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Cloudraker Mountain

Round Trip: 21.9 km Total Elevation Gain: 2283 m Car-To-Car Time: 16 hours Party: Tiger, Oleg and Milan We started from the truck (280m) in the dark morning with our headlamps, following a bushy old logging road for 3km before ascending the left-hand ridge. Above a large cut block, we found a flagged route which we followed briefly before navigating our own path. Snowshoes were donned at a boulder field (~1180m). A supportive crust made trail-breaking efficient, but extensive, frozen avalanche debris proved tedious and hazardous, often shifting underfoot on steeper slopes. We reached frozen Dewdrop Lake after 4.5 hours for a long break. Continuing, we turned right before reaching Salamander Lake, ascending onto more engaging terrain - steep, rolling, and requiring ice axes for several sections. This route offered superior scenery to the standard Salamander Lake approach, albeit longer and more undulating. The initial gully appeared manageable, but icy snow conditions required firm kicking for purchase. Two ice axes were mandatory on this particular day. The upper gully narrowed to ~4m and was very steep. Existing the gully, we took another break before the final steep push to the West Peak, which we reached after 9 hours of climbing. With daylight waning and concerns about descending the icy gully in darkness, we made a short 10-minute lunch stop on the West Peak. Oleg made a quick 10-minute traverse to tag the higher East Summit while we prepared to descend. The descent was slow and careful due to hard, icy snow and steep terrain. We reached our cached snowshoes at the gully’s base at last light. The remainder of the descent from the lakes to the truck was fast, utilizing crampons and headlamps only. We returned to the truck just before 10 PM. This was a physically challenging winter climb with complex terrain and variable snow conditions (crust, ice, avalanche debris). The scenic alternative route and the steep gully climb are highlights, but the objective hazards and long timeline require strong fitness, early starts, and careful time management.