Forum Index > Trip Reports > Mt. St. Helens (Worm Flows), 02/10/18
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Moose
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PostTue Feb 13, 2018 9:15 am 
With the stellar weather window on Sat and low avy conditions, we decided to head south to climb MSH. We arrived at the Marble Mountain Sno-Park at 6:45 AM and hit the trail just after 7 AM.
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Recent trip reports had noted needing snowshoes from the TH, but the low temps kept the snow nice and hard for most of the day. We booted up to the weather station, then put on crampons and pulled our axes out for the rest of the ascent. Conditions were icy above 6,000'. We hit the crowded rim around noon. I started for the summit but wasn't getting much purchase with my axe or crampons, so turned around and headed back to the rim for a leisurely lunch break with a hundred of my closest friends. The rim was somewhat corniced and everyone kept a safe distance from the edge.
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The descent was uneventful, though the upper mountain was still too icy to plunge-step or glissade. Most of the skiers/riders that descended at the same time as us were carrying back down. By the time we hit Chocolate Falls the snow had softened up enough to sort of justify snowshoes, so we strapped them on since we'd been carrying them the entire day. They were annoying.
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Back at the TH just after 5 pm. When I went to the register to sign us out, I noticed tons of entries in which people noted that there were no permits left. Busy day on the mountain!

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Just_Some_Hiker
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PostTue Feb 13, 2018 1:21 pm 
Looks like it was a great day to climb. I almost went down there on Saturday but I wasn't in the mood for a long drive. Were you around when the two hikers fell and slid down the mountain?

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Moose
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PostTue Feb 13, 2018 1:36 pm 
Just_Some_Hiker wrote:
Looks like it was a great day to climb. I almost went down there on Saturday but I wasn't in the mood for a long drive. Were you around when the two hikers fell and slid down the mountain?
We weren't, but I read about that in another TR the next day. Not surprising given the conditions; hopefully there were no serious injuries. We did meet one climber who reached the crater rim in yaktrax (she thought they were crampons) and had some difficulty descending, but managed to do so by downclimbing the first thousand feet or so. That was kind of hard to watch.... Looks like you went to Muir on Sat - nice! That was one of my possibilities as well. Sounds like pretty similar conditions.

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Just_Some_Hiker
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PostTue Feb 13, 2018 1:59 pm 
Moose wrote:
We did meet one climber who reached the crater rim in yaktrax (she thought they were crampons) and had some difficulty descending, but managed to do so by downclimbing the first thousand feet or so. That was kind of hard to watch....
One of the people who fell was wearing microspikes and didn't have an axe. So no ability to arrest whatsoever. irked.gif Rainier was also a skating rink on Saturday.

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mtn.climber
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PostTue Feb 13, 2018 9:04 pm 
Moose wrote:
I noticed tons of entries in which people noted that there were no permits left.
I didn't think permits were required before April 1? Thought you just had to sign the climbing register. Also, are sno-park permits available at the trailhead? Or, where do I need to purchase one that will only be used once?

Reach for the sky, cuz tomorrow may never come. Live the life of love. Love the life you live.
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Just_Some_Hiker
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PostTue Feb 13, 2018 10:00 pm 
mtn.climber wrote:
Also, are sno-park permits available at the trailhead? Or, where do I need to purchase one that will only be used once?
They're not available at the trailhead, or at least they weren't the last few times I've been there. I buy mine online but usually they can be purchased at local gas stations and sporting goods stores. I think they're up to $20 a day so you might as well get a season pass.

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Moose
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PostWed Feb 14, 2018 7:55 am 
mtn.climber wrote:
I didn't think permits were required before April 1? Thought you just had to sign the climbing register. Also, are sno-park permits available at the trailhead? Or, where do I need to purchase one that will only be used once?
Yep - the permits are self-serve and unlimited (unless they run out, I guess) at the TH. They're free, but when you sign the climbing register you're supposed to take a permit and note the number on the register (next to your name). Likely just so the FS can get an idea of how many climbers on a given day? Like JSH said, the sno-park permits aren't available at the TH. I bought mine online and printed it out the day before. It was $20 for a day use pass.

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