Climbing
PERMITS FOR APRIL- OCTOBER 31 2012 SEASON!
AVALANCHE WARNING
Due to the high avalanche warnings for Saturday May 12, Sunday May 13, and Monday May 14, the Forest Service is offering $15 per permit refunds. If you would like permit refunds for either Saturday or Sunday, Please email your request to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please include your name, number of permits you would like refunded, and phone number, and we will process refunds as soon as possible.
You can check avalanche status at http://www.nwac.us
Thanks and have a great weekend.
PERMIT SYSTEM
All climbers must register and obtain a climbing permit. You must pick up your hang tag climbing permit at the Lone Fir Resort, telephone number (360) 238-5210. You must present your emailed online purchase confirmation when you pick up your permit.
Permits cannot be exchanged or refunded. All sales are final. Read about how to buy your permit.
Feel free to call our MSHI office at 360-449-7883, or the Climbing Rangers at 360-449-7839, or the Mount St. Helens Monument office at 360-449-7800.
CURRENT CONDITIONS ON MOUNT ST HELENS
Please be prepared, and expect winter conditions from now until late spring. The Climber’s Bivouac is closed. The winter climbing route leaves from Marble Mountain Snow Park.
See the U.S. Forest Service Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument website for more information and the most current climbing condition updates.
Don’t want to climb alone? Never climbed Mount St. Helens? Consider joining the Mount St. Helens Institute on a guided climb.
CLIMBING AN ACTIVE VOLCANO
At 8,328 feet high (as measured by USGS in 2009), Mount St. Helens offers climbers a breathtaking view from the crater rim. Although it is not a technical climb, it is strenuous and hazardous due to ice, large boulders, loose pumice, fast-changing weather and volcanism. Climbers should be in very good physical condition, well equipped, informed about volcanic hazards, and have plenty of water and food.
The Mount St. Helens Institute has partnered with the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument to help protect the volcano’s fragile features and to ensure climbers have a safe, low-impact experience on the volcano.
Before climbing Mount St. Helens, please read climbing rules, road and trail conditions, and other important information from the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
GUIDED CLIMBS
We have space on busy weekends. The Mount St. Helens Institute offers guided climbs led by qualified leaders or by geologists who enlighten climbers to the volcano’s dramatic past, recent eruptions, and ongoing volcanism. Read more about the Institute’s guided climbs. For those who desire a geology-focused climb, read more about the “Geology on High” climbs with a geologist.
REGISTRATION
You must register and have a permit to climb Mount St. Helens. Find out how to register.
PERMITS
Climbing permits are required year-round above 4,800 feet on Mount St. Helens, and fees vary depending on the season. Find out how to obtain a permit.
EQUIPMENT
Mount St. Helens is not merely a mountain—it is an active volcano. You need to be prepared for extreme weather, possible ash fall, and other hazards. Read about how to prepare for your climb.
CLIMBER’S BIVOUAC
In the summer, climbers usually start their ascent in summer by camping the night before at Climber’s Bivouac. Read more about Climber’s Bivouac and its free Fireside Chats.
Questions? Email the Institute at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call us at (360) 449-7883.
