ALT AND NAV PROB IN LAS CLASS B AIRSPACE COUPLED WITH A TFC CONFLICT.

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I WAS ON A VECTOR OF 240 DEGS WITH A CLRNC TO CLB TO 4000 FT IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME WAS A LINE OF MOUNTAINS WITH THE LOWEST BEING 5700 FT. I BECAME PREOCCUPIED BY VERIFYING THAT I WOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT CLRNC OF THE TERRAIN; AND I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT I HAD CLBED THROUGH 4000 FT TO 4100 FT. AS SOON AS I REALIZED MY MISTAKE; I BEGAN A DSCNT BACK TO 4000 FT. MOMENTS LATER; ATC CLRED ME FOR 6500 FT; AND I BEGAN A CLB. ABOUT 5 SECONDS LATER; ATC CANCELED THE ALT CLRNC AND INSTRUCTED ME TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT; WHICH I PROCEEDED TO DO. 10 SECONDS LATER; THE CTLR ASKED ME WHETHER I HAD CLBED ABOVE 4000 FT; AND I REPLIED THAT I HAD CLBED TO 4100 FT (THE LAST ALT THAT I RECALLED BEING AT). THE CTLR THEN INFORMED ME THAT TFC WAS EITHER XING OVERHEAD OR NEARBY AT 4500 FT (I'M NOT SURE WHICH). I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER A LOSS OF SEPARATION OCCURRED HERE; AND IF SO; DID IT OCCUR BEFORE OR AFTER THE CTLR CLRED ME TO 6500 FT? THERE ARE SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS INCIDENT. THE MAIN FACTOR INVOLVES LACK OF PLANNING WITH REGARD TO AN UNFAMILIAR CLRNC GIVEN BY CLRNC DELIVERY. FOR THIS TRIP; I HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO DEPART N RWY 19; BUT DUE TO WINDS THAT DAY; THE RWYS WERE REVERSED; AND I FOUND MYSELF CLBING OUT ON A WESTERLY HDG INSTEAD OF A SOUTHERLY ONE. I SHOULD HAVE CONSIDERED THIS AFTER CLRNC DELIVERY ISSUED MY DEP CLRNC; AND SHOULD HAVE CONSULTED MY CHARTS WITH REGARD TO THE TERRAIN AROUND THE DEP RTE. I DID NOT SEE THE LINE OF MOUNTAINS THAT DISTR ME UNTIL I WAS AIRBORNE; SO I BECAME PREOCCUPIED WITH MY CHARTS. BECAUSE OF THIS; I OVERSHOT MY CLRED ALT. THE SECOND FACTOR INVOLVES ASSUMPTIONS THAT I MADE ABOUT MY RTE OF FLT. ON DEP; I HAD EXPECTED TO CLB VIA A SBOUND COURSE (FROM PLT GUIDE) AND PROCEEDED BY PILOTAGE BY FOLLOWING I-15 S TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. WHAT THE CTLR WAS DOING WAS VECTORING ME TO V-394. THIS WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY BROUGHT ME BACK TO MY INTENDED COURSE; BUT THE INITIAL SEGMENT HAD ME XING HIGH TERRAIN THAT I WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE AVOIDED. INITIALLY; I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS; AND I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE CTLR ABOUT HIS INTENTIONS AND ADVISED HIM OF MY INTENDED RTE OF FLT. SO IN ADDITION TO BEING DISTR BY TERRAIN AVOIDANCE; I WAS DISTR FROM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ATC WAS VECTORING ME TO; SO I WASN'T MINDING MY ALT. FROM NOW ON; I WILL CONSULT MY CHARTS BEFORE DEP IF I AM GIVEN AN UNFAMILIAR OR UNPLANNED CLRNC RTE. I WILL ALSO BE MORE PRO-ACTIVE IN ASKING ATC ABOUT THEIR INTENTIONS IF I AM BEING VECTORED IN AN UNEXPECTED DIRECTION. THESE STEPS WOULD HAVE AVOIDED ANY DISTRS IN BUSY AIRSPACE.