Leading on Rock: Field Trip 1 - Mazama

Trip Report

Crag Course Sport Module Trip Report

Bellingham Branch

Mazama, WA

June 29-30, 2024

Leader: Eric Henry

Instructor: Laura Plaut

Participants: Richard Pishner, Kate Lambert, Courtney Schick, Warren Schick, Hal Thompson, Heather Devries

Laura and I arrived in Mazama on Thursday, June 27. We found a campsite located at a turn-off from Lost River Road (left side) onto Forest Service land, about 0.6 miles west of the bridge over Lost River. Coordinates: 48.6544932, -120.5204591

From there, we set out for the Matrix area to scout crags. We ended up deciding to take students to Doorstep Wall and Sweet Spot. Each had a 5.6, 5.7 and some 5.8s. Sweet Spot also has some 5.10 routes that shared anchors with more moderate routes. These made for some fun toprope challenges..

On Friday, we went back to those areas and I climbed several of the pitches we expected to have students on. We also finalized our instructional plan for the weekend. All students arrived in camp Friday night. 

We got started with Ground School at the Goat Creek Snowpark (trailhead for Matrix) at about 7:30 AM, after a stop at the Mazama store for coffee and restrooms. I demonstrated clipping technique, using a sling around a tree as an imaginary bolt. The demonstration included how to avoid back clipping. All students then practiced clipping the lead rope with both hands, in both directions. Laura went over two anchors built on quads: self-equalizing, pre-built and equalized overhand on a bite. Students practiced these, too, and built themselves a self-equalizing anchor. From there, we went to The Doorstep.

On arrival at Doorstep, I set up top-ropes on a 5.6 and 5.7 pitch. As I climbed the 5.6, I demonstrated clipping, resting, pulling on the draw (French-free) and climbing technique. Laura demonstrated lead-belaying. Students divided themselves into groups of three and each student practiced on each route. Warren, Courtney and Heather started on the 5.6 and Kate, Hal and Richard went to the 5.7. In each group, one student climbed, one provided a lead-belay and one a TR belay. Students progressed through TR, mock-lead with draws pre-placed, mock-lead while placing draws and true leading on the routes they felt comfortable on. Laura and I were present with the groups throughout the day, offering beta for climbing and lead-belaying as necessary. Later in the day I set TRs on the two 5.8 routes and some students mock-led these.

At the end of the day, three students (Heather, Hal and Kate) demonstrated clear knowledge of how to clean anchors and set up to lower off without coming off belay, so they each cleaned an anchor.

We returned to camp in the evening. Some students had dinner at the Public House in Mazama while others of us prepared and ate in camp. That night, a light rain began and lasted through the night. By morning the rain stopped.

Due to the rain, we moved our originally planned 7:30 start time (from Mazama store) to 8:00. We again started with ground school. Laura started the group off with a Movement Morsel, in which she had students transfer weight from one foot to another by gradually moving their hips to the new foot. We also discussed a little about other climbing techniques. 

The students who had cleaned anchors the day before instructed the rest of the group in cleaning while staying on belay. (Again, slings were wrapped around trees and carabiners used as hangers.) Laura and I observed and added information as needed (For example, how to clip into a “shelf” redundantly.)

We proceeded to The Sweet Spot, where a party of six (three adults and three children) had arrived just before us. They very kindly invited us to set up anywhere we wanted. Kate and Hal, who had demonstrated their lead climbing ability on Saturday, set up TRs on a 5.6 and 5.7, respectively. I set up a TR on a 5.8 at the right end of the wall. Groups today were looser, with climbers and belayers re-mixing as necessary, and everyone spent the time on mock-leads and true leads. One student, Hal, started with a TR of the 5.8, then did a mock-lead and finally a true lead, all with me observing. Later in the day, we repositioned two of the ropes (the 5.6 and 5.8) to 5.10s that they shared anchors with and I and some of the students TRed or mock-led those, too. Additionally, three students (Courtney, Warren and Heather) who felt rusty with setting up a rappel, got practice and instruction with that, too. We wrapped up at 3:00 PM and headed back to the parking area.

In debriefing, we asked students when they felt we were most at risk. Answers included on the talus slope approach and in the commotion of a crowded crag. We also asked what questions they had and what they would like to have done that we did not do. Answers to that were

• One student would have liked to work on technique for movement on rock more. This is something that could be done in future courses.
• One student would like to have practiced catching lead falls on belay. Laura suggested (and I second) that this is something that we could add to the course by doing it at Vertical World, where the environment is set up for this kind of practice and the risks are lower.

After that, everyone headed back to Bellingham.

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