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Learning from Loss: Remembering the 2005 Sharkfin Tower Incident

In July 2005, six Mountaineers from several different branches set out to climb Sharkfin Tower in the North Cascades National Park. In what was the national park’s worst multi-fatality incident, the group experienced a series of events that resulted in three fatalities and one serious injury, plus trauma for the survivors. Read more…

Congratulations To Our 2024 Volunteer Award Recipients!

Volunteers are the heart of The Mountaineers operations, and this past year was no exception. A heartfelt thank-you to the more than 3,000 members who generously gave their time during Fiscal Year 2024 (October 2023–September 2024), and to the many others who supported us from afar. Your contributions have truly made a difference. Read more…

Olympia Banff Film Festival: Feb 28-March 2, 2025

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is back to bring the best action, environment, and adventure films to Olympia! Join us February 28 through March 2 at the Capitol Theater to experience these films on the big screen. The playlists are different each night, so come for one night, or all three! Discount tickets are available if you purchase a ticket for multiple nights. Read more…

Adventure Speaker Series: Scott Waeschle - Wilderness Travel in Northern Canada

Northern Canada is one of the last lightly traveled wilderness areas where one can spend a month traveling a river without seeing another person. Read more…

Global Adventures | The Perfect Detour

Perched atop Sefinenfurgge – the second highest pass on Switzerland’s Via Alpina – we soaked in our last views of the Eiger and Mönch (two of the Bernese Alps’ most famous peaks). We were eager to see the Blümlisalp massif ahead, but weren’t exactly excited about our next task: descending 3,700 feet over 3.6 miles into a valley and then immediately ascending another mile and 1,200 feet. Excited or not, that’s what it was going to take to reach our next hut, Berghaus Bundalp. Before we started downhill, a quick headcount revealed we were missing a participant. Read more…

Foothills Volunteer Spotlight: Becky Robbins

Meet Becky, a Foothills hike and urban walk leader, Key Instructor, Key Leader, and Super Volunteer who is passionate about helping others get outside to discover the wonders of nature. Read more…

Get to Know Erik Jensen, Foothills Branch Treasurer

Erik joined The Mountaineers in 2022 and has been serving as Foothills Branch Treasurer since 2023. In this role, Erik works with Foothills Committee Chairs and Committee Treasurers as well as Mountaineers staff to manage the overall financials for the branch, approve expenses, and prepare the annual budget. As a branch treasurer, he is also part of the Branch Treasurer Committee and The Mountaineers Finance Committee. Read more…

Mountaineer of the Week: Jennifer Wang

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Technology Changelog

The Mountaineers values transparency and takes pride in celebrating our successes. Our team is continuously working on updating our website, e-learning, and automated processes to enhance the user experience for members and volunteers. In this Changelog, we capture what improvements we have made over time so you can follow along and take advantage of new features.  Read more…

Peak Performance | Learning How to Train Just Hard Enough

Finding the correct balance between training and recovery is one of my main objectives as a coach. Famed running coach Renato Canova once said that a proper training load is not the maximum amount of work an athlete can tolerate, but the least they need to improve performance. Since every person has a unique athletic history, genetic code, and physiological makeup, figuring out how to train just hard enough can be tricky. Read more…

Take our 2025 Member & Volunteer Survey

We are excited to announce the launch of our biannual all member survey. Your responses help staff and leadership understand the needs of our community and learn where we need to prioritize resources. We are eager to check in about your experience as Mountaineers members and leaders and look toward the future together. Read more…

Impact Giving | Get Your Name in the Book: Woodpecker

As an outdoor community, we are committed to sharing the transformative power of the outdoors by highlighting unique perspectives. One way we do this is through Mountaineers Books, our independent, mission-focused publisher. Through support of Mountaineers Books you allow us to reach new communities; support high-quality and diverse books that may otherwise not be published; champion emerging authors; support community events, partnerships, and exhibits; and produce books in an environmentally sustainable way. Read more…

Top 5 Trip Reports - January 2025

Mountaineers started 2025 strong. (The bout of January sunshine sure didn't hurt.) Read on, dear friends, for a spilt pee bottle, the red-breasted sapsucker, Jupiter, dramatic contrast, and more.  Read more…

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2025 Recap

A few weeks ago, The Mountaineers continued its annual tradition of hosting the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour in Seattle. With nearly 4,000 people in attendance at Benaroya Hall over two nights, this year’s screenings made for a memorable experience. Read more…

Mountaineer of the Week: Sasha DiGiulian

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to Sasha DiGiulian. Read more…

Fiscal Year 2024 Recap

The Mountaineers is an incredible community of outdoor enthusiasts, students, instructors, advocates, and leaders. We are inspired by our community’s dedication to fostering connections to the outdoors. As we close the door on 2024 and continue into 2025, we reflect on the core of our mission: to connect people to the natural world and to each other. Take a look back on our collective achievements and how our strategic goals of Lead, Engage, and Advocate guided us this past fiscal year (October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024).  Read more…

Naturalist Seminar - The Unique Features of Mt. Ellinor, Feb 19 2025

Mount Ellinor supports a variety of habitat types with a diverse assemblage of plant communities and species, including an array of species endemic to the Olympic Mountains. Dave and Joanne Schuett-Hames are biologists with backgrounds in salmonid habitat, conservation biology, and plant ecology. They've hiked and backpacked extensively in the Olympic Mountains, and worked as volunteers with Olympic National Park as Wilderness Rangers doing surveys for the Olympic Marmot monitoring project. Their botanical interests on Mt. Ellinor include developing and maintaining plant lists for the Mt. Ellinor trail network on the WNPS website, collecting specimens for the Burke Herbarium, and assisting with the Rare Care plant monitoring program. Read more…

Outside Insights | An Urban Take on an Outdoor Classic

In the winter of 1907, forty-eight charter members of various genders and ages walked through what is now Seattle’s Discovery Park to the West Point lighthouse on Elliot Bay. Ninety-one years later, author Jim Kjeldsen would reference this outing in The Mountaineers: A History, writing “The Mountaineers’ legacy of outdoor adventures began with a local walk.” Read more…

Mountaineer of the Week: Alan Vogt

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

What a New Congress and New Administration Mean for the Outdoors

At The Mountaineers, we believe the outdoors can be a source of healing and unity - a place where we can all come together to find joy and connection in the natural world. Despite big changes with the makeup of Congress and the administration that will have big policy implications, we believe the outdoors is a bipartisan issue. Time and time again, we’ve been able to secure wins for the outdoors no matter who is in power in the other Washington, and we’ll continue to elevate our community’s voices and values to lawmakers in 2025 and beyond. Read more…

Adventure Speaker Series: Jon and Sharon Hubbell - A Year in Australia

Jon and Sharon spent 12 months traveling 18,000 miles in Australia. Their adventure included driving “on the wrong side of the road” in their Aussie RV. They will share favorite places from east to west around the circumference and north to south through the red center of the continent. Read more…

New Course! Mount Rainier: A Place of Joy, Reverence, & Humility

The volcano rose above the subalpine meadow, its size and grandeur more spectacular than I’d imagined. The glaciers flowed down from the summit. To the left rose Little Tahoma, and in the front were Steamboat Prowl and Burroughs. I looked up toward the summit, which was at least 8,000 feet above my location, and an incredible 14,410 feet above sea level, making it the highest peak in Washington. This was my first visit to Sunrise since moving from the East Coast. I knew immediately that Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) would be a place I’d return to often. Read more…

Mountaineer of the Week: Audrey Looper

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Advocate for Public Lands and Recreation in Olympia This Legislative Session

If you've sea kayaked in Deception Pass, climbed the Royal Columns at Tieton, or hiked Blanchard Mountain, you know how important state-managed lands are for Mountaineers programs. Amid growing visitation to Washington’s state parks, wildlife areas, and Department of Natural Resources lands, state agencies need more resources to sustainably manage increased use, mitigate climate change impacts, and better protect natural and cultural resources. Read more…

Bookmarks | The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors

Below is an excerpt from the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Adventure Gap by James Mills published by Mountaineers Books (reprinted with permission). This excerpt comes from the afterword - a reflection on the decade following the first all-Black summit attempt on Denali, North America’s highest mountain. Read more…

Mountaineers Give More Than $230K at Year-End

When Mountaineers set a goal, we give it everything we’ve got, and year-end was no exception. We needed to raise $215,000 by December 31 and you helped us surpass our year-end goal and raise over $230,000. Read more…

Mountaineer of the Week: Paul Bouchey

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to.. Read more…

Kick Off 2025 In Good Shape With the Seattle Hiking Committee

The Seattle Hiking Committee is excited to sponsor a variety of clinics and activities from January through March to help you improve your fitness, nutrition techniques, and gear choices in a supportive community.  Join us to get outside this winter and prepare for spring trails! Read more…

Foothills Volunteer Spotlight: Sarah Hess

Meet Sarah, a Foothills hike and backpack leader, Key Instructor, Key Leader, and Super Volunteer who embraces The Mountaineers mission to help people build skills and feel comfortable outside. Read more…

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2024-25

In 1976, a tight-knit group of climbers and outdoor enthusiasts conceived The Banff Festival of Mountaineering Films. This was a one-day gathering that became the renowned international festival it is today. Read more…