Beyond the Volcanoes

Already climbed Mt. Rainier, Baker or Mt. Hood? Looking for the next step?
 
As guides living and working in the Northwest we run into a lot of climbers that have started their climbing careers on one of the big Northwest Volcanoes. For many of these climbers, their next steps are to climb higher and higher peaks around the world. Unfortunately, this progression is only possible by choosing climbs that do not involve much more than walking on steep snow.
 

Rock Climbing in Mazama

Mazama is one of the best places in Washington to learn to rock climb or improve your climbing ability by focusing on technical skills. We create a safe, positive, and effective learning environment for climbers of all abilities. There are a number of routes in the beginner to moderate grades to chose from, which we have used to help hundreds of climbers find their way in this vertical environment. 

Goat Wall - Sysiphus

Goat wall is a 1500 foot wall that rises up above the Methow River, just off of the valley floor, right here in Mazama.
 
The rock is a metamorphosed, sedimentary rock and while it doesn’t fracture into clean crack systems, it does offer an abundance of edges that make this rock supremely climbable.
 

Goat Wall - Prime Rib

Goat wall is a 1500 foot wall that rises up above the Methow River, just off of the valley floor, right here in Mazama. The rock is a metamorphosed, sedimentary rock and while it doesn’t fracture into clean crack systems, it does offer an abundance of edges that make this rock supremely climbable.
 

Washington Pass Climbing

NCMG guide and author of the Supertopo guide to Washington pass, Ian Nicholson, calls this area “the best alpine rock destination in North America.”  With scores of classic climbs covering the full spectrum of difficulties, there is truly something here for everyone.  Offering an all snow approach in the early season, these climbs can have a distinctly alpine feel in the Spring and early Summer.  Later in the Summer, the approaches become snow free and most of these climbs can be reached in a pair of approach shoes in only an hour or two.  This allows us the unique opportunity to spend the

Washington Pass Backcountry Skiing

A short and fun snowmobile ride up the spectacular North Cascades Highway provides access to the best backcountry ski and splitboarding terrain in the state. With the annual closure of the North Cascades Highway in the late fall thanks to heavy snowfalls, the season for backcountry skiing adventure starts lasts well into April. The touring opportunities in this zone are plentiful, and superb by any measure.

AMGA Course and Exam Prep

NCMG Owners Jeff Ward and Larry Goldie are instructors and examiners for the American Mountain Guides Association guide training and certification programs.  Jeff is one of the lead instructors for the AMGA and also serves on the AMGA’s Technical Committee.  Larry is an AMGA instructor and examiner that also teaches Level 3 and Instructor training courses for AIARE.

Rock Rescue

This is a 2-day program designed to teach you the basics of rescuing a fallen leader or an injured partner. This program is tailored to improvised climber rescue using only the equipment you are likely to have on a typical multi-pitch climb. Participants should be competent, traditional lead climbers.

Multi-Pitch Rock Climbing Course

This 2-day course is designed to teach you all the basic skills necessary to climb an alpine summit, and then put them to the test on day 2 on a summit climb at Washington pass. This is an ideal program for those wanting to get into climbing, as it will set a solid foundation of skills that you can continue to build on as you continue your development as a climber. It is also a great program for those that just want to climb an iconic peak such as Liberty Bell or South Early Winter Spire and do it comfortably and with a high margin of safety since we limit the group size to 2:1 or 1:1 - and

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