CLIMB SEASON OPENS MAY 1

Mazamas | Your Adventure Starts Here

Just about a year ago, I posted a blog challenging guests to come to Oregon to climb a mountain, pointing out that we are an easy day's drive from numerous glacier-topped peaks. At least one guest took the challenge. He was an experienced climber, but he never had climbed in the Pacific Northwest.

Now, climbing season is back, beginning May 1 and running through mid-October. Because Wendy and I are both long-time climbers and members of the Portland-based Mazamas (motto: "We Climb High" or, in the native Chinook language, "Nesika Klatawa Sahale"), we can introduce guests to a Mazama climb on one or more of the dozens of mountains just waiting to be summited by you.

Here's how it works. Give us a call at 503-892-5781 or e-mail us at fultonhousebandb@comcast.net and let us know when you're planning to be staying at The Fulton House. We can register you for your room immediately and notify you of the climbs available during the dates you'll be with us.

Please know that these climbs are ultra-safe, each led by an experienced leader and assistant leader who will contact you directly with climb details, the equipment you will need and other relevant details. In addition to the expertise, the Mazamas provide the ropes. The cost to each Mazama non-member is $25 per climb, $15 for a member. You're going to need some equipment (e.g., ice axes, crampons, carabiners, and other standard climbing gear), but you can rent these items at R.E.I., about a
10-minute drive from us.

Climbs are rated from "A" to "E" in ascending order of difficulty. Since anyone new to the sport will be able to handle only "A" and "B" climbs, here's what's in store for you. An "A" climb may require off-trail hiking, ice axe and crampon use on moderately steep slopes, and self-arrest (can be learned quickly and safely on a snow-covered slope). A "B" climb may require the above plus glacier travel and roped climbing.

There are "Classic" climbs (55 years of age and older), "Family" climbs (slower pace and child-friendly), "Hike to the Summit" climbs (moderate climbs for experienced hikers), "Novice" climbs (if you've never climbed or hiked in the mountains), and "Adventurous Young Mazamas" climbs (under 40 years old).

If you're at all interested in a safe climbing adventure -- just think of the bragging rights when you get back home! -- contact us ASAP and we'll begin the discussion. It is very important that you register for a climb early since they fill up fast (only 6-12 persons on "A" and "B" climbs). The Mazamas are extremely well known in the climbing community and these climbs are very popular and many times over-subscribed.

Do it now. Call or e-mail John or Wendy at The Fulton House. None of us are getting any younger and a climb is the adventure of a lifetime!