Mazamas Climbing school

[Blake]

Hi I've done quite a bit of off trail backpacking and summit scrambles, but I don't have much real experience on roped-up climbs and galcier travel. For someone wanting to climb peaks like Hood and Adams as well as a bunch of the mountains in the North cascades, would the climbing classes ($250!) offered by the Mazamas be a good thing to get into? Or if I just went on some basic climbs with friends and picked up techniques slowly could I just gain experience that way? Thanks much for your input!

[EWolfe]

Here's a useful link

[billcoe]

Blake: I highly recommend the Mazamas. Great people and lots of knowledge there. I helped teach (I forget what they are called? Co-ordintors?) The Mazamas Advanced Program for 2 years about 1983 and 4 or so. Awesome. But, I hear the basic program is slow and boring. Still, learning the basics is real important, belaying may be the most important thing I think.

 

I've been climbing for over 30 years. Seems to me, that people either go slow and have great climbing mentors and partners, or they have a near tradjic accidents, sometimes even fatal. Get a bunch of climbers around a campfire, smoke a dubbie or 2 and drink a brew, and the stories start coming out. It's always amazing how many of us (myself included) have this scary shit happen to us when we first start out.

 

If it was me, and I had to do over again, I'd go through the mazamas, read every book I could find, and still climb with very experienced folks.

 

Thats my opinion.

 

Also, look around and check it out, PSU use to have a great great outdoor program (I ran it for 2 years, last I checked it was still going on, 4th floor of Smith Hall), and Clacakamas CC has a solid climbing class. In fact, the CCC class thing may be the best option for starting out rock Climbing. Ujohn, one of my current climber parners went through that one and he's solid. That would not help the desire to learn about the mountains however.

 

Mazamas. Yup.

 

You are definately starting out the right way by asking the question.

 

Luck to you, hope I helped:

 

Bill

[catbirdseat]

A couple of Mazama people from this site with whom you might like to speak include ChrisT and Ursa_Eagle.

[Ursa_Eagle]

I think it's a great thing. Yeah, you learn some of the technical skills, but you also meet various leaders (and other people with experience), and without Basic, it's hard to get on a club climb. One way to look at it is that you can spend $385 to climb Hood (with Timberline Mtn Guides) or $770(!) to climb Rainier (with RMI), and you get one summit out of the deal. Most Basic School leaders give their students a shot at Hood, and some give them a shot at Hood, St. Helens, and Adams. Don't listen to the rumors that you can't get on climbs. The year I took Basic I did St. Helens, Hood, Shasta (via the Whitney Glacier), Adams, Glacier, Fernow, and Stuart, all as Mazama climbs. I got a chance at Rainier with the Mazamas, but the rangers shut down the route when we were at Ingraham Flats. I also did Jefferson with someone I met through the class (and did quite a few mountains on my own.) I've since gone on to take other classes and started learning how to become a leader myself. I never would have dreamed of doing some of those climbs on my own that first year, and I feel the Mazamas have given me a chance to climb (and learn) from experienced people.