Shyam Vijayaraghavan
As a child, I had a lot of adverse experiences exploring the outdoors. I was taught that outdoor spaces were not for people with my skin-tone, religious beliefs, and dietary traditions. It wasn’t until I found an informal BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) group of hikers and climbers in my early 20s that I felt finally able to grow my love for getting out into nature. Since moving to Seattle, I’ve fostered my outdoor pursuits through The Mountaineers – first through backpacking, then climbing and cross-country skiing, before finally finding my true passion: canyoning.
The Mountaineers has historically prioritized physical safety in our learning programs, which is an essential foundation for learning outdoor sports. However, research has increasingly shown that emotional and psychological safety are also a key component of the learning process.
As I experienced in my early 20s, affinity groups provide emotionally and psychologically safe communities where folks can learn, connect, and grow together. This is why I feel incredibly privileged and thankful to have helped instruct for the BIPOC cohort of Basic Canyoning in the summer of 2024
– a course built by Madeline Hwang (canyoning leader and lead instructor), and Crystal Hudelson (local climbing guide of color and strong advocate for building outdoor access). Through their efforts, and a host of supportive BIPOC instructors, we were able to welcome an excellent group of canyoneers to our community, several of whom specifically credited our cohort as essential for their learning needs.
I’m thrilled that many committees within The Mountaineers are beginning to take steps toward building affinity learning spaces and trips: In 2024, The Mountaineers supported its first Women’s Alpine Scrambling course, and continued to provide all-women cohorts for classes like Winter Mountaineering and Advanced Crevasse Rescue. During the year, Mountaineers leaders in BIPOC, women, and non-binary affinity groups also encouraged learning and community building by hosting social gatherings for members to share stories and skills among like-minded recreationists.
Instruction is more effective when people feel a sense of safety and belonging, and these spaces are essential to building bridges and increasing access to the outdoors for historically excluded and underserved communities. I am excited to see this as a growth area within Mountaineers leadership, and look forward to our continued efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive outdoor community.
Photos clockwise from top left: J.M. Forsyth, Mckenzie Campbell Davies, Mountaineers staff, and Alex Bond.
2024 IMPACT: LEAD INNOVATION IN OUTDOOR EDUCATION
- Supporting Emotional and Physical Safety. We launched a Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault Prevention Advisory Committee that meets twice a month to evaluate how staff and leaders can support healthy learning environments that prevent harmful behaviors within our programs.
- 347 Volunteers Benefit from Leadership Development. Our donor-funded Leadership Development Series completed its sixth year of providing experienced and aspiring leaders alike with quality training in decision making, risk management, equitable and inclusive instruction, and more.
- Celebrating 50 Years of the Ten Essentials. In 1974, we published a comprehensive safety and packing system known as The Ten Essentials in the third edition of Freedom of the Hills. Fifty years later, The Ten Essentials has become a widespread moniker reminding recreationists how to prepare for recreating in the backcountry.
Mountaineers Books Help People Find Their Way Outdoors
While the release of Freedom 10 was the marquee event of 2024, there is no title that better reflects Mountaineers leadership in outdoor education than The Outdoor Leader by Jeannette Stawski. As former executive director of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, Stawski presents a roadmap for educators, guides, and volunteers to build their leadership skills, drawing from first-hand accounts and guidance from leaders and professionals across a range of outdoor organizations. In an excellent example of crossover between publications and educational programming, Stawski was also the keynote speaker at both the North and South Sound Leadership Conferences in winter 2024 and spring 2025.
The Mountaineers® is a 501(c)(3) organization supported through earned revenue and elevated through charitable contributions. Our staff work to support our seven branches (Bellingham, Everett, Foothills, Kitsap, Olympia, Seattle, and Tacoma), three lodges (Baker, Meany, and Stevens), and our Kitsap Forest Theater. Tax ID: 27-3009280. 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.
