SummitPost.org

Hi folks,

Does anyone have gear recommendations for climbing Mt. St. Helens in late April/early May?

Cheers,

Ant

Skis. If you don't ski then snowshoes/ice axe/crampons.

Just because the volcanic eruption knocked off 1, 312' of the original 9,677' doesn't mean you won't run into a fair amount of snow for this time of the year.

lcarreau wrote:Just because the volcanic eruption knocked off 1, 312' of the original 9,677' doesn't mean you won't run into a fair amount of snow for this time of the year.

There should be snow through May. Skiing the mountain on Mother's Day is a local tradition. Everyone wears dresses over their ski clothes, including the dudes. Saw it with my own eyes.

GOod thing everyone was in skis or they may have been tempted to include heels with their ensemble!

Thanks folks. And I know there's snow on Helens... I'm not entirely ignorant to that white blob I can see from Portland on clear days haha.

Looks like snowshoes for me.

According to the above link permits are required year round. When I did St Helens the permit was only necessary part of the year. When did they change that?

ExcitableBoy wrote:According to the above link permits are required year round. When I did St Helens the permit was only necessary part of the year. When did they change that?

Maybe you're thinking of the fee? Between Nov 1st and Mar 31st, a permit is required, but, if I'm reading this right, the permit is free. You only have to pay from Apr 1st until Oct 31st, but you always have to have a permit. Or... it could very well have been the way you remember it, and they changed it and just don't acknowledge that it was ever any other way (i.e. we have always been at war with Eastasia). I'm trying to restrain my snark about the $7 service fee that is non-refundable in the event of an unannounced closure for which the page tells you to "plan accordingly." Harumph.

(Honestly, that whole page could be written more simply; I read legalese pretty fluently, and I had to read parts of that page twice.)