Mazamas

Publication Year: 1964.

Mazamas. In 1963 weather worked against our climbing program with a vengeance. Twenty of the 103 climbs scheduled by the climbing committee were called off before starting. An additional 14 climbs were stormed off short of the summit. This is depressing to morale, especially in the case of newcomers to the sport of mountaineering. In spite of the many early summer storms, Mazamas completed 69 climbs, placing the number of successful ascents at 1328. Non-scheduled climbs on outings added another 241 ascents to this figure. The large scope of our climbing program indicates that a strong, continuing vitality is needed to keep a mountaineering club alive. Our scheduled climbs included 42 peaks, 11 of them new to the Club. Eight new routes were climbed on familiar peaks. One person in 12 of our 1300-plus membership participated in climbing leadership. Our climbing school in April and May became overly large. The auditorium was jammed with the 762 basic enrollees. Field trips to Mount Hood and rock climbing areas were noticeably over-populated. However, 162 students graduated, a high percentage. Plans have been made to limit the size of the school in 1964.

In mid-summer four Mazamas reached the summit of Mount Waddington in British Columbia. Bob Martin led the group, which included Dave Jensen, Kim Schmitz, and Fred Wurlitzer. A second party of four was scheduled to follow, but adverse snow conditions and weather resulted in failure. During an outing to the Seven Devils Range in Idaho, a party of five led by James Angell and Don Eastman made a probable first ascent of Devil’s Tooth. The route was class 5, requiring five pitons.

Jack Grauer, President