Join the Mazamas

Membership Application Form

As almost all Mazama activities are open to members and non-members alike, we are often asked about the actual benefits of membership. Good question!  Membership benefits include:

• Discounted rates on all Mazamas activities - climbs, hikes, classes and outings
• Get discounts at local outdoor retailers and gyms
• Gain preferential access to climbs with experienced leaders
• Get great rates for you and your guests (and a free night for two) at the Mazama Lodge on Mt. Hood
• Receive the monthly Bulletin and mid-monthly email newsletter
• Receive the Mazama Annual, with articles on climbs, expeditions, outings, and Mazama activities
• Access the member pages on the Mazamas website to gain information on climb openings and route conditions
• Print out topo maps for OR and WA in our library at the Mazama Mountaineering Center
• Gain full access to the world-class 5,000-volume Mazamas mountaineering library and archives collection
• Receive free rescue insurance anywhere in the world below 6,000 meters
• Volunteer to lead trips and serve on committees ranging from climbing, expeditions, outings and trail trips, to conservation and research
• Contribute towards Conservation and Scientific Research Grants (over 15% of your annual dues payment directly funds conservation & research grants!)
• Meet new friends who share your love of the outdoors
• Be part of an over 100 year legacy of mountaineering in the US and around the world

New Member Information

To join the Mazamas, you need to do three things:

1. Climb to the summit of a glaciated peak (see listing below) and ideally show us some sort of proof of your climb, usually a photo. (If you don’t have proof of your climb, a really good story will do nicely.)
2. Fill out the membership application.
3. Send us three items: proof of your climb (one photo only, please!), a completed application form and a check for the application fee and the first year’s dues. For most folks this will be $85.00 - see below for costs.

The Oregon glaciated peaks that one can climb to qualify for Mazama membership are: Mt. Thielsen, Broken Top, South, Middle and North Sister, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood.  In Washington, summitting Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier also qualifies you, as well as many other glaciated peaks in the North Cascades. In California, Mt. Shasta and several peaks in the central Sierra qualify. Of all these peaks, Old Snowy, (WA) South Sister and Mt. St. Helens generally have the easiest and least technical routes after the snow has melted (August - October).

Print out the membership application and fill it out completely.  You can also contact us at the Mazama Mountaineering Center and we can mail you a hard copy of the member application. Note: If your qualifying climb was not an official Mazamas climb, include verification of your climb (one photograph, summit certificate, etc.).  We will return all photos or other documentation of your climb.  A photocopy of a photo is acceptable, if you don’t want to risk a prize photo getting munched in the mail.

Each application must be accompanied by dues plus a one-time initiation fee. For most new members, this will be a total of $85. We do have special rates for students, residents outside OR or WA and spouses of members. Note that spouses of members do not receive publications.

Note:  Dues become payable annually on October 1 and are not prorated.  However, dues received with applications submitted between August 1 and September 30 will be credited to the following year.

Children of members under 18 living at home pay 1/2 dues to join, or $55. They do not receive publications.

Spouses of members receive all the normal member benefits, with one minor exception: We mail just one bulletin, Mazama Annual and membership directory to the same address. For example, if one spouse joins at the regular rate ($85) and the other spouse joins at the spouse rate ($55), they would receive one bulletin per month at the same address and save $30 per year.  If you are joining with your spouse, please note this on the applications so we can properly charge you the lower rate.  Note that domestic partners or “significant others” also get the spouse rate.

Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) students: If you are a BCEP graduate and you join Mazamas before October 1 the same year in which you took BCEP, you join for free. For example, you took BCEP in April, and join the Mazamas in June. You pay no membership fees at the time you join, and will be billed in Sept. for the following year’s dues - essentially getting several month’s free membership.  Whatta deal!

Full time student: Full time enrolled students over the age of 18 may join for 1/2 regular dues, or $30, and pay no initiation fee. Please enclose a photocopy of your student ID card with your application.  After your first year, you will be billed for the full member rate of $60.  If you are still a student, please send a copy of your current student ID card and a payment of $30 to continue your membership.

Senior: Over 60 years AND a member for more than 5 years pay half dues - $30. If you are being billed for the full dues price, it’s because our records do not have your date of birth. Please call us at the Mazama Mountaineering Center and let us know if are entitled to the senior discount and are being billed for the full dues rate.

Life membership:  Mazamas who have been members for more than 50 years, or who pay an amount equal to 25 times the current annual dues are eligible for life membership Life members pay no dues.

Privacy notice

Please note that by submitting a membership application, we will print your name, address, home phone and email in our annual membership directory (published in late January) and on the password protected member pages of this site in the on-line membership directory, unless you tell us otherwise.  If you prefer for any reason NOT to have your personal information shared in this manner, please let us know.  We’ll keep it for our private records and not have it available to the membership in printed or electronic format.  We will respect your wish for privacy, provided you let us know your needs.  More on the Mazamas privacy policy

More questions about membership? Please contact us at the Mazama Mountaineering Center.