Moutn St Helens Beta wanted

Interested in Mount Saint Helens; I have passes for this Sunday (May 28). I skied it late April, I'm mostly curious if it will be worth lugging up skis or if I should just join my friends sliding down on their backsides. Thanks in advance!

I've heard tell of the pre-ski hike being about 2 miles right now. Unconfirmed though. I still think skis are the way to go; way more fun and much quicker on both the up and the down.

Thanks! exactly the sort of opinion I was hoping for!

Have you skied it?  You never forget your first volcano!  OR the second time.
It might be more work going up while carrying the gear (decisions to be made about skins and transitions vs. climbing the whole way), but you should be faster on the descent.  If you are a lone skier with climbers/booters, differing pace and sometimes route choice are factors.  Keep an eye to staying near them, which can conflict with getting the best skiing surface.  The boot track isn't always the best descent but you still have to stay on the descent line.  Entertaining in a whiteout....Most times I've done St. H it has been with non-skiers.
---If you ski a mountain while your crew hikes it, you are badass on the up and the down.   
---An oft-repeated TAY proverb is, "you're going anyway-might as well take your skis."   

The Swift Creek SNOTEL station shows 54 inches of snow on the ground currently -- it is at 4400ft basically along the ascent route.

wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/reportGenerator/vie...ue?fitToScreen=false

Sounds like you may not need to carry skis very much at all.

Did St Helens two weeks ago. We started at marble mtn snow park. Pretty sure climbers bivouac is still closed. It was a fairly long walk on dirt before we hit any snow. Didn't become enough to skin until above tree line. Roughly an hour and a half walk. The snow down low is going very fast though. I bet you won't be skinning till you're above 5500ft. That being said the answer is yes, always bring skis...