A BE33 PLT CLBED ABOVE 17500 FT IN SEA AIRSPACE IN ORDER TO REMAIN VMC AND ABOVE THE ICING LAYER. ATC ASSISTED VMC DSCNT PLANNING.

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DEPARTED AFTER RESEARCHING WX AND RECEIVING A FULL BRIEF FROM FSS. KNEW THERE WAS ICING ABOVE 8000 FT; SO DETERMINED TO STAY OUT OF CLOUDS. HAD JUST COMPLETED GND PORTION OF BFR; DISCUSSED THAT IT WAS BETTER TO GO HIGH THAN FLY THE ROADS AND CANYONS. WHILE FLYING UP THE VALLEY; CLBED PROGRESSIVELY TO MAINTAIN VFR. LAYER BELOW WAS SOLID; BUT KNEW ZZZ3 TO BE SCATTERED. CHKED IN WITH FLT WATCH AND CONFIRMED ZZZ3 STILL SCATTERED. ALSO RECEIVED FORECAST UPDATES INDICATING TOPS AT 12000 FT. HAD CLBED TO 17500 FT -- ACFT PERFORMING WELL. PLT HAD BEEN ON OXYGEN SINCE CLBING ABOVE 10500 FT. N OF LAKE; LAYER SEEMED TO CONTINUE TO RISE. TO MAINTAIN CLOUD SEPARATION AND OUT OF ICING; CLBED ABOVE 17500 FT. ATC FLT FOLLOWING CTLR ADVISED I WAS ABOVE VFR LIMITS IN CLASS A AIRSPACE. I INFORMED NO CHOICE AND NO APPARENT DIRECTION IMPROVED SIT. I DEVIATED TO NE -- POSSIBLE LOWER LAYER. ALTHOUGH CTLR ADVISED DOWN; I INDICATED I WAS DSNDING BUT COULDN'T GO INTO IMC. HDOF TO ZZZ3 SECTOR VERY HELPFUL. ATC LOOKING FOR HOLES. ZZZ3 STILL RPTING CLR E OF ARPT. FOUND HOLE; DSNDED. LANDED ZZZ4. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA ABOUT THIS INCIDENT. THE CTLRS DID NOT ASK HIM TO DECLARE AN EMER IN ORDER TO ENTER CLASS A AIRSPACE AND APPEARED WILLING TO ASSIST.