Fourth time is the charm! Colin and I rolled in to the Marble Mount lot with the teardrop early Saturday morning and quickly passed out. After a few hours of shut eye, we had a leisurely start and hit the trail at 7 as the sunrise colors began to fade. There were less than a dozen vehicles at the trailhead when we left, but we saw at least 100 people throughout the day. A light cloud cover faded away just after we exited the forest. There was almost no snow below 4800 feet, but we went wherever it could be found for easier travel and to stay cool. We carried snowshoes, but did not need them at any point. By 9 a.m. the icy crust from the night before had softened nearly enough to kick steps, but we donned crampons early. When the summit came into view we traversed west beyond Monitor Ridge, leaving the crowds behind. There were a few tracks from other climbers leading to the summit, but there was enough cornice visible to give us pause. At the saddle to the east we reassessed the situation. A trench test suggested a stable snow pack, and the cornices on the summit were pretty small so we decided it would be safe to proceed. After 3 failed attempts it felt amazing to finally get this summit under my belt, and the views were incredible. We hung out at the top for almost an hour before making a quick descent back to Monitor Ridge, where we removed crampons and enjoyed some epic glissades down to the trail.

Very minimal snow on the mountain. Microspikes and trekking poles were sufficient to reach the summit. That being said, these conditions could change soon given the immediate weather, so crampons and ice axe may become necessary soon. Be careful glissading down because many of the valleys have exposed patches of rock(s), could be dangerous at times. Overwise, be safe, patient, and have fun!

We wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and low avalanche danger so I took the day off work and we headed down to Mt St Helens. The road to the trailhead was snow free and we really didn't hit consistent snow til around 4500-5000ft. There were decent footholds kicked in and it was really easy to walk up. We started at 6:30am when it was still a little icy so we used crampons and ice axes for the last 1500ft or so to the summit. We couldn't have asked for a better day with clear blue skies, mild temperatures and light wind. We started down from the summit around 12pm and the snow had softened up enough that we were able to glissade part of the way down. We got back to our car at 2:30pm.

I'm adding another Mt St Helens trip report for 1/30/15, to emphasize the (lack of) snow conditions this year. I've been on many winter trips (and spring trips as well) up MSH, but never have I encountered snow conditions experienced this day. Absolutely no snow on the way to Marble Mtn Sno Park, no snow on the trail up through timberline, and much more rock to work though on the route up to the location of the monitor station up around 5k. From there on snow is continuous. Many (most) years we'd have encountered several feet of snow along the road, at the Sno Park, and all the way up from there. As noted in the other trip report for this day, wx was excellent. Sunny, warm, very little wind, and good hiking conditions. Would've preferred more snow, as the scree/talus/boulder work is slower and more tiring - although very straightforward. Skiers, and boarders were pretty much limited to the upper reaches, in contrast to the summit to car descent that is typical from winter through early spring. Nothing like July in January! Wonder what the rest of the winter and spring will be like. Maybe it will happen, allowingspring skiers their fun.

Snow. Where was it? If it rains again you can rule out a decent glissade or ski down. Skins in most parts weren't optimal. Most folks opted for microspikes and trekking poles vs crampons and ice axes, despite icy areas where more traction could have been good. It was sunny and beautiful with high visibility. My group and I stayed a night, Saturday night, and we're blessed with clear skies and a slight, but warm breeze - it was better weather, but less snow than my June hike two years ago. We found some snow goggles and gloves on the drive out Sunday night. If they're yours, we'll figure out a way to get in touch.