[TR] Mt St Helens Winter Ascent - Worm Flows Winter Climbing Route 3/9/2013

[Dchromey]

Trip: Mt St Helens Winter Ascent - Worm Flows Winter Climbing Route

 

Date: 3/9/2013

 

Trip Report:

So where do i start...Trip was awesome! I went up with some buddies and did it in one day. We started around 6:30 in the morning. Get there earlier if you can! We reached the rim of the mountain in just under 7 hours. It is not for the faint of heart! Very steep and tough. Brought lots of water and that saved us. Bring snowshoes or crampons or else you wont be able to make it up. Snowshoes help for the lower part around the tree line and the hard snow to float on it. Crampons helped more up on the mountain. Blue ice was present upon the upper part of mountain. With crampons it made quick work of the upper part. Tough enough to have to stop multiple times and breath but i started pressure breathing...breathing really hard in and out and that helped a lot. I would advise doing the trip in 2 days. One day was exhausting, going up then coming back down in the softest snow ever, sinking up to our ankles to knees at times. overall a good day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

crampons and snowshoes are a must! and water!

 

Approach Notes:

Winter route requires a sno park pass at marble mtn. start in the snow. the earlier you start the better!

[ivan]

congrats. i'm waiting to send meself once i learn the black-art of skiing

[tvashtarkatena]

Colleen has now joined the Order of the Long Shoes.

[Dchromey]

Thanks! It was a hard day but worth the view at the top

[Bronco]

Nice climb and photos. I like the shot looking across the crater.

 

It's a wise practice for someone in the group to bring a small stove on any route that there's snow/ice in case it's not feasible to carry all of the water you need or you need more than anticipated. Sounds like the weather may have been warmer than usual for early March.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

 

[Dchromey]

hey thanks man

we did have a stove but the summit was very windy so we decided not to stay very long. we still had water when we were down surprisingly. but if your up there stay a night and dont skimp out on water. yeah the weather window we hit perfectly actually. warm without the wind but the wind was there almost all day

[Seamstress]

There are opportunities to summit year round if you hit the weather right. March is one of my favorite times as the days get longer. The descent goes quickly with skis or a snowboard. I like traveling light, so one day ascents. Then again, living in the neighborhood cuts out travel time. Glad you enjoyed the mountain. The views are special.

[Dchromey]

Yeah half of us live in tacoma and then the other half in Seattle so it was a rush to get down there and back. Got at the sno park around 6 and back around 5:30 maybe. Still an awesome day

[Dchromey]

I would definitely recommend this trip for someone who wants a hard day push in the winter. Make sure you have good gear and weather is 100%. Don't want to be stuck on the mtn in a whiteout