Outdoor Leadership

Outdoor Leadership

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Participation Notes: An important, objective tool for our leaders

Participation Notes are an important part of The Mountaineers internal reporting and tracking processes. Leaders use this tool to capture and review notes about a member's past participation that might be useful for future leaders. Read more…

Emotional Intelligence: What's your EQ?

I recently attended a webinar on Emotional Intelligence, shorthanded to EQ or EI. Hosted by one of our partner organizations, Camber Outdoors, I was intrigued by the webinar’s title, “EQ - The Secret Sauce for Accelerating Leadership”. Read more…

Steve's Near Miss in Aasgard Pass Brings Awareness to Hidden Hazard

As many of you know, we recently published Education Manager Steve Smith's story "Lessons Learned - Glissading into a 30-foot Hole - Aasgard Pass."

The response has been pretty astounding. To date, the blog has been viewed 24,000 times with hundreds of shares on social media. Local news took note, leading to an interview with NWC Life Channel and an upcoming story with KOMO, as well as other requests from various media outlets. Read more…

Leader Spotlight: Charlie Michel

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Charlie Michel, a Sea Kayak Leader who can still hold his own with the young guns. Read more…

Mountaineers Moment: A Chance Connection During Intense Basic

We end every staff meeting by sharing what we call "mission moments." These inspiring stories of when we get to witness our mission in action reflect the positive impact of our work on the outdoor community and bring us the warm fuzzies inside. As staff, we find these reminders invigorating, helping us understand the broad reach of our mission to help people get outside. Read more…

Become a volunteer hike or backpack leader - Seminar June 22

Attendees of our Leader Seminar will learn what it means to lead a Mountaineers hike or backpack. We'll cover how to prepare and lead your participants in a safe and enjoyable outing and how to handle some common on-trail leadership challenges, as well as how to post a hike or backpack and a post-trip activity report. This seminar  will get you started toward becoming a certified trip leader for the Seattle or Foothills Branches. (this seminar can count toward certification for the other branches as well!) Read more…

Take your leadership skills to a new level as a Global Adventures leader

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of taking Mountaineers companions on multi-day adventures in far-flung places around North America and the wider world? Global Adventures leaders have taken groups skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, scrambling, backpacking, trekking, and day-walking in Alaska, the Rockies, Patagonia, Peru, the Himalayas, the British Isles, New Zealand, and more. The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams, and at the same time, take your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level.   Read more…

Stay at Stevens Lodge and Welcome Summer PCT Hikers!

If you love exchanging stories of the trail or are interested in a mini vacation close to home, we have the perfect opportunity for you. The volunteers who run our  Mountaineers Lodge at Stevens Pass are hoping to open the lodge to Pacific Crest Trail thru hikers, and we need a few volunteers to commit to staffing Stevens Lodge for a week apiece from August 20 - September 30.  Read more…

What's your leadership style?

Last month I had the opportunity to participate in a rock climbing leadership course with about 20 other Mountaineers leaders and instructors. The first seminar focused on identifying our personal leadership style using the NOLS No-Doz model. which divides people into 4 leadership styles. Read more…

The Frugal Navigator - How To Find Your Way on the Cheap

Mountaineering is an expensive sport. It's especially daunting for beginners, who often have to prioritize spending across competing items. With a fixed amount of money, do you go for Gore-Tex undies, an ice axe made of sleek unobtanium . . . or yawn, a compass? (Let's face it, a shiny new cam is way sexier than a compass.) Read more…

Pay It Forward by Giving Back

I often head to the backcountry to escape the madness of civilization. In nature, I see order, purpose, and reason. In cities, I often see chaos, confusion, and conflict. There’s nothing like a walk in the woods to rejuvenate a tired, tormented and tried soul. There’s nothing too like an invigorating hike to help validate my existence and place in the world. And while I need the natural world for my sanity and sanctity; the natural world very much needs me and other like-minded folks to help keep it from being compromised, abused, and lost forever. Read more…

Your Go-To Adventure Buddy

Funny songs and unlimited jokes. That’s what Andre brings to the mountains according to his friends — along with his gregarious nature and enthusiasm for people. He moved from New Orleans to Seattle with his mom and sister after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, staying for college and beyond.  Read more…

Join us for the 2017 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Join the Seattle Branch as we recognize the outstanding achievements of all of our Mountaineers volunteersThe event is open to volunteers across the entire organization and tickets are available on a first come first serve basis. Read more…

Transforming Inclusion at The Mountaineers

Over the years, members of The Mountaineers community have worked on a number of inclusion initiatives to encourage more involvement from diverse communities. To date, limited resources have been put toward a mindful effort to create a more inclusive environment at The Mountaineers. Read more…

Leadership

I was at a pretty big Thanksgiving gathering at an old YMCA camp on the Oregon Coast. In the industrial sized kitchen, a volunteer crew was preparing to feed a group of 50. Preparing to chop, the young man in charge of the meal that night dumped a bag of onions on the counter. I was nearby, chatting with a friend. I wasn’t part of the crew but I offered to help.  Read more…

Foothills Leader Spotlight: Chris Ensor & Gerry Haugen

Our branch wants to give a big shout out to Chris Ensor and Gerry Haugen! Your hard work is huge asset to the Foothills community. Thank You! Read more…

Foothills Leader Spotlight: Barbara Folmer & Monty Pratt

Our branch wants to give a big shout out to Barbara Folmer and Monty Pratt! Your hard work is a huge asset to the Foothills community. Thank You! Read more…

2016 Larry Ingalls Distinguished Service Award

Congratulations to Doris Hatton, recipient of the Larry Ingalls Distinguished Service Award for 2016! Read more…

Risk Management Review - Status Update

In mid-July, at the direction of the board, CEO Tom Vogl signed a contract with Outdoor Safety Institute (OSI) to conduct a risk management review of Mountaineers programs. The next step for our volunteer leaders is to participate in a risk management survey. Read more…

Leader Resources Seminars - Winter 2016

We've made lots of improvements to our website support for leaders over the past few years. Whether you’re a new or seasoned leader, we want to make your life easier by making sure you know what resources are out there for you. Staff will be on tour hosting informational seminars with exciting and useful information to make it easier for you to lead trips and courses. Join us! Read more…

Join us at the 2016 Leadership Conference - Dec 3

We're thrilled to offer our third annual Fostering Leadership Conference on December 3, 2016. Each year, we create a special day reserved for current and aspiring leaders to foster new ideas and skills to support what The Mountaineers have been best at for more than 100 years: Leadership Development. Read more…

Foothills Leader Spotlight: Deborah Fisher

We appreciate every one of our leaders, but this month we highlight one of our most dedicated: Deborah Fisher. Read more…

Inspiring Future Leaders

The first ever Northwest Youth Leadership Summit was held Saturday, October 22, 2016 at our Seattle Program Center. Working with more than 30 partner organizations, we brought together 120 youth from around the PNW for a day of leadership and learning, plus we enjoyed a surprise visit from Sally Jewell! Read more…

Olympia Scramble Leader of the Year: David Geeraerts

We are pleased to announce David Geeraerts as the Olympia Branch Alpine Scramble Leader of the Year.  David was also selected in 2015.  This year he has lead over 15 trips, and more importantly people enjoy his trips.  Read more…

Native American Sacred Sites Audit

We wanted to make sure that our Native American neighbors know we respect and care about potential concerns  with our members' outdoor activities on culturally-important locations. We reached out every tribe in our state and learned of no such conflicts.  Read more…

Foothills Leader Spotlight

In 2016, we've had 42 Foothills hike and backpack leaders take members on 162 hikes and backpacks, for a total of 1819 miles and 364,595 feet of elevation gain. We appreciate every one of our leaders, but here are three of our finest and most dedicated: Read more…

New Hike-Backpack Leader Seminar, Oct 17 at the Redmond Library

Leading hikes and backpacks offers unique rewards, but also unique challenges. Unlike other more technically demanding Mountaineers activities, hikes and backpacks have no course pre-requisites. We often lead people who are new to the outdoors and/or have widely varying capabilities. This seminar focuses on leadership skills to help you thrive and deliver safe, enjoyable trips. Read more…

Friction Slabs Project - Update & Call For Backup

Beginning in late 2012, our volunteer climb leaders started dreaming about new, easier ways to teach friction climbing. From their imaginations came the idea to build our very own friction slab climbing center. The plans are drawn, the money is raised, and now we need a project manager to help make this dream a reality. Read more…

Leader Resources Seminars - Fall 2016

There have been lots of great improvements in leader support over the past few years, so whether you’re a new or seasoned leader, we want to make your life easier by making sure you know what resources are out there for you. Staff will be on tour hosting informational seminars that are certain to be exciting and useful, and make it easier for you to lead trips and courses. Read more…

Risk Management Review - Meet Our Consultants

In mid-July, at the direction of the board, CEO Tom Vogl signed a contract with Outdoor Safety Institute (OSI) to conduct a risk management review of Mountaineers programs. This affirms our ongoing commitment to safety and ensures our programs and trips are conducted in the most professional manner possible.  Read more…