Mount St. Helens - Difficulty Level 5

• What we'll do
Let's climb Saint Helens before winter ends! We’ll have a blast! We will be heading down from Federal Way early Saturday morning for a crack of dawn start. The plan is to go up via Worms Flow, summit well before noon then return to the Seattle area sometime late afternoon (or head to Hood). This will be a long above tree line route with exposure to extreme cold and wind so dress accordingly to prevent frostbite.

It will be very cold. So it's important to keep a moderate-fast pace to stay warm while still have the strength and stamina to climb 5700 feet of gain. We will have only very limited brief stops. You need to be competent with snowshoes, crampons and ice axe.

12.0 miles, roundtrip
ELEVATION Gain: 5699 ft.
Highest Point: 8364 ft.

• What to bring
Must have: 2+liters of water. warm mountaineering boots, ice ax (and know how to arrest), crampons, snowshoes, poles with snow baskets, headlamp with extra batteries, warm glove system, shell pants and jacket and all other winter hiking clothing and accessories to keep you warm, hydrated and protected from the sun.
http://www.mshinstitute.org/explore/climbing-permits/preparing-for-your-climb.html

Rating 5: Hike/scramble/climb of over 5500 feet of elevation gain, overnight trip, scramble or Class 5 rock climb. An example of this kind of climb would be Mount Saint Helens, Mount Hood, The Tooth, and Dragontail Mountain. There will be a mandatory waitlist and active members will get preference. When a guest does sign up for a waitlist they must present a history of their hiking and climbing experience. It will be the organizer's decision to include them on the hike and climb.

Attendance will be taken at every event and like most other major groups we will have a two no-shows and you are out of the group policy. You will be responsible for your own safety. Every Organizer and Event Planners are volunteers and are not professional guides.