Mount Hood Climb 40th Remembrance Events
In May of 2026, OES marked the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Mount Hood climb through a series of remembrance-focused events.
In Shared Remembrance: A Requiem for the 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy
A Public Memorial featuring the Fauré Requiem
Oregon Episcopal School, in collaboration with the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon and the Trinity Music Series, held a public requiem service on Friday, May 8 to honor the lives lost, to hold in prayer the survivors and families, and to remember the extraordinary outpouring of care that surrounded the school community in the days and months that followed.
More than 600 people gathered at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral for In Shared Remembrance: A Requiem for the 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy, marking 40 years since the loss of nine members of the OES community on Mount Hood. The service brought together survivors, family members, alumni, students, faculty, former faculty, and trustees, medical and rescue personnel, and the wider community for an evening of prayer, music, and reflection centered on Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, which has been offered before in memory of the tragedy in both 1987 and 2006.
Watch the Recording from the Requiem Service
We began streaming the service nearly 15 min prior to the Organ Prelude as people were arriving to the Cathedral. The program begins at the 14:35 min mark at ends at 1 hour, 40 min. You can also watch it on Youtube here.
Program for In Shared Remembrance: A Requiem for the 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy
Click here or the thumbnail above to view/download the program.
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Annual Mount Hood Climb Observance Day
On May 13, 2026, OES held its annual Mount Hood Climb Observance Day. It included the traditional Belltower ceremony and other events throughout the morning, including a Chapel focused on the Mount Hood Climb story, a reception, and the sharing of Eucharist in the Chapel before a group walk in the newly renovated Mount Hood Memorial Garden. Students performed community engagement projects throughout the day, both on and off campus, in honor of the observance.
Read Head of School The Rev. Michael Spencer's remarks from the ceremony.
Watch the Recording from the Belltower Ceremony
Photos from the Event
