The Mazamas: mazamas.org
The Mazamas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mountaineering education organization based in Portland, Oregon. They have been building and fostering a community of leadership, safety, conservation, and climbing education in the Pacific Northwest for well over a century, and offer high-quality outdoor education and a variety of outdoor activities for every skill and fitness level.
Most of their group activities revolve around mountaineering, but they also organize day hikes, backpacking trips, running workshops, family outings, and urban wanderings.
Membership Benefits Include:
- Being a part of one of the most respected mountaineering organizations in the country
- Free rescue insurance anywhere in the world below 6,000 meters up to $5,000 (up to $10,000 if you have a joint membership with the AAC))
- Contribution towards Conservation, Expedition, and Scientific Research Grants
- Discounted rates on Mazama activities
- Discounts at local outdoor retailers and gyms (see below for details)
- You’ll receive the monthly Bulletin
- And the Mazama Annual
- Getting a discounted rate on an American Alpine Club (AAC) membership*
- Meeting new friends who share your love of the outdoors
- Being able to volunteer with the Mazamas
- Full access to the world-class 5,000-volume Mazamas mountaineering library and archives collection
The Mazamas is an active community of individuals who have a vast array of stories to tell, from first ascents to conducting research and exploratory expeditions, their publications contain something for everyone:
- Mazama Magazine (a monthly publication filled with timely stories and notices)
- Mazama Annual (annual journal with trip reports, in-depth essays, and various articles)
- Mazama Annual Report (their annual financial report)
Reach out to them today to kickstart your next adventures and bring new skills, information, and people to your mountain life!

Wendy Harrington is a California native who has lived in a small town at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state since 2001. Her love of trail running and peakbagging has led her to summit all five Washington volcanoes, climb to the high points of three states, and put nearly a thousand miles a year on her boots. Her loves include ridgelines, saddles, granite, one-day pushes on big mountains, anything volcanic, long solo days, and objectives that push limits and test endurance.