St. Helens conditions?

[Didgie]

Looking to climb/ski St. Helens this Sunday. Does anyone know what the snow is like up there right now?

 

Thanks!

 

[BCJ]

I climbed it this morning and conditions were fantastic. I brought crampons and snowshoes but did not use them. I started at 5:30am and everything was nicely firmed up. If going later in the day, snowshoes would be recommended as the lower slopes got pretty soft after the sun hit. The upper slopes were pretty icy in places; some people were happy to be using crampons. There is a staircase kicked all the way to the summit.

[Frikadeller]

I went up the mountain today, and well. Great conditions if you do not ski/snowboard. Styrofoam/ice all the way from the first snow encountered on the trail all the way to the summit.

 

Great Crampon purchase. Shitty edging, craptastic skiing, and really, skip that.

 

Spring weather, freeze thaw shitty mid winter snow.

[needtoclimb]

I went up yesterday and rather enjoyed the skiing. A little icy on top, but still very doable. It's not something I would hike right now just to ski down, but you can't beat getting from summit to car in under an hour.

 

I left the summit about 1230, that gave the lower half a little time to warm up. Stay in the small ravine skiers left of the climbing ridge, and the snow was better. The ridge was wind-blown ice, while the small ravine was better.

[Frikadeller]

That was yesterday, today, that same line was hell.

[Didgie]

We went yesterday (Sunday). I left the skis at home and was glad I did. It couldn't have been a better climb (except maybe for the wind on the way up). Glissaded most of the way down. What better way is there to spend a sunny February Sunday :-)

[Water]

was up there too yesterday, surprised there wasn't enough consistent wind at the top to keep the kite up.

 

little microspikes worked fine to give some edge, fullon crampons weren't needed at all.

 

got to take a friend who has never climbed anything out here before, so that was fun.

[Didgie]

ah that was you with the kite - nice idea! we were having lunch just below you. so the micorspikes worked? i was toying with the idea of taking yaktrax but went with full 'pons instead. good day.

[Water]

yeah--i thought about taking cramps but my friend only had microspikes and I figured it would be crappy to have better traction than him if it was needed. Better to level the playing field so i could sense closer to how it would be for him if it got too icy/steep. yaktrax would probably have sufficed, though I've never used them so i'm not sure how much bite they have.

 

the kite was sent to me by an outfitter from out east for free so i try to fly it at some fun places to give them some good pics/PR. based on how the wind was down lower i just assumed it would be way too windy up top for a typical diamond shaped kite. go figure not windy enough!

 

cheers