Home > Trip Reports > 11/10/18 Mount Bonaparte Lookout

11/10/18 Mount Bonaparte Lookout

11/10/18
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Posted by SmithSM on 11/10/18 11:15am
The Okanogan Highlands have started getting a little snow, so instead of heading up to Camp Muir with ten thousand of my closest friends, I tried my tempted fate with an early season route I've wanted to do for a while.

I arrived at the Mount Bonaparte trailhead (FS trail #306) around 10 am. Unsurprisingly, I was the only one on the trail. I skinned up to the lookout in about 1.5 hours. Snow depths were about half an inch near the trailhead but deepened to 10-12 inches of beautiful, fluffy, light powder near the summit (7257 feet). The lookout is closed for the season and it was cloudy and cold, so I pulled skins and headed down.

I skied about 1000 vertical feet in my skin track. It is very much still early season - I ran over a lot of rocks and roots. Too shallow to venture much off the trail, but even so, my bases will never be the same... I will definitely be back to do this one again once there is a little more snow. Great potential for low angle tree skiing and dry powder, given the climate east of the Cascades.

Anyone else ski in northeastern WA? I've asked around locally and heard people hit up Sherman Peak and Snow Peak, but that's about it.
Cool! I don't get out that way much, but keep posting and we'll know what's out there ;-)

Thanks for the post, the best part of TAY is those creative turns people get, and those are creative turns!  Don't worry about those bases, you'll never remember those skis, but you sure will remember skiing Bonaparte in November!

that is creative.  I like it!

Great report. I know from reading the visitor log at the Snow Peak cabin that skiers visit in winter.

As an aside, my bride and I hiked up Chewelah Mountain (49 Degrees North ski area) on Sunday in 2 to 3 inches of snow. Someone tried to ski it the day before - their bases will never to the same again either.

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SmithSM
2018-11-10 19:15:44