Home > Trip Reports > Feb 18-19 Scottish Lakes High Camp BC Ski

Feb 18-19 Scottish Lakes High Camp BC Ski

2/15/09
Canada BC
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Posted by RafMax on 2/20/09 12:43pm
The weeks preceding our trip to the Scottish Lakes High Camp looked bleak, low snowpack, warm weather, and no freshies.  Scot'teryx had earned a complimentary trip for a cabin at Scottish lakes a few years earlier and decided now was the time to use it....and he was right! Scott invited Hendershot, myself, and Brent Wozow.  We were determined to have a good time regardless of the chonder blasted snow we were bound to encounter, but then, the night before we were to depart for there came a report from High Camp of 9-12 inches of new snow at the camp just two days earlier. Stokage levels were high.

We left early and had a delicious breakfast at the 59'er diner and cought our ride to high camp on suburbans and sleds. Arriving at the camp we quickly geared up and set off into the mountains. We followed a series of marked nordic trails leading us to the base of Mccue ridge which we then ascended to it's high point. After scoping the route that we thought would offer a good tour the next day we picked a steep line to drop into the trees on the east face of the ridge. The snow turned out to be far better and deeper than any of us had expected....some of the best I've skied in WA. We skinned back to camp, chilled, and plotted our course for the next day.

The morning sky showed nothing but blue as we made our way to our objective, a peak we dubbed Ranger-Ranger. The conditions all the way
there were excellent. As we got higher and closer to the peak the wind picked up and had significantly affected the quality of the snow
from about 6600ft to the summit at c. 7300ft. Brent and Hendershiz summited while Scott and I cruised down and yo-yo'd some of the
less wind scoured snow at about 6200ft. Our ski out was awesome, pretty much what everyone had hoped for in the tour. The snow was of
equal quality of the steep-and-deep we had skied the day before and the tour was really nice too. Good snow, good weather, good friends...good times.

An adventurous BC skier could find a lot of remote, super sick terrain in the Chiwaukums.

Note: T-A-Y skier "Neil Turner" was also staying at high camp and joined us on day 2. Good tele skier.

Good to see the goods gettin' gotten at Scottish Lakes.  Did you have 1 night there or 2?
Where is Ranger-Ranger from McCue Ridge? 

Funny you bumped into Ed (kneelturner) he recommended my girlfriend and I try and book a weekend up there, we did not get the booking, but seems he did. Glad you all had a good time. One of these days I will get to go too.

Chris

We had 1 night. Ranger-Ranger is one of the three high points of the area and it connects directly to Mccue ridge via ridgeline...more or less.

The peak wasn't named on USGS but it was right on a division mark that said "ranger-ranger"

Took awhile, but I finally compiled a photo gallery of 100 photos from our trip.
Some taken with my new camera in around high camp, and some on the trips we took while we were there (with another camera, new camera is too heavy)

http://climbwashington.com/reports/scottishLakes021809.asp

Scottish Lakes in an awesome place, and highly recommended for anyone who has never gone.
Hospitality, comfort and great access to the high country. I can see myself spending a few more days there next year and setting up a bivy spot to allow more time to get to the Chiwakums for some sweet lines.

It was cool to meet Ed (Neil Turner) while we were up there, it's a small world for sure.
Congrats to Ed on his engagement (he proposed while he was up there, and she skis!)

Thanks for the company Rafeizzle, Henderfuz and Rabbitdibble. Good times for sure.

Nice egg mcmuffin shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks for the great trip report and fantastic pictures!

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feb-18-19-scottish-lakes-high-camp-bc-ski
RafMax
2009-02-20 20:43:50