Climb Leader Development Program

A vital part of the Mazamas mission is to provide climbing opportunities for Mazamas members and non-members. These climbs depend on the volunteer efforts of climb leaders. The history of the Mazamas is one of a proud tradition of volunteerism, leading climbs in the Northwest and beyond for well over a century. While the Mazamas are not a guide service, all climb leaders receive training at the highest standards. This training is monitored and encouraged through the Mazamas Climb Leader Development Program.  The purpose of the Leadership Development Program is to provide sufficient training and learning opportunities for the development of climb leaders for Mazama activities.

A leader is a member whose skills and experience are considered to be adequate for assuming the formal leadership role for an activity. The leader is NOT a commercial guide and Mazamas provides no certification to a leader. Leaders have some expenses reimbursed, but are NOT paid for their role.

A leader is expected to have sufficient technical skills in mountaineering to comfortably complete the routes he/she leads.  Required skill levels will vary depending on the difficulty of routes the leader wants to climb.

A leader is expected to have both studied and demonstrated in the field basic accident management and rescue skills appropriate to the climb being led. First aid skills appropriate to mountaineering are required.

Experience is a key element for a qualified leader. As a general rule, a climber is expected to have completed at least a dozen climbs before applying to the program.  No list of criteria alone is sufficient to ensure any individual is appropriate to be a leader for the Mazamas. The Climbing Committee will always use their judgment in appointing leaders. 

The Mazamas climb leadership development program is designed to:

• Provide opportunities for candidates to develop leadership skills and additional mountaineering experience.
• Increase candidates visibility within the Mazamas, increasing opportunities to meet as many leaders and members as possible.
• Allow the maximum number of leaders to view and critique the climbing and leadership skills of the candidate.
• Provide a standardized review base for evaluating a candidate’s leadership development; ensuring the level of leadership proficiency expected by the Mazamas.

Entry into the Mazamas Climb Leader Development Program

Mazama members may apply at any time during the year by submitting the following information to the Mazama Mountaineering Center:

1. A resume of climbing experience and education. Note: the candidate must have Mazamas Intermediate school or equivalent education.
2. A letter explaining why the member wishes to become a leader.
3. Three references from Mazama climb leaders.  (Note - it’s best if these letters have as much detail as possible and if they are from leaders with whom you have climbed.  There are suggestions for these letters in Leader Manual on the Climb Leader pages.)

The applicant will be informed within about a month after submitting this information if he/she is admitted to the program.  Leader Development candidates are expected to complete the program in three years.  If a candidate is inactive for one of those three years without good cause they may be dropped from the program.

There are two main steps involved in becoming a climb leader:  1) Attaining provisional leadership status, and 2) attaining full leadership status.

Step 1 – Attaining Provisional Leadership Status

In order to obtain provisional leadership status candidates will have to fulfill the requirements listed below. The Climbing Committee will then evaluate the candidate for advancement to provisional climb leader status.

The Committee may approve substitutions for any of the listed requirements, and/or may require further training or experience before granting provisional leader status.

The Climbing Committee will pay in full for all required classes to become a climb leader.  At present, these include CPR, Mazamas Mountaineering First Aid, and Level 1 Avalanche.  At present, additional training in classes such as classes such as Advanced Rock and Advanced Snow and Ice are costs not covered by the Climbing Committee.

Note:  If you are a graduate of Intermediate School within the last 3 years, relevant training sessions will count towards the leader development requirements listed below.

1) Assist with 3 Intermediate, Advanced Rock and/or Advanced Snow & Ice (ASI) School field sessions as an instructor with 3 different leaders. (These leaders must be full leaders, not Provisional).  Field sessions may include the following:

a) Rock: ICS - Rocky Butte, Horsethief, Smith Rock, or Advanced Rock, Horsethief, Smith 1 or Smith 2
b) Snow: ICS – Snow Session or High Angle Snow, or Advanced Snow and Ice, snow sessions
c) Crevasse Rescue: ICS or ASI

2) Crevasse Rescue If crevasse rescue is not current or was not used as one of your evaluations it must be taken before candidate can become a climb leader.

3) Map & Compass ICS – Map & compass session.

4) Avalanche Level I Avalanche training through Mountain Savvy, Portland Mt. Rescue, NW Avalanche Institute, or a similar organization. New climb leaders will not be allowed to lead climbs until they have completed a two-day Level 1 avalanche class.  Mazamas will pay in full for this class.  (Participants pay for the class themselves, take the class, then request reimbursement from the Mazamas).

5) Attend Intermediate School Accident Management and/or Leader Update weekend.

6) Completion of CPR and Mountaineering First Aid (MFA). Mazamas will pay in full for these classes.

7) Assist with 3 Mazama climbs with 3 different leaders. (These leaders must be full leaders, not Provisional).

8) Rock Rescue: Advanced Rock – Rock Rescue Session (Only required if planning to lead 5th class rock climbs at the D & E level)

9) Be an assistant leader for a BCEP group.

Notes . . .

• One day is equal to one session.
• Participation as an instructor for the Advanced Rock or Advanced Snow & Ice Program sessions is with the permission of the lead coordinators for those schools.

Evaluation during the Provisional Leadership period . . .

Written feedback will be obtained for each of the six critiqued sessions (3 climbs you assist on, and 3 field sessions you help teach).  Each participant will supply a standard feedback form to their evaluator as appropriate and forward a completed form to the Climbing Committee. These forms are available at the Mazama Mountaineering Center and on the Forms and Paperwork pages of this website.

The intent of this feedback form is to inform both the participant and Climbing Committee of the individual’s progress in the program, and highlight any areas for continued development.

Once a participant has completed the requirements in Step 1 of the program, they should contact the climbing committee to request appointment to provisional leader status. The committee may ask for supporting documentation, such as a climbing resume, in addition to the feedback forms.

Step 2 – Attaining Full Leadership Status

Upon acceptance by the Climbing Committee, as a provisional leader the candidate must complete three climbs in the capacity of probationary leader. Important points to note are:

• The assistant leader for each of the three provisional leads will be a Mazama climbing leader fully qualified for the lead.  (These assistants must be full leaders, not Provisional).
• There must be a different assistant leader for each of the provisional climbs and each shall be different than those assisting leader development climbs.
• Climbs must substantially proceed past the trailhead so that leadership skills can be evaluated.
• Provisional leaders are welcome to add climbs to the summer schedule after the Feb 10 deadline (printed in the April bulletin).

The provisional leader should handle all relevant aspects of climb leadership, including:

• planning the approach, route, descent, and camping (typically getting info from guidebooks, the web and other leaders)
• obtaining any necessary campsite reservations and/or backcountry permits (USFS, Nat. Park Service), sometimes months in advance of the climb
• making hard copies of relevant route info to bring, and extra copies if needed to distribute to team members
• contacting the Mazama Mountaineering Center and getting a climb number, if one has not been assigned
• looking at the current climb schedule on the web and being sure your planned climb does not conflict with another climb on your route on the same day
• writing a climb prospectus and distributing it to team members and the Mazama Mountaineering Center at least one week prior to the climb
• continually checking weather forecasts in the week prior to the climb
• getting any needed gear from the Mazamas office, such as an MLU (required for all Hood climbs) ropes, pickets, summit certificates, avalanche transceivers, avy probes, shovels, etc.
• Gear note: If you anticipate rappels, bring a few leaver biners and some sections of 9/16” webbing so you don’t have to leave behind that $30 spectra cordelette
• checking in at the Mazama Mountaineering Center by phone or email within 24 hours of the climb, reporting that the party is back from the climb and if the summit was reached
• submitting a climb report to the Mazama Mountaineering Center within 30 days of the climb
• issue summit certificates to all successful climbers (ideally right after the climb.)

Learning the ‘soft skills’ essential to leadership is best done on climbs comfortably within the technical skills level of the provisional leader.  Please keep this in mind when choosing routes for your provisional leads.

In the event that a qualified assistant is not found or is unable to proceed with the climbing party before the climb leaves the trailhead, the climb will be canceled.

In the event that a qualified assistant is unable to proceed with the party after the party as left the trailhead, the qualified assistant will select a replacement from the party who is a qualified climb leader. If there is no other qualified assistant the climb will turn back.

The Leadership Development chairperson and the Climbing Committee as a whole will monitor provisional climb leaders throughout the three-lead period.

The provisional leader will be responsible to have the qualified assistant fill out a “New Leader Evaluation” form and see to it that the form is returned to the Climbing Committee.

When the new Mazama leader has completed the three probationary leads the Climbing Committee will evaluate the three “New Leader Evaluation” forms and any other data about the new climb leader. After discussion a vote will be taken; an affirmative vote of not less then seven-committee members is required to grant full leader status. If fewer than seven votes are cast in favor of affording full leader status, the Climbing Committee may propose further requirements.

If seven affirmative votes have not been cast and the Climbing Committee does not elect to propose further requirements, the provisional leader will be dropped from the climb leader list.

Tips for Climb Leader Development Program participants

1) Keep your own records of every activity you do that pertains to Mazamas climb leader development.  Keep a copy of all original papers that you submit. 
Use the Climb Leader Development checklist to keep track of your progress.

2) Submit notification of a climb, training or class to Climbing Committee as soon as possible after the event takes place. While class leaders are supposed to send in sign-in sheets, they are no always submitted in a timely manner.

3) You may be reimbursed by Mazamas for expenses for required training/classes, such as CPR, Mountaineering First Aid (MFA), and Level 1 avalanche training.  Pay for the class yourself, and then submit a receipt and reimbursement request to the Mazama Mountaineering Center.

4) Use the Leaders pages of the Mazamas web site.  (Contact us at the Mazama Mountaineering Center if you aren’t able to access this portion of this website.) There are climb prospectuses on-line for most all routes climbed by Mazamas, as well as most of the forms and paperwork you may need to document your climbs and training.
5) Those with Provisional Leader status may be fully reimbursed for these classes.  In addition, reimbursement may be given for further technical training, as from an outside guide service.  This is arranged through the Climbing Committee on a case by case basis.

6) When you are a provisional leader, you are responsible for ALL aspects of the climb.  The details are listed above.  Please talk to your leader if you have any questions with any part of this process.

7) If you have any questions about any part of the program, contact us at the Mazama Mountaineering Center (503-227-2345) and we’ll help you as best we can.

Thank you very much for your dedication to the Mazamas and your participation in this program!