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So you want to go scrambling??? (Ossa Mountain) · Sat. Jul. 26th, 2025 - Sun. Jul. 27th, 2025
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Start: Saturday, Jul. 26th, 6:00 am
End: Sunday, Jul. 27th, 6:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting: Tuesday, Jul. 22nd, 6:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: TBD (either clubroom or zoom)
Description:
Alongside Skiing, scrambling is easily one of my favorite mountain activities, one that I’ve picked up having arrived in BC from the 2nd flattest state in the entire US.
Climbing up mountains without the use of ropes, scrambling routes opt for easier lines than typical alpine climbing, giving it a lower barrier for entry. No rope knowledge, nor any graded climbing skills are required. Instead, someone scrambling relies on route finding, decision-making, and the ability to keep a cool head (it’s worth noting that having climbing experience of any kind, while not necessary, is definitely helpful).
This trip is intended for the adventurous backpacker/climber who wants to try a route with some exposure, which is more technically difficult than a hike. With that being said, more experienced folks are absolutely welcome, with the awareness that this isn’t a peakbagging trip. The focus is to create a safe environment where people can push their boundaries – not to make risky decisions with the sole goal of standing at the top.
The plan will be to do Ossa Mountain, on the North end of Tantalus Provincial Park. From the trip reports & route descriptions I’ve read, Ossa should be a good objective for this kind of trip, it’s also <2h driving and is 2WD accessible. The one caveat is the rather adventurous and difficult approach, featuring ~2200m of elevation gain and a creek crossing. We’ll be splitting it up over two days to make it more doable, camping part of the way up. On Saturday we’ll plan on just getting to camp, then on Sunday, we’ll get an early start and plan on scrambling Ossa before hiking out. Maybe there’ll be time to stop in Squamish for a beer (or other beverage) afterwards.
Based on some sleuthing (reading trip reports and staring at satellite images), I think there’s a good chance that the route won’t be completely covered in snow. It may be a good idea to bring microspikes and poles regardless.
Lastly, I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at some trip reports, and do some of your own research on the route before deciding you want to join or before coming on the trip – I’ll link some of the ones that I’ve read.
Great description of approach and scrambling route, and great photos:
https://www.outdoorproject.com/canada/british-columbia/mount-ossa-meadows
https://www.outdoorproject.com/canada/british-columbia/mount-ossa-scramble-northwest-ridge
Completely different ‘approach’ but follows the same scrambling route, great photos:
https://stevensong.com/coastal-interior-bc/sea-to-sky/ossa-mountain/
Posted: 2025-05-19 17:52:59
Last modified: 2025-05-19 17:56:56