Climbing

Ever wondered how to efficiently coil a rope? With these three techniques from our friends at Petzl you can become the master of coiling a rope in your hand or over your shoulder to carry in a variety of ways safely to and from the crag. Read more…

A group was recently out on Mt. Baker for an instructional session that was to be immediately followed by a climb of the mountain via the Easton Glacier. Read more…

Spring is turning to summer, which means we'll soon have more folks out on the trails and in the hills. Most climbers will probably do conditioning hikes or easier alpine scrambles to get started, but even on these easier outings, mishaps can occur. Here are some pointers to stay safe out there. Read more…

Eight years ago, Stef Schiller was clinging to the side of a rock face. She was leading a section of Saber, one of Leavenworth's classic moderate multi-pitch routes. She was terrified. Read more…

It still doesn’t seem real that just three years ago, I was standing at the base of the indoor climbing wall at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center, trembling with fear. Read more…

Alex Honnold has become a household name. A rock climber who scales big walls without the safety of a rope, Alex lives in a van and devotes his life to climbing. There's very few things he's never done climbing related - until now! Read more…

Suspended high above an audience of 450 Breakthrough Event guests on April 11, Stephen Sherman was readying himself for the biggest race of his life: a Tyrolean Traverse to rival the ages. The race was tense and fraught with drama, but he came out triumphant! Read more…

Sport climbing is predictable. In sport climbing you clip into pre-drilled bolts while climbing a rock face. Before starting up a route, you know just how long the climb is going to be, and just how many bolts you will clip as you go. Read more…

The level of outdoor community support in the Pacific Northwest is truly unmatched. As a transplant myself, I know it can be difficult to make connections in a new place. Not so much when you go outside. You can roll up to any trailhead, crag, or mountainside and form friendships to last a lifetime. That’s why it’s only fitting that I should find myself here, working at The Mountaineers, through a lucky connection with a fellow outdoor enthusiast: Miles McDonough. Read more…

Trying to plan event with an alpinist is like trying to pin a tail on a kite already in the air. You’re generally limited to catching up with them in quick email bursts whenever the weather has turned foul, then you can expect radio silence during any fair weather stretches. Read more…

It may sound odd, but Reinhold Messner has been inside my head for more than two decades. His deeds, his remarkable introspection, and his sheer productivity set him in a class all his own. In addition to climbing the fourteen 8000-meter peaks, crossing Antarctica and the Gobi Desert on foot, and researching the roots of the Yeti, he has written some sixty books. I’m proud to note that Mountaineers Books has published translations of fourteen of those books, making us his publisher of record in North America.  Read more…

Extending your rappel, when done safely, offers many advantages including improved ability to manage the autoblock, and convenient set up of saddle bags if needed. 

via Vimeo

Check out other climbing how-to guides!

When a climber on your rope team yells "Falling!", drop in to self-arrest and stop the fall immediately!  Once the fall is stopped, follow the following steps: Read more…

via YouTube

Belaying - a friction system

One of the first important safety skills a climber must learn is how to belay.  Belaying is a way of managing the rope, using friction created by bends in the rope around a carabiner and either a hitch or belay device, so that should the climber fall, the rope, and you, will halt the fall, keeping the climber safe.  Check out this video from Climbing Magazine which illustrates great belay technique.

If a climbing partner is seriously injured, and there are limited resources to get help, it may be necessary to tie off the climbing rope to remove yourself from the belay system, so you can investigate, help your partner, or go for help. Read more…

With winter here, and snow in the mountains, your land-based training for the should include strengthening exercises for the quadriceps, particularly if your plans call for snow fun like skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing. Read more…

On a scholarship from the Seattle Climbing Committee, two volunteer Mountaineers leaders attended an American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) single pitch instructor training course. As a result, they returned with techniques and methods that were presented and adopted by the Seattle Climbing Committee: (1) the extended rappel and (2) the pull, break, under, slide belay technique. Want to learn about these techniques? Read what Abby Hunt and Stef Schiller learned.... Read more…

Craig Miller, veteran of decades leading fun and successful private and Mountaineers adventures in the Himalaya, still has room on two upcoming Global Adventures in the Everest region of Nepal! Don't miss out on this opportunity to see the world's tallest peak and experience the visual and cultural richness of this part of Nepal, with someone who really knows the area. Read more…

Written by Joe Sambataro, Northwest Regional Director for The Access Fund Read more…

November 2 - The Tooth/South Face
Injury: None.  
Cause: A number of converging factors. Read more…

Intense Basic? Climbing immersion? Mountaineering "boot camp"? I’m not quite sure what words best describe nine-straight 12-hour days of climbing instruction, including two nights out for the snow-training portion. But, wow, what an unbelievably wonderful experience! Read more…

The Mountaineers has hundreds of volunteers who make our programs possible, and thanks to super volunteers like Chris Chapin and Deling Ren, who both work for Microsoft, their volunteerism is going even further in the form of  cash donations to The Mountaineers from Microsoft's matching gift program. Read more…

Mt Hood Palmer Glacier
Injury: Corneal Edema causing blindness in one eye
Cause: Lasik Surgery, altitude, drying wind Read more…

Many years ago, The Mountaineers devised a set of guidelines to help people conduct themselves safely in the mountains. Based on careful observation of the habits of skilled climbers and a thoughtful analysis of accidents, those guidelines have served well not only for climbers but for all wilderness travelers. Read more…

It’s in!

Last year, the Washington Climbers Coalition, the American Alpine Club and The Mountaineers, with support from the Access Fund, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Spokane Mountaineers and the entire Northwest climbing community, raised $50,000 for the installation of a toilet at the Frenchman Coulee climbing area (better known as Vantage) in Central Washington. Read more…