Courses & Activities

Most people know Maria Hines for her culinary accomplishments. In 2005, she was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s 10 Best New Chefs, in 2006 she went on to open her first restaurant, Tilth, in Wallingford, and in 2009 she won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest. Read more…

Trail Tails is a special feature showcasing the mutts of The Mountaineers! This month we recognize El'Bug, owned by Mountaineer Kate Tegeler.  Read more…

While you're waiting to get back out on the trail solo, with family, or with your favorite Mountaineers backpacking buddies, check out these opportunities to get credit for your backpacking skills and experience with one of these fun badges for your Mountaineers profile! Read more…

In the Pacific Northwest, year-round sea kayakers are a tight-knit community. These brave individuals don their drysuits in all conditions and relish in the opportunity to paddle big waves during winter storms. They seek adverse conditions to build their skills, growing more confident in their ability to explore wilder and more remote places. Read more…

Did you know that The Mountaineers have been leading international adventure activities since the 1960s? Since our beginnings we've taken members on 220 different adventures, trekking, hiking, backpacking, climbing, scrambling, and skiing to over 25 different countries and on nearly every continent. Read more…

Is this quarantine starting to get to you? Are you watching birds out your windows and dreaming about what a birding trip might be like? Where might you go on your own during these Coronavirus times, and what might you find and identify? Our new course, Birding in Quarantine: Maximizing Your Fun and Relaxation, is here to help! Read more…

A squabble over climbing styles nearly tore The Mountaineers apart in its early years. Choosing instead to put differences aside, that turmoil spawned a text so seminal that it would come to be read religiously by aspiring climbers around the world. Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills is now seen by many as the pinnacle of climbing education material, and next to it since the beginning is the nonprofit publisher Mountaineers Books. Read more…

Join the Tacoma Branch Photography Committee as we celebrate our 2020 Gallery Show! Going on its 14^th year, this show is typically only seen in person at Catholic Community Services in Tacoma. However, due to social distancing restrictions we are now offering it online for all members to see and enjoy. Read more…

Forget about that special someone – let’s focus on that special something! We all have the pieces of gear we love above the rest. Things that keep you warm, safe, and comfortable. Take a moment to think about that piece of equipment you just couldn’t live without, and enjoy these love letters written by Mountaineers to gear they adore the most. Read more…

On August 14, 2018, I received the phone call. A climber had died, and my mountaineering friend had just gotten the news. He needed assistance with what to do next. In seven years as an emergency services chaplain, I’ve lost count of how many death notifications I’ve given, and I was the right person for my friend to call. Only, when I realized that the climber he was talking about was Stephen Kornbluth, my best friend and “mountain husband,” I felt my world shatter into a million pieces. None of my experience had prepared me for this moment. Read more…

My Mountaineers climbing team is at the summit block of Mt. Olympus, and the clouds are coming in. It’s July 2018, and this is our second climb of the week. My muscles constantly remind me of the miles and elevation I’ve required of them so far, and the distance I still have to go. To finish this ascent we have a short pitch of rock, and we’re doing our best to get up there and see the mythical views before getting completely socked in. Read more…

Backpack for eight days far off the beaten track across the Andes through Argentina’s 'Switzerland'. Join us to explore  Nahuel Huapi National Park in northern Patagonia as part of a Mountaineers Global Adventures trip in Feburary 2021. It'll be winter here, but you can enjoy the sunshine of the summer in the southern hemisphere! Read more…

With spring around the corner, we want to help you get ready to hit the trail with the Olympia Branch's new Day Hiking Course! Are you new to hiking, or haven't been out in a while? Do you wonder about gear, clothing, or backpack weight? Want to get better acquainted with our local area? This course is for you!  Read more…

The Tacoma Mountaineers Basic Sea Kayaking Course is coming up - you want in? Read more…

Let’s go sailing! The Mountaineers sailing program is gearing up for another fantastic year of day sails, raft-ups, overnights, and racing. Offered once a year, our sailing course is your chance to develop a skill-set that allows you to explore our local waterways. Ready for a change of scenery? You’ll experience the thrill of the wind in your face as the boat glides through the water, a calm of a downwind sail surrounded by an orange sunset, and so much more. Read more…

The Mountaineers would like to welcome you to our first annual Adventure Wellness Weekend! Sponsored by the Foothills Branch Trail Running Committee and located at Meany Lodge, the weekend hosts a multitude of activities designed to allow participants to experience nature in a new way. You can forage for wild plants to eat or grow at home, hike at night, try yoga in natural settings, and more! Read more…

Four friends and I set out to enjoy the beach for a two night backpack adventure at Shi Shi Beach. We drove up from Olympia to Port Angeles on US-101 to pick up our overnight permits at the Wilderness Information Center (WIC) on East Park Avenue. From there we continued on US-101 to the junction of SR-112, taking it towards Neah Bay. Read more…

In mid-2016, The Mountaineers Board of Directors voted to allocate funds to begin an initiative called Progressive Climbing Education (PCE). The goal was to dedicate resources to advance the goals and initiatives of our passionate volunteers. Read more…

Backpacking season will be upon us before we know it, and we have more options than ever to help you kick-start your backcountry dreams. Courses are available for adults at all skill and experience levels, as well as for families who want to take kids out on the trail. And, you're welcome to take a course with any branch regardless of your branch affiliation. Be sure to sign up for courses while you can, they fill up quickly!   Read more…

While much of Zion’s scenery is best viewed on foot, there are a number of must-see destinations that visitors can enjoy with only a modest amount of walking. Of course, nobody can talk about “must-see” activities in Zion without mentioning its two most famous hikes—Angels Landing and The Narrows. This list will give you a sense of how to prioritize your agenda for a first-time visit while also giving you ideas for subsequent visits. Read more…

In partnership with SheJumps, The Mountaineers is excited to present Pretty Strong, a film following eight of the world’s strongest female climbers as they explore new climbing areas, send hard projects, and push the boundaries of the sport and themselves. Read more…

Hiking is both calming and energizing. It’s a way to connect with nature, and build community with new people. We'd love to help you make 2020 your year to start a lifetime of hiking, with a compatible and fun community of people and low-stress easy hikes at a social pace, in one of the loveliest places in the world to do it!    Read more…

The Indian Heaven area has been volcanically active since the Pleistocene age, with the most recent eruption happening around 9000 years ago, creating the Big Lava Bed south of the Indian Heaven. Lava flows paired with melting glacial ice created high, wide, thickly-forested plateaus within the Indian Heaven Wilderness making for great views, many deep lakes, and huckleberries galore. Read more…

One of my earliest crack climbing memories is of a notorious route on Peak District gritstone called The Vice—a short, steep hand-and-fist crack that requires a bit of brute force and tenacity, but with the correct techniques is not overly difficult. A confident twelve-year-old me spotted the HVS (5.10) grade in the Stanage guidebook, thought “that’s within my ability,” and then spent the next 20 minutes dangling on the end of a tight rope with my feet paddling the air and brushing the ground. Read more…

A trip to Costa Rica is an all-sensory experience. The various fragrances are more pleasing, and different, than any you experience here in the US. The sounds are unique too, with wildlife chattering in preserves and an entertaining hum buzzing through the towns and villages. The sights are raved about, and it’s easy to see why; you’ll find tree-top bridges, great sand beaches, vibrant farms growing flowers shipped to local shops, stunning volcanoes, aromatic coffee farms, and, of course, rainforests teeming with life. Read more…

"Oh, good," said Steve, our instructor, "now you can practice getting up after a fall." Read more…

Washington is a haven for birders, and yet we still have huge gaps in our understanding of some of our most iconic wildlife. Take the White-tailed Ptarmigan for example. Many of you have likely spotted ptarmigan in the Cascades in their summer plumage, blending in with their rocky alpine habitat, but reports of these beautiful birds in their all-white winter plumage are few and far between. As a result, our knowledge of White-tailed Ptarmigan winter habitats in the Pacific Northwest are meager. Read more…

Do you want to learn more about travel photography before your big trip, or just enjoy the gorgeous photos your fellow Mountaineers took on their adventures? Join us for our Behind the Shot series! Created by the Seattle Photography Committee, this series is designed to inspire and educate our fellow photographers.  Read more…

I had hiked the route from the Col de Tentes over the 7,450- foot Port de Boucharo, straddling the French and Spanish border to the medieval town of Torla in Aragon, a half dozen times. It was one of my favorite hikes to bring folks along on when I worked as a hiking guide in the Pyrenees for Portland-based Mountain Hiking Holidays. I loved looking for edelweiss, pointing out izards (a chamois native to the Pyrenees), explaining the fascinating history of the route (used by pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago and refugees during the Spanish Civil War), and highlighting so many other facets of this fascinating route to the folks I was guiding. Read more…

Our Global Adventures Committee leads exciting trips around the world every year to help you get outside while playing and learning in a new place. Registration is now open now for a birding and hiking trip through the Cloud Forests of Western Panama from April 15-26, 2020. Read more…