[TR] Mount Saint Helens - Worm Flows 03/24/2019

[JasonG]

Trip: Mount Saint Helens - Worm Flows

Trip Date: 03/24/2019

Trip Report:

 

Last weekend @Bronco, @Kit and a couple others went down to join the gong show that is the pre-limited entry St. Helens spectacle.  It has gotten a bit more popular in the 18 years since I last skied it, making for a loud and chaotic TH bivy.  There was plenty of snow from the car, however, making for an efficient skin to the crater rim (if you had ski crampons).  The sheer humanity visible along the way was pretty entertaining, although I think the entertainment value was lost on the two older Asian dudes we saw consulting a map, who were later rescued by helicopter (cold, but fine).  We escaped the masses by traversing west to the highest point on the rim (we left our skis where we hit the crater). 

The ski down was OK, but the visibility less than ideal.  Still, it was pretty great to be drinking beer at the car less than 30 minutes from leaving the summit.  That, at least, hasn't changed.

 

Gear Notes:
skis (or a splitboard if you are mentally deficient like me), ski crampons

Approach Notes:
Follow the conga line up the snowshoe superhighway from the Marble Mountain SnoPark

[Asfahl]

Amazing images!!!

[ScaredSilly]

Years ago before the permits and shit show we skied up one March. The ski up was fine, but we walked down cause it was so icy. My friend brought his dog who was having a hard time with the ice as well. Several times she went sliding down. 

Edited April 12, 2019 by ScaredSilly

[Water]

Thanks for sharing!

@JasonG I was up there for said festivities that day as well.  Yeah a zoo--in large part due to that permit BS.  Visibility stunk. But I've had worse. And the snow was fantastic for most of the way down.

Here's a few of the brooding clouds if you don't mind my piggybacking to the same date? not sure if that's proper/improper etiquette here these days

 

 

 

 

[Bronco]

Shirtless Tech bro sighting 

IMG_2732 2.HEIC

[JasonG]

On 4/10/2019 at 11:10 PM, Water said:

Here's a few of the brooding clouds if you don't mind my piggybacking to the same date?

Thanks @Water, those are great (especially the second from the bottom)!  Clouds are pretty necessary for great imagery.  Something I have to remind myself when I am groping around in a ping pong ball.