PSA my pics upload upside down and I don’t know why.
Started at 6:30am. Trail is snow covered the whole way. We were able to keep our skis on the whole time 🙏
I used ski crampons shortly after reaching chocolate falls for the rest of the climb. Traction is needed for this climb right now.
There are several glide cracks mid-mountain to look out for. It looks like a skier punched through a glide crack earlier. There is also evidence of wet loose activity on the upper mountain.
The winds were a sustained 10 mph, gusts around 20. I lost my hat in the wind during a water break. If anyone finds a pink Black Diamond hat... fat chance, I know.
Summited at 11am. Lots of hikers and skiers, all super happy.
The skiing down was fun in the spring conditions. The snow is slop after descending 2000 feet. The glissading aso looked fun.
Don’t expect to sleep in the lot if you camp overnight. People are loud and it’s kind of a party scene. I think we’ll be driving the morning of moving forward.
I was able to get a permit via recreation.gov pretty easily for a weekday, just a few days beforehand.
4.5 hours up, 1 hour down (skiing). 5700 ft of gain and 10 miles.
we stopped at Daddy Ds BBQ in woodland after. Omg. If you are driving north after your climb, just go!! So amazingly good!
Have fun and be safe!
Here is a blog post I wrote if you want to see more detailed pics.
https://outsidekams.com/2021/04/24/april-17-2021-mount-saint-helens/
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