BECOMING A CRAG RAT

First off, thank you for your interest in becoming a Crag Rat. We need and welcome new Rats who are willing and able to drop everything to help someone in need on Mt. Hood or in the Columbia Gorge. That said, joining the Rats is a rigorous process that is definitely NOT for everyone. There are trainings to attend, people to get to know, mountains to climb, and hoops to jump through. This page is to give you some guidelines for whether the Rats are right for you, and you're right for the Rats. You might instead try PNWSAR (Pacific Northwest Search And Rescue), which serves the Gorge and below-timberline on Mt. Hood.

Below is an outline of the process for becoming a Crat Rat:

  • Send us a short paragraph on why you want to become a Crag Rat. 

  • Describe your climbing, mountaineering, and skiing history.

  • Describe your background as a volunteer.

  • Describe any special qualifications you have.

  • Climb to the summits of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

  • Obtain Incident Command System 100 and 700 certifications (online).

  • Complete a Basic First Aid class.

  • Find two active Crag Rats to be your sponsors. The sooner you find them, the smoother things should go.

  • Introduce yourself at the start of several of our monthly meetings (2nd Thursdays of each month).

  • Read and understand the Crag Rats Code of Conduct.

  • Read the Crag Rats Bylaws.

After the above requirements have been met, your application will be read at three consecutive monthly Crag Rats business meetings. During the last meeting, there will be a vote on whether to accept you into Probationary status.

If you're voted in as a Probationary member, you'll be expected to be particularly active in your search and rescue duties. You'll have up to two years to fullfill the following:

  • Attend at least six business meetings.

  • Attend at least six full training programs¸ meaning trainings of at least two hours in duration.

  • Participate in at least 10 days of searches and/or rescues.  

Once these requirements have been met (or within 2 years, whichever comes first), there will be a second vote to accept you into Active status. During this vote any two members could deny your membership. So it pays to impress and befriend everyone!

If you've made it this far and are still interested in joining us, please write to hoodrivercragrats@gmail.com for a copy of our application and supporting materials.

Thanks for your interest in the Rats. We’d love to have you join us!