Climb Preparation Steps

Here is a guide to all the steps to prepare for a climb and get your team to the trailhead and ready to go.

Climb Leaders can schedule climbs 364 days in advance.  You also set the limit on the number of applications accepted and when they can apply.  Basic steps:

1. Select a climbing route.

2. Identify any government permits required, and plan to obtain them ahead if needed (often up to 6 months in advance).  

3. Check the maximum party size and decide how many climbers you can take.

4. Think through the pace you expect, and how to communicate your expectations to prospective climbers in the Activity Notes (e.g. Hamilton Mt. r/t 4 miles+2000 feet in 3 hours, with full pack)

5. Think through the trailhead round-trip time you expect, both nominal and worst-non-incident-case.

6. Schedule your climb as an activity on the Mazamas website.  This scheduling tool (ST) requires the date, mountain, and route, plus a lot of additional info.  Only one team per day on a given route on a given mountain is allowed.  Read how to use the ST, a step-by-step document to understand the process.  Here are some more climb scheduling resources.

7. Obtain the government permits if required for the climb, when they become available.

8. Evaluate your applicants, and select the climb team members.

9. Select your assistant leader before you leave town. Name them in the prospectus and scheduler.  Assistant leader requirements

10. Identify an in-town primary emergency contact person, who understands and accepts this responsibility, including what to do if there is an incident.  Include the name, email address, and phone number of that in-town contact on your prospectus and scheduler, and make sure all climbers and their emergency contacts are aware of this.  Make sure your prospectus has your expected return-to-communication time and call-for-assistance time, and your emergency contact person knows these times and has a copy of the prospectus.

11. The ST generates a prospectus and gear list but it's not ideal, so we encourage creating your own prospectus and sending it to climb members and alternates at least two weeks in advance of the climb. 

12. Check out ropes and equipment from the MMC shortly before the climb.

13. Fill out and submit the climb register or wilderness permit as specified.  Make sure to carry your permits as required.

14. Have your pre-climb meeting (Helpful Google doc)

Canceling a climb

If the climb is canceled either in town or later, first notify the climb team.  You then complete and submit the climb report form online. Climb team members receive refunds of climb fees only if the climb is canceled before leaving the trailhead.

Changing a scheduled climb

If you reschedule a climb, you must update the climb scheduler. 

Often there are situations where the CL may decide not to proceed with a scheduled climb.  Weather, forest conditions, area closures, route conditions, and other reasons may cause the CL to change a date, change a route on the target peak, or even change the peak.  

If you are making the changes in advance, with access to the ST, simply login and make the changes.  If you are onsite and need to make a change the process it is still easy, just ensure that the process is followed.

When you are in the field, the new route or peak selected must be listed in the online climb scheduler, must have the same or lower level Mazamas climb grade, the team must be equipped to climb it, and there must be no other Mazamas climb scheduled for that peak on the same route and date.  This does require that the CL would need to be prepared with options in advance. If all these conditions are met, you don’t need to access the ST and may proceed with the climb without further approval of the Climbing Committee.

When the CL makes such a change in the field, after completion of the climb (whether successful or not) you must enter the relevant changes on the ST as soon as possible. The ST will accept changes in peak and route after the climb date. The original climb number will not change. Once all the relevant changes have been made to the climbing schedule you may then complete the climb report in the normal manner.