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ST. HELENS SWIFT CREEK ROUTE
 | Climb 12 miles with 5,665' elevation gain |
| Rates: 1 person - $400, 2 persons - $350 each, 3-4 persons -
$275 each, 5-10 persons - $225
each. Includes guides, door-to-door transportation, climb permits,
equipment, and lunch. |
| We can do this climb December through May, given
guide availability and acceptable weather conditions. Please
e-mail or call 877
965-5100 to schedule a climb. |
| Climb (Monday through Friday only April through
October - Any day November - March) when guides and permits are available. |
| Some climbs will have an optional orientation
session offered through Portland Community College. At the
session, you will have the opportunity to meet your guide and party members,
cover the equipment, and discuss the climb and the schedule, and get any
questions answered.
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| 2008 Scheduled Climbs:
 | June 13 (3 signed-up/ 7
Permits available) |
| June 20 (9 signed-up/ 1
Permit available)
(Orientation at
PCC
- Course #25992 - June 16) |
Give us a call at 877 965-5100 to discuss scheduling a climb
on a non-scheduled date.
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Go to Sign-up Form, call
(877) 965-5100, or e-mail to make your reservation. A 50% deposit is required.
For cancellations two weeks or less prior to the scheduled climb, we will
retain $25.00 of the deposit to cover the non-refundable permit charge if
the spot is not filled. |
 The Swift Creek route is the standard winter/early spring route on Mt. St. Helens.
It's a longer climb than the Monitor Ridge Route, and you will want to be in
good condition to enjoy this climb. It is named
for Swift Creek which we follow up to tree line on snowshoes, if necessary. It's usually a snow climb
from the Marble Mountain Sno-Park. It is a non-technical climb, but we
will carry crampons and an ice axe. We provide basic instruction in
the use of the ice axe and walking with crampons during the climb.
We will typically leave Portland about 4 AM and drive to
Cougar, WA, where we pick up
our permits. We then drive to the Marble Mountain Sno-Park at 2,700', and
snowshoe/ski/hike up the Swift Creek Trail for about three miles to just above the
beginning of Swift Creek drainage. We work our way up the gentle slopes, reaching the rim at 8,365'.
The view from the rim is fantastic as we look down 2,000' feet into the crater with the
lava dome below. Mt. Rainier and Spirit Lake are framed in the gap to the North. We will, of course, be careful to not venture out on the overhanging snow
cornice unless we are belayed.
We have lunch at the rim as we take in the wonderful views in all directions.
After about an hour, we will descend the same route glissading down a
significant portion of the ridge.
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
Clothing
| Leather or plastic climbing boots |
| Wool or polypropylene socks with liners |
| Polypropylene or equivalent thermal underwear tops and bottoms |
| Warm sweater, fleece jacket, or wool shirt |
| Warm pants |
| Gore-Tex (or other water-resistant material) Parka |
| Gore-Tex (or other water-resistant material) Wind pants/climbing bibs |
| Sun hat |
| Gloves/Mittens with windproof shells |
| Warm hat |
| Gaiters to keep scree/snow out of your boots |
| Clothes to change into at the car |
In Your Summit Pack (Needs to have Ice Ax Loops)
| Ten Essentials
| Whistle |
| Map of area |
| Compass |
| Headlamp/Flashlight (with extra batteries and bulb
or another flashlight) |
| Extra food and Clothing (wool socks, more warm
things) |
| Sunscreen and lip protection |
| Pocket knife |
| Lighter or matches in waterproof container |
| Firestarter |
| First aid kit (Absolutely no drugs or medicines
that will make you drowsy or dizzy.) |
|
| Two and 1/2 Quarts of Fluids |
| Toilet Paper |
| Small insulation pad for sitting on |
| Handkerchief |
| Dark Sunglasses with sideshields/Goggles (It can be bright and gritty on the mountain) |
| Camera and Film/Memory Card |
Climbing Gear
| Snowshoes* or Skis |
| Ice Ax*
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| Crampons* |
| Trekking Poles* |
| Eruption Kit*- Helmet, mask, & goggles |
*Snowshoes, ice ax, crampons, trekking poles
and eruption kit are
provided if
you do not have your own.
For
Equipment Recommendations click here.
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