We were three skiers who skinned up the Worm Flows route (also known as the 'Winter Route') of Loowit. We started our trip at 7:30AM from the Marble Mountain Sno-Park. The lot was not crowded as a permit is now required to reach the crater. A strong fog persisted for the first three miles of our trip and we started with minimal layers as the humidity was super high. The weather report was not very promising as high winds and snow were predicted near the summit so we hoped to get as far up as possible to see what we could achieve.

The sun started to peak through the clouds at around 5,200 feet. Along with the sun came some stronger winds so we took a quick break to layer up. The snow became icy at around 6,200 feet so we put on our ski crampons to have better traction. The wind got stronger as we got closer to the summit and the surface showed signs of rime ice. As we persisted through the rough conditions, the clouds started clearing out and we finally saw better views around us. The last 500 feet were rough as winds picked up to 25 miles per hour but we persevered and reached the crater rim at around 1:20PM. We were greeted with views of Tahoma and Pahto in the distance and Loowit's epic crater.

The sun helped soften the snow on our descent but the first 1,000 feet from the summit caused our skis to chatter a lot. We then got some sweet corn snow for the rest of our descent which was so much fun. We saw evidence of wet loose avalanches closer to the bottom near the trees and I managed to get my ski stuck for a little bit in a steep spot. Luckily I was able to get free with the help of my trusty shovel and we enjoyed the last two and a half miles in the trees. We were back at the car around 3:30PM and celebrated our success with beers and guacamole.

My main takeaways:

• Depending on conditions, ski crampons can be super helpful for keeping the skis on the entire way up!
• Timing really matters. Make sure you consider how long it will take to reach the summit and when you'll ski down. Conditions change a lot throughout the day.
• Keep an eye out for slope angles when conditions heat up. There are a lot of steep slopes with large cornices and opportunities for avalanches.

Began @ 0400 and hiked by full moonlight.  Sunny and warm softened snow late in the day, crampons/snowshoes required.  Crystal clear views of Mts. Rainier, Adams & Hood.  Glissaded most of the way down.  10 hours return.

Great weather day to summit Helens! Warm temps and no wind. Started at 12:45am and made it to the top for sunrise. 
Started out with micro spikes and switched to crampons near 4800’. Could have finished with spikes but crampons made it much easier. 

**LOST** my friend left her OR jacket with her cell phone it on a rock near 4800’ but it was gone when we returned ( see of pic #4). Appreciate a response if you picked it up. 

Were you climbing Helens early today with your yellow lab named Odin? He was a Very Good Boy who brought joy to a lot of climbers out there... and I took a photo of you guys around sunrise as I was stopping to rest. Photo is in this report, but I’d love for you to get a copy!

In any case, quick report for Worm Flows. However, note that this report is almost certainly out of date almost immediately, because Helens is expecting a storm and new heavy snow tomorrow (Sunday, March 28).

For the climb today, set out around 4 AM to get the best snow conditions and avoid the zoo we knew it would be on this final weekend before permits begin in April. Even with an early start, there were still plenty of folks already out!

Trail from the TH to the treeline was well packed and easy to follow by headlamp. We started in spikes but switched to crampons around Chocolate Falls - which was a good move. The early snow was hard and between icy conditions and some strong gusty wind, crampons really helped. The path to the summit was also clear with a fairly good bootpath to follow, but please make sure you have navigation. It’s easy to get off track, especially on the way down and if you take glissade tracks.

As the sun came up, the snow did begin to soften, but still had an icy crust. We were concerned about slab avalanches, which is part of why we wanted to be in and out early.

One thing that was annoying was people attempting to glissade - the chutes were too frozen and all they did was send big balls of ice crust down on climbers going up. Don’t be dumb, guys... glissading may be fun, but don’t put your fellow climbers in danger. I also saw some glissading in crampons... please also don’t do this, unless you want to break an ankle or leg or something.

Due to the conditions, we hoofed it back down most of the mountain. There were a few glissading tracks that were soft enough further down the mountain that we got to take a few, which was refreshing!

By late morning on our way down, it was sunny and warm and the snow was getting soft and slick. Did see some folks skinning up having difficulty, and slippage by climbers not prepared with traction or using snowshoes that didn’t have enough bite to them. Based on the trip report from the Helens Research Institute, we had packed our snowshoes and those helped a lot on the final third of the trip back out, since the snow was soft and deep. It wasn’t fun hauling the snowshoes all the way up, but in the end we were thankful we had them!

All in all a great trip. This is always a fun, if a bit punishing, climb!

Note: if you lost a pair of red prescriptions glasses, I have them! Please email me at tmulc18 at gmail dot com so I can return them! Found them while skiing down. 

Arrived at 11pm the night before and still had to park about .6 miles from the trailhead.  We started skinning at the trail at 8:15 am, and the ascent to the rim took 5 hours.  I was on a split board and my partner was on skis.  I was having issues with the slick snow, so I put on ski crampons and used them for the majority of the ascent.  Didn’t have any slippage issues after that, so we were able to avoid boot packing up to the top, which I think saved a lot of time.  

We stopped at the rim to take some photos and have lunch before we left our skis and put on boot crampons as we made our way to the true summit, which only had a few people on it.  Right as we got there, a snowmobiler arrived, and he said it took him only 15 minutes to sled up! The summit was scarily corniced, so we only stayed for a few minutes before walking back.

The snow was a bit crusty during the first 1000 feet of our descent, but eventually softened into a nice corn for 2000 feet (although the wind-blown areas at these elevations seemed very icy!) until the pack turned to a sticky concrete.  The snow stayed this way until we got to the tree covered part of the trail.  We noticed a lot of wet loose avalanche signs, saw one skier trigger one east of the trail, and even triggered a small one ourselves when we got slightly off course—please be careful and look at the terrain before your trip!  The descent took about 1 hour in total.

Overall, had a great time being one of the probably thousands who made the journey up St Helens before permit season starts.