Blog

Last year, we announced that The Mountaineers is leading Outdoor Alliance Washington, a group of organizations representing the human-powered outdoor recreation community in Washington State. Outdoor Alliance Washington meets with elected officials to advocate for funding to improve outdoor recreation opportunities and conserve our public lands. While we often meet through Zoom or in an office, it’s much more fun - and effective - to meet in officials’  districts in parks and public lands. Read more…

 For years, Mountaineers Super Volunteer Richard Babunovic loaded up his Subaru Outback and headed to Mt. Pilchuck - his favorite mountain. Read more…

It's been a busy six months for our Leadership Development Series! We hosted over 35 high-quality, continuing education remote seminars for over 500 volunteer leaders from October 2021 through April 2022, and it's not done yet. We're excited to highlight five more upcoming sessions as we wrap up our 2021-2022 Leadership Development Series. Read more…

We're excited to kick off our spring fundraiser by participating in GiveBIG! 

GiveBIG is a statewide movement of generosity, where donors like you come together to invest in our region. You can use the Washington Gives platform to easily find all the causes you already help fund, share about the organizations that mean the most to you, and to find new ones to support. Donations to The Mountaineers during GiveBIG will help unlock even more funding through a unique matching opportunity. Read more…

Streaks of glue are glistening in our hair and work overalls from another late night working on the bouldering gym’s construction. My life partner Daniel is putting up wall paneling while I assist, a wet rag in my hands to wipe away residue from the installation. We’re exhausted and elated at the same time. It seems surreal to be putting the finishing touches on a project that has absorbed the last five years of our lives. In building Half Moon Bouldering, our family start-up and the first bouldering gym in Greenwood, we feel like we’ve been aiming for the moon, and now it seems we’re actually close to landing. Read more…

Our volunteer leaders are a huge part of what makes the Olympia Branch such an inspiring, fun, and impactful community. Each year we honor the hard work and dedication of one Olympia volunteer by presenting them with the Branch Service Award. Read more…

Olympia Mountaineers have been sponsoring the Banff Film Festival for many years, and this spring, The Olympia Branch  and the Olympia Film Society are thrilled to bring live shows back to Olympia! Read more…

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

Meet Brian Talbert, a Foothills backpacking leader and a mentor for the Foothills Backpacking Building Blocks course. As an active member of the Foothills Hiking and Backpacking Committee, Brian manages leadership development and certification for the committee. Read more…

The Mountaineers adventure with purpose. We seek out places that are bigger than ourselves to uncover joy and feel the transformative power of nature. We’re advocates, raising our voices together for this and future generations, all while adventuring in places big and small. We’re a community, teaching responsible recreation for all people to find belonging in the outdoors. And we flourish thanks to a culture of giving. Our volunteers give back and pay it forward, empowering others to confidently explore in their own backyards and beyond.  Read more…