill (5,200') head East. Go through a granite boulder field with short cliffs above, then past a large flat granite slab where the slope starts to descend. Pass the slab on skiers right and pick up a brook/drainage, may be dry in late season. Follow the drainage ESE down through steep relatively open forest for about 1,000'(distance) to the top of a tree canopied rock gully(4,400'). Take this steep 4th class rock gully(possible rockfall potential) straight down to the center of the basin below the direct start of NEB of Slesse. Cross the basin and take the climbers trail back to the memorial plaque, but be aware you may be crossing the run-out zone of the bypass hanging glacier if it is still large.

As you approach the direct start of the NEB you can see this hidden rock gully from the basin. On Google Earth or Map you can see the boulder field, slab, and gully, but the rock in the gully does not show.

Looking back on the start of the Crossover descent, the route goes through the notch right above the highest snow.

What you two are arguing over as Stumpy Hill vs. Wooded Stump is in fact Mt Parkes named after Fred Parkes who was in on the FA of Slesse.

No, not the one in the photo, the one you come down from the ridge on.