Climbing

Climbing Application Details

The Mazamas roots are in mountaineering. Founded on the summit of Mt. Hood in 1894 we have been tackling summits for well over a century. We offer a variety of mountaineering opportunities through the year, with the bulk of our climbs being offered from April–October.

You'll find climbs of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, the Sisters, and so much more! On the right hand side of this page you will see upcoming climbs on the calendar. You can view the entire lineup of upcoming climbs by clicking the calendar link at the top of the page and applying the Climb filter.

2020 Mazama Climbing Updates

We know with the summer approaching, many of you have been anxiously waiting to hear about the Mazama's climbing season. We have had a few hurdles to overcome, and we still have a great deal of uncertainty in the way of COVID-19. Now, with a roadmap of how Oregon might reopen under Governor Brown’s leadership, and with a general understanding of when we might be able to resume activities in groups, we have decided to move forward developing a climbing season schedule. Coupled to the 2020 climb schedule are new climb prices that have been in development for well over a year.

With optimism, we are hoping to:

• Start climbs around July 15th.  This is tentative, and may change based on State and Federal guidelines.
• Climb registration to open on June 15th, with climbs starting to appear on the calendar around May 15th.
• While you will be able to apply to climbs after June 15th, no one will be accepted or charged for climbs until we have more clarity whether a certain climb can go or not.

In May 2019, the Mazama Climbing Committee decided to pursue making the climbing program a sustainable and fiscally responsible program, and to update the climb cost model to be more relevant, accurate, and transparent. With input and recommendation from many Climb Leaders, Executive Council, and with the support of the Mazama Executive Director, Mitsu Iwasaki, the Climb Committee reached a 3-tiered pricing model based on driving distance from the MMC.

The member climb prices per climber for each tier are:

• Tier 1: $40
• Tier 2: $50
• Tier 3: $75

The tiers are based on driving distance from the MMC as follows:

• Tier 1: 0-120 miles-- includes Hood, St. Helens, Adams, and Jefferson
• Tier 2: 121-220 miles-- includes Rainier, Washington, 3FJ, and the Sisters
• Tier 3: 221+ miles-- includes Shasta, Thielsen, Olympus, and the North Cascades

The tier prices entirely ignore permit costs; permits will be factored into the climb prices, on a per-route basis. Non-member prices will be $10 higher than member prices.

The foundation of our climbs and climbing program; to be a service to our climbers and the community, provide climbing education, experience, and fun has not changed. What the new prices reflect is every climb making a contribution towards a sustainable climbing program with a budget that helps support the training of our future leaders and afford the equipment we all depend on.

We’ve created a Frequently Asked Questions document to answer questions. If you have any additional questions and/or concerns about the limb schedule or prices, please feel free to reach out to the Climbing Committee (climbing@mazamas.org).

Climb on!