Mazamas. The Mazamas of Portland. Oregon, launched 112 mountain climbs in Oregon, Washington, and California in 1964. Bad weather defeated 31 of these attempts, of which 14 were on Mount Hood, where the club introduces hundreds of newcomers to mountaineering every year. Despite considerable foul weather the club registered 375 successful climbers of Mount Hood and 1072 on other summits. Worthy of note was an ascent of Hood by the extremely steep Newton Clark Glacier, led by Jim Angell and Al Weese. The route had not been climbed for more than 30 years. Washington has a virtually limitless number of interesting peaks. Mazamas continued to explore more of these, including Hall Peak, Wilmon Peak, Monte Cristo Peak, and Big Four Peak.

In the spring the climbing school enrolled over 500 people, and measures had to be taken to limit attendance. Most of the club’s active climbers are needed each year to provide instruction in the school.

The Mazamas held three outings. One was located in the Mount Robson area, where bad weather foiled climbing this major peak of the Canadian Rockies. A second outing penetrated the Cascades in central Washington to Dutch Miller Gap. A third one made the "Ptarmigan Traverse,” a route starting at Cascade Pass, following the crest southward past Magic and Spider Mountains, Sentinal Peak, Dome Peak, and ending near Glacier Peak. The Outing Committee also ran a river trip down the Grande Ronde River.

Jack Grauer