In 2022, I had the absolute privilege of leading a group of women from all across the country on a summit attempt of Mount St. Helens via the winter route. What started as a shared love for adventure quickly turned into one of the most unforgettable mountain experiences I’ve ever had.
We had 12 spots on the permit.
11 women made it to the mountain.
9 of us made it to the summit.
And honestly? Every single woman out there was a badass.
Winter Route Stats
Mountain Elevation: 8,363 ft
Route: Winter Climbing Route
Roundtrip Distance: Approximately 10-12 miles depending on snow conditions and gate closure
Elevation Gain: Roughly 5,500-6,000 ft
Difficulty: Extremely strenuous
Route Type: Out-and-back
Best Known For: Endless snow climbs, steep elevation gain, and unforgettable glissades back down
We tackled the climb in early June, but winter clearly hadn’t gotten the memo yet. Once we passed tree line, the mountain was still heavily covered in snow. Step after step was a grind through steep snowy slopes that made your calves question every life choice that led you there.
The weather stayed mostly cloudy for much of the climb, giving the mountain this moody, dramatic atmosphere. But eventually we climbed high enough to break above the cloud layer, and suddenly the world opened up around us.
Standing above the clouds, we could see Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount Rainier rising in the distance like giants floating on a sea of white.
And then nature decided to show off.
At one point, a rare sun halo appeared around the sun, caused by ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. It looked like a rainbow ring glowing through the clouds and honestly felt almost unreal. One of those moments where the entire group just stopped climbing for a second because no photo could fully capture what it looked like in person. Mountains really love humbling us with beauty immediately after trying to kill our hamstrings.
The climb itself tested everyone differently.
One woman in our group has a serious fear of heights, so reaching the summit was an enormous personal victory for her. You could see both the excitement and the “okay cool, now let’s immediately get off this mountain” energy the second we topped out. Completely understandable considering the crater edge is not exactly designed for emotional comfort.
And then came the descent.
We glissaded down the mountain, which for anyone unfamiliar basically means controlled chaos-sliding down snow slopes while hoping your ice axe skills remain functional. One of the girls spent the entire glissade giggling nonstop, completely unable to contain her joy. That laughter echoed across the mountain and honestly became one of my favorite memories from the whole trip.
There’s something incredibly special about watching women encourage each other through exhaustion, fear, excitement, altitude, and uncertainty. Some people arrived as strangers, but mountains have a funny way of turning people into family faster than normal life ever could.
This climb wasn’t just about reaching the summit. It was about courage. Trust. Pushing limits. Supporting each other. And discovering that sometimes the best moments happen somewhere between “this is hard” and “I can’t believe we actually did it.”
And for 9 women standing on top of Mount St. Helens in the clouds, surrounded by volcanoes and sun halos, it was pure mountain magic.
Comments
Post a Comment