Summited yesterday for my 5th time, 2nd time on the winter route.  Last year I ski-mo’d, so this year was my first time doing a normal hiking descent.

 We started at about 3:45 AM. I would recommend starting this early or earlier due to the snow conditions.  Snow is patchy for the first 3/4 of a mile or so and then the trail is completely snow covered, although there is a section of the Boulder field that is now exposed.   Snow is slushy until the last two pitches to the summit and then it is icy in places and softer in others.  Can’t recommend snowshoes enough, unless you like to post hole for miles.   I use MSR lightning ascents which are great for this kind of terrain and can handle steeper ascents.   There were people that used snowshoes all the way to the top, my friend and I switched to crampons at the 2nd to last pitch because it is steeper than my comfort for snowshoes and I like to duck step in my crampons which was the best technique imo to ascend the steepest section (along with using my axe).  Some people got by with spikes.  
We hiked through a whiteout but the clouds parted at the summit and it was gorgeous with no wind and sunshine.  Use caution as the crater rim is heavily corniced.  
Disagree with the review that glissading is not possible.    We glissaded most of the way down until it got too flat.  The slushy snow was perfect IMO because I don’t like to get going too fast and it saved us a lot of time and energy.  If you glissade remember to ditch your crampons or spikes and make sure you know how to self arrest.    I lost control twice near the top and had to do this.    I also suggest tracking your way up so that on the way down if you’re in a whiteout you can stay on track.  We accidentally veered down the monitor ridge route right after it split because we couldn’t see anything but a few footprints- luckily I checked my Gaia and we were able to get back on course! 
one final tip is just a reminder that the snow will reflect the sun onto the undersides of everything so make sure you apply sunscreen everywhere!   Inside the nose, under chin and under arms if you take off your long sleeves!
make sure you bring plenty of water and electrolytes and have fun!  

Hiked : 5/23/22
1. Road 83 and road conditions: Open and good
2. Parking: Plenty available. You can either sleep in the car or camp anywhere nearby
3. Trail conditions: Snow was there from the beginning but it was slushy all the way till where I reached ( May be 75 % ). And if I have to guess I would say it was like that till the top.
4. Gears needed : Snow shoes all the time due to slushy snow. Saw people wearing spikes but they were holing in.
5. Weather: Was partly sunny. Peak was bit cloudy from what I heard from people who went all the way
6. Time : I started at 4 am and returning at 4 pm even when i just did 75%. Factor in extra time due to non compact snow. Even with snow shoes you will make holes and spend extra energy with every step.
7. Glissading : Not possible or awkwardly in patches due to slushy snow. So prepare to walk all the way down.

Hiked on 5/20 on a perfectly clear and sunny day. We started at 2am to try to avoid some slush on the way up (which we did). We started in our boots and then used snowshoes pretty much up until the start of the rock portion around mile 3. Then just crampons until the top. The snow was compact until then and then was fresh powder with a few ice patches. The entire last half mile or so was all fresh powder so it was pretty nice to get up, no post holing when we went. We stopped at the crater rim because the true summit looked pretty sketchy with all the cornices about to drop-off. Perfect views of rainier, smoky crater, Adams and hood. I would definitely only do this on a clear day. The hike down was fine until we got to the bottom third, like another reviewer said, it was pretty much all slush so we put our snowshoes back on, otherwise we were pretty much postholing and sliding around everywhere.

I caught a brief weather window and climbed St Helens to celebrate the May 18 eruption anniversary.

I slept at the trailhead and started at 5AM. There is snow the entire route, starting with compact snow from the parking lot. The snow was walkable right up to where the route starts to get steeper. I put on crampons and had great, styrofoam-like snow through most of the middle section of the mountain. 

It was quite a bit colder on the top quarter of the climb and the snow became icier near the summit. I was very happy to have my crampons. Microspikes would have been fine. I used trekking poles but many other climbers used their ice axes. The summit was clear, windy, and very cold.

On my descent, the sunny day turned the snow on the lower third of the mountain to mush. When I started to posthole consistently I put on snowshoes. I had almost left them in the car, but I was damn glad to have them. 

Summary-- The gear that helped make this trip a success: crampons, snowshoes and gloves.

I've hiked Helens three times before and never needed snow shoes. This year I headed out with a friend on skis and we got a late start of 6 a.m. (compared to my usual start of 3:30 a.m.). The snow was very soft and while my friend was totally fine on skis, I was post holing all over. I of course left my snow shoes in the car, thinking the trail would firm up. We made it a little over 3.5 miles and then I threw in the towel and we turned around. Lesson learned! Bring snowshoes. Or learn to ski ;) Otherwise the road was fine, plenty of parking, and still snow on the trail the whole way.