Home > Trip Reports > March 29, 2007, Mt. St. Helens

March 29, 2007, Mt. St. Helens

3/29/07
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3436
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Posted by Oyvind_Henningsen on 4/2/07 12:07am
Tobae McDuff and I went to St. Helens to ski before having to buy a permit (April 1).  Drove down at 8:30 pm Wednesday night - approx. 3.5 hours from Bothell.  Slept under clear skies in the parking lot.  Going a round 6 am and made a pretty leisurely progress to the top.  Snow at the parking lot.  Can skin to the top with ski crampons.  Great views from the top, clear sunny day.  Snow a little hard for the first 300 ft, rest was good skiing.  On our way again by 1 pm, back in Bothell a little past 5 pm.  No better way to spend a day at the office!
Anyone else want to try St. Helens on the next clear day?  contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks for the report -- I have a question:

I'm planning on making the ascent soon...during april most likely, and I've never done St. Helens before. I'll be on a regular (not split) snowboard, but I'd like to avoid using snowshoes. I have universal crampons that I can use w/ snowboard boots/hiking boots on the firms steeps. I think right now, it's snow from the TH all the way to the top, no? How were the snow conditions overall on your ascent? Would I have been post-holing? If I remember correctly it was still fairly cool in the valleys and mountains without a lot of direct sun on the just at the end of March.

Phreadi leave early enough and postholing won't be an issue on the way up.  The way down though??  That depends on how far you can ride down.  Between waiting for the corn to ready and watching Helens fart, postholing will be the last thing on your mind.  Plus postholing builds character and those oh so covitted torture points.  Good luck!

Phreadi, I was doing a search on St Helens and wondered if you had been up yet?  I'm planning to go April 27-28 leaving from Seattle.  Let me know if you're still looking to go.  There might be 3-4 of us. Teles, and boarders.
Rusty

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march-29-2007-mt-st-helens
Oyvind_Henningsen
2007-04-02 07:07:29