Gifford Pinchot National Forest

	USDA Forest Service Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
For Immediate Release: May 31, 2006
Contact: Peter Frenzen (360) 8449-7835

Mount St. Helens Climbing Program to Change

Climbing Reservations and Permit System is being Revised with a Planned Reopening

Slated for Later this Summer.

VANCOUVER, WA –As of Tuesday, May 30 USDA Forest Service officials have temporarily suspended issuing advance reservations for climbing Mount St. Helens. Monument officials are currently evaluating changes to the current two-step process where climbers first obtain a reservation and then purchase their permit at a later date. “As we move toward reopening climbing we are looking at simplifying the process to combine the reservation and permit purchase in a single transaction,” said Tom Mulder, Monument Manager. “We are working hard to develop a system that will serve climbers and increase the efficiency of our climbing program. In order to focus our services on the ground where they need to be, we are also looking at the use of a third party vendor to operate the permit system and implementation of a per permit transaction fee,” Mulder added.

Mount St. Helens Climbing Program Facts

• Mount St. Helens Climbing remains closed and no date for reopening has been announced.

• When the reservation system is reopened, climbing reservations and purchase will be offered through a third party vendor as a single transaction. A per permit service fee will be charged.

• Under the new system, existing reservations for dates after climbing resumes will be given priority and reservation holders will be contacted first and given an opportunity to purchase their permits in advance.

• Specific details as to how the reservation and permit program will operate are still being worked out.

• Updated information about the reservation and permit system will be posted on the monument web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/mount-st-helens/

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US Forest Service
Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Vancouver, WA
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Amboy, WA
Last Modified: Thursday, 01 June 2006 at 12:48:18 EDT