By Ray Sheldon
It seems that nothing is new in the Mazamas. We usually find out that an idea is already a part our history. So I’ll open this story on “Classic Climbs” by saying, the first I heard of an age-oriented climb designation was when Hal Nichols led an “Old Timers” climb of Middle Sister on July 6, 1996. His over-55 leadership continued and in 1997 he led a group up Broken Top. Stan Enevoldsen was the assistant on both of those climbs.
I started leading the 55 and older group on climbs in 1998 with a climb of Mount St. Helens on June 11 with Joan Mosser as the assistant. In 2000, Stan started assisting and is still going strong.
The title “Old Timers” didn’t really describe the mental and physical level of the climbing parties. Hal had called them “Elips,” which is Chinook for senior or elder. That was certainly a more respectable title. Still, in an effort to put even more class into the group, I changed the name to “Classic Climbers” but retained the 55 years and older restriction. The idea has always been to climb at a leisurely pace without any feelings of holding the party back. Over the years, climbs were scheduled on Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mount St. Helens, South Sister, Thielsen, and many of the minor peaks in the northwest. One memorable climb was on Mt. Hood when we arranged a snow cat to take the climbers up to the top of the Palmer snowfield, climb the mountain, and then have dinner and overnight accommodations at Silcox Hut. This turned out to be such a great time that we decided to schedule it again over the years. On one of the Mt. Hood climbs a picture was taken of four of us on the summit and the average age was 74 years old! Who says old goats can’t have fun.
Every year at signup time, I would get requests from younger climbers asking if they could go on the (C) climbs. I would tell them that age isn’t as important as attitude. If they felt comfortable with the slower pace, they were certainly welcome. Besides, it gave us a ready made source of Sherpas! And we could tell our war stories to a whole new audience. It finally dawned on me that the climb designation should emphasize the pace and not the age. The Climbing Committee (CC) agreed and changed the code to read: C: Classic. For “Classic Climbers” (those of any age desiring a slower-paced climb)”
And with that, the CC asked climb leaders to consider leading a Classic Climb in an effort to supply climbs for that group of climbers. Back in 1998, only seven people signed up for Hal’s climb. This year, the five Classic Climbs filled up immediately. A second climb of one peak was scheduled. There were 20 climb cards sent in for climbs out of Mowich Lake at Mt. Rainier. On the other hand, Matt Carter’s Classic Climb of Cowhorn has just one signup.
If slower-paced climbs are going to be a part of the climb schedule, more interest and participation will be needed. If the idea of a leisurely climb appeals to you, contact your favorite leader and ask to have them schedule a climb. You might have to go out and recruit a party but it can be a classic experience.
