Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

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NationalParkAddict
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Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by NationalParkAddict » April 30th, 2023, 10:05 pm

Hello! I've been planning to climb Mount St Helens with my 2 teenage sons, just decided July 3rd/4th should work for us. I'm curious about equipment needed for climbing it, will we need Crampons or will we not? And any other stuff we may need?

And if we do need crampons, where is the best place to rent (preferably cheaper)? Currently I'm looking at
Next Adventure in Portland, which for us would be 60 bucks total for 3 pairs of crampons, (get them July 2nd on our way to Mt st helens, use July 3rd, return them July 4th).

And for glissading, will heavy duty trekking poles be enough to use to slow us down, rather than an ice axe?

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retired jerry
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Re: Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by retired jerry » May 1st, 2023, 5:27 am

2 quarts of water each, sunscreen, wide brimmed hat

I don't know about crampons and ice axe. Mt St Helens is more of a walkup so you don't need those, but it depends on conditions.

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Charley
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Re: Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by Charley » May 1st, 2023, 9:41 am

Hi there!

We've had a good year for snowpack. WA state lists the region around MSH as 133% of normal, so I'd expect to see some snow on the mountain.

Depending on how early you start your climb, the speed of your climb, and the weather conditions, you might find very hard snow along your ascent. So, at this point, I'd strongly recommend on planning to bring crampons and ice ax. If you're on foot, and it happens to be a cooler day, you'll be glad you have them!

As for glissading with a trekking pole- I'm sure it's been done. I'd collapse it as much as possible and try using the handle side, for the increased rigidity. If I'm not skiing I'd just as soon have an axe with me.

One year in May I cramponed all the way up and all the way down. It was a drag, but it wasn't crowded! I've also climbed it in November with no snow. But July 4th I'd bet you'll see some.
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

Walkin' Fool
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Re: Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by Walkin' Fool » May 1st, 2023, 4:07 pm

In case you don't know, you'll want to be on recreation.gov right at 7AM Pacific June 1 when permits open for the month of July. I was on at 7AM today for June permits, and was able to get 1 Saturday. When I looked almost immediately after going through the purchase process (so, like 7:02AM), all weekend permits for June were gone already. You'll need to have fast fingers and a bit of luck!

NationalParkAddict
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Re: Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by NationalParkAddict » May 3rd, 2023, 8:50 pm

Thank Yall for the help! Now I found another place to get rentals, Washington State university, which is fairly cheap, so we'll get crampons and perhaps ice axes if there is still a lot of snow.

We probably will start the hike at 5:30ish AM because with the right gear, harder snow is so much better than soft snow.

And yes we'll be ready at 7 AM June 1st. No guarantee we'll get the permits but fingers crossed!

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retired jerry
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Re: Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by retired jerry » May 4th, 2023, 5:30 am

hmmm...
if I needed crampons I would definitely also take ice axe
there are times I'd use ice axe without crampons
anyway... you should have a great time. Looking over the edge into the crater is great...

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Charley
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Re: Climbing Mt St Helens 4th of July, questions

Post by Charley » May 4th, 2023, 10:00 am

Good luck!
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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