Mazamas, The

Responding to an advertisement run in the Morning Oregonian of June 12, 1894: “To Mountain Climbers and Lovers of Nature . . . It has been decided to meet on the summit of Mt. Hood on the 19th of next month ...” more than 300 people encamped on the flanks of Mt. Hood on July 18. By 8:00 am the next day, the first climbing party reached the 11,239’ summit, followed by the rest of the 193 men and women who were to reach the summit that day. One hundred and five climbers became charter members.

The Mazamas were established July 19, 1894 on the summit of Mt. Hood. They have a proud tradition of leadership, safety, conservation, and climbing education in the Northwest for well over a century. Their mission is simply to . . . “Provide a comprehensive climbing program with allied activities that enhance and protect the participants and the environment.”

Our activities depend almost entirely on the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, who contribute over 38,000 hours of time annually to support Mazamas programs.