Got to the trailhead around midnight the night before. By the time i got going at 630am many folks had already begun the trek. There is snow all the way to the top and some form of spikes/poles, snowshoes or skis will be needed. The snow was very soft after days of sunshine and I found snowshoes were needed for the entire journey. Some switched to crampons during the summit but had to deal with significant post holing given the soft snow. It made for a quite the slog up and down regardless of the gear used.
The route up is fairly straight forward (just follow the tracks) and be sure to stop and take a bearing of your surroundings (looking backwards) from time to time as it will help with navigating your descent. The crater rim has a large cornice and you should stay 15-20 feet back from the edge. If you're not skiing, bring an ice axe and take advantage of a few chutes for glissading down.
I got back to the TH at 4PM.
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