Mount St. Helens climbing permits, which are required to be above 4,800 feet elevation on the volcano, go on sale for the 2018 season Thursday at 9 a.m.
Permits are required to climb the mountain April 1 through October 31 and must be bought in advance. They can be purchased online through Mount St. Helens Institute for $22 per person.
There are 500 permits issued per day from April 1 through May 14 and 100 permits per day from May 15 to October 31. During the off-season, climbers can self-register at the base.
Once permits are purchased, the date cannot be changed. However, they can be bought or sold on purmit.org, which is not managed by the Institute.
The Institute made several adjustments to the permit system for the 2018 season. About 10 percent of all permits will not be released until the preceding month, allowing people to make last-minute plans. For example, a portion of June permits will not go on sale until May 31 at 12:01 a.m.
Climbers also need to list all members of their party when registering to discourage unauthorized sales and help rangers better locate climbers in emergencies.
Other popular permit hikes will begin accepting applicants in the coming weeks. The lottery for the Enchantments opens on February 15, and reservation requests for Mount Rainier National Park wilderness permits opens March 15.
