(HA) Short Documentary Films Night

Mazama members Jeff Thomas and Ned Thanhouser are working on a series of short documentary films chronicling the early history of climbing in Oregon. Four of these films will premiere at the Mazama Mountaineering Center on December 20, 2022 at 7:00 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m.

The first film outlines ten historical climbs that we eventually will cover from the pioneering climb of Beacon Rock in 1901 to the advent of multipitch 5.10 climbing in the Menagerie by Tom Bauman in the 1960s.

The second film describes Pat Callis and his wife Gayle’s eventful 1959 meeting with Willie Unsoeld at the base of The Hen, a beautiful rock formation in the Menagerie Wilderness. Dubbed the best 30-feet of climbing in Oregon, Pat repeats his climb of this classic line more than sixty years later.

The third film takes place two years later in 1961 when Jim Ramsey did the first free climb of The Awl located on the west side of Smith Rock. This ascent established the most technically difficult rock climb in Oregon for the next decade. Sixteen years later in 1977 Bill Ramsey, Jim's son, and high school buddy Allan Watts repeated Jim's climb launching the careers of these two internationally famous climbers. Forty years later in 2017, Bill and Alan returned to The Awl to repeat their inaugural climb. Both Bill and Alan will be present at the screening to discuss this ground-breaking climb and take questions.

The fourth film of the evening will be Ranger: The Canine Alpinist about the dog that climbed Mt. Hood over 500 times in the 1920s and 1930s. Part Alsatian Shepard, Ranger was a favorite of local climbers who took photographs of his climbs and logged his accomplishments in the Mt. Hood summit register. The Mazamas recognized his achievements by awarding him the coveted Mount Hood Summit Ribbon. This 8-minute documentary chronicles the joyful life of this amazing and beloved mountaineer.

This one hour program will be an entertaining evening and provide new insights into the early history of mountaineering in Oregon. Please join us!