START YOUR CLIMBING JOURNEY IN 2023
Have you wanted to climb our nearby mountains but don’t know how to get started? Wy’east/Hood, Loowit/St. Helens, Pahto/Adams? Maybe others? The Mazama Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) is for you! BCEP teaches the skills needed to climb snow covered peaks and outdoor rock—and introduces you to other people who like to climb.
The eight-week program includes:
- Web-based classroom
- Weekly team breakout sessions
- Educational field sessions
- Training hikes (for conditioning and skills practice)
BCEP is very time-intensive. We highly recommend clearing your schedule as much as possible during the 8 weeks of the course. Hikes and field sessions are typically full-day activities, team breakout sessions are about 3 hours long, and weekly learning assignments can take a few hours.
It is anticipated that BCEP will be organized into teams of approx. 20 members, including 12 students, a team leader and a co-leader, as well as several assistant instructors. Additional options for affinity teams may be offered. You will have the opportunity to state a team preference on the application.
OVERVIEW OF SKILLS LEARNED
BASIC SKILLS |
ROCK CLIMBING SKILLS |
SNOW SKILLS |
Proper Gear Usage |
Top-Rope Climbing |
Basic Glacier Travel |
Alpine Climb Preparation |
Fixed-Line Travel |
Ice Axe Self-Arrest |
Map & Compass Navigation |
Team Communication & Signals |
Roped Team Travel |
Assess Avalanche Danger & Weather-Related Skills |
Rappelling & Belaying |
Technical Movement on Snow & Basic Steep Ice |