Most Popular Blogs

As Mountaineers, we are committed to learning from our experiences. We examine every incident that happens on a Mountaineers trip for opportunities to improve the ways we explore and teach. Our volunteer safety committee reviews every incident report and picks a few each month to share as examples of ‘Lessons Learned’. The trip report below describes what happened on this trip, in the leader’s own words, and outlines the lessons the leader has identified. In some cases, we offer additional key learnings from the incident. Read more…

Every Mountaineer is well-meaning. Every volunteer cares about the experiences of their students and participants. But let's look at some statements that women occasionally hear while out on the trails: Read more…

Name: Heidi Walker
Hometown: Grew up in Monroe but now live in Edmonds
Member Since: 2003
Occupation: Desk Jockey at a nonprofit
Favorite Things to Photograph: flowers, landscapes, and people out adventuring Read more…

Three years ago, my friend Loren died in a skiing accident. A huge February storm rolled through the Pacific Northwest, and a bunch of us took extra days off to go skiing. He and a friend were skiing Crystal in-bounds on a Wednesday when Loren fell into a tree well. He suffocated before he could be rescued. Read more…

The North Plaza friction slabs at our Seattle Program Center have become a popular resource, and it's important we keep safety in mind during course instruction. We ask you, as leaders and participants, to be aware of large groups spilling out into nearby streets or frequently crossing the eastern roadway, as this creates the potential for a traffic accident.  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…

For years, REI has closed its stores on Black Friday, paying their employees to #OptOutside instead. At The Mountaineers, we couldn't love the idea more. Our employees have always enjoyed the day after Thanksgiving as a vacation day, and two paid stewardship days each year to take care of their favorite places to play. We believe going outside is not just good for your health - but good for your soul.  Read more…

You’ve probably heard of the Ten Essentials, but if you’re new to hiking, the list can feel daunting. So what do you actually need to bring on your easy or moderate day hike? This is what I’ll have in my pack. Read more…

One of the most common questions I hear Mountaineers ask is how to prevent knee pain on steep hikes. Herein are strategies and resources for increasing your stamina, strength and flexibility so that knee pain may become a distant memory.  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…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Ginger Sarver, a volunteer leader with the Olympia Branch who loves hiking and dove head-first into leading stewardship activities with The Mountaineers! Read more…

Interested in learning how to snowshoe, kayak, or navigate in the backcountry? Want to meet new adventure buddies? Have a gear wishlist a mile long, or some extra gear you'd like to unload? Come to The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center from 6-8pm on Monday, August 23 for our upcoming Gear Grab.  Read more…

Team member names used with permission Read more…

Each year, Mountaineers kayakers come together to attend the advanced clinics sponsored by the Seattle Kayaking Committee at Deception Pass. Staying at the Environmental Learning Center at Cornet Bay, Mountaineers paddlers attend two full days of clinics that teach skills such as advanced paddle strokes, incident management, on-the-water navigation, introduction to moving and dynamic waters, and more! Being so close to the waters of Deception Pass for an entire weekend allows time for paddlers to spend more time learning skills and to connect with each other.  Read more…

With the flick of a switch, our building underwent a transformation. What had been a normal Thursday at the Seattle Program Center - with staff bustling about while members perused our bookstore - changed in an instant. On January 17 our new solar panels were switched on and sunlight was converted into resource-saving energy that powered all the essential mechanisms for running the program center. Read more…

When we told you to Expect the Unexpected on April 11, we weren't joking. Now that you know we're welcoming Alex Honnold as our special guest for the evening, we'd like to announce he'll be joined by a friend of his who also happens to be a Seattle native and world renowned alpinist -  Colin Haley.  Read more…

Our Introduction to the Natural World course is designed for hikers, climbers, photographers, scramblers, and conservationists who want to learn more about the mountains they enjoy. Read more…

We are excited to launch an integrated Mountaineers Programs and Mountaineers Books website in an update we're calling mountaineers.org 3.0 in mid-February! This newest set of updates is focused on bringing Mountaineers Books and Mountaineers Programs together under one roof.  Read more…

We’re thrilled to announce the introduction of bipartisan legislation we’ve been working on for over half a decade: the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act. This bill will improve the recreational permitting systems of federal land agencies so more people can experience public lands through volunteer-based clubs (like The Mountaineers!), with an outfitter, guide, non-profit outdoor leadership organizations, or university outdoor programs. We are stoked to see a bill that will help fix the current inefficient, unpredictable recreational permitting system that create barriers for people to experience the outdoors through these types of outdoor programs.  Read more…

Simul-climbing is an advanced climbing technique where both climbers simultaneously climb while roped together, with pieces of protection continuously placed between them by the lead climber. Given the long and committing nature of many alpine routes in the Cascades, simul-climbing can offer distinct benefits to climbers seeking to balance efficiency and safety moving over vast amounts of terrain; however, the technique has pros and cons, and nuances which warrant attention. It's important to dispel some common misperceptions about this technique. Read more…

Few people have done more to change the trajectory of our organization than Amber Carrigan. In her five years serving as Development Director, Amber built a talented and high-performing team, dramatically transformed our fundraising mission and messaging to build a stronger culture of philanthropy, and most importantly built deep and caring relationships with hundreds of donors and volunteers. While we are sad to say goodbye, we wish her the best of luck as she moves on to her next chapter at the end of September. 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…

Welcome back! Each week, The Mountaineers youth team is sharing ideas and activities for kids of all ages to stay engaged while also staying home and safe. Last week's Stuck Inside kicked off our Explorer Art Contest. This week, we are sharing some creative ideas for celebrating Mother’s Day. Read more…

It was my lowest moment as a Mountaineer, and I’ll never forget it. Evening was approaching on the first day of my Basic Winter Overnight at the old Snoqualmie property. I had done pretty well at ice-ax arrest, but I was cold, wet, and ready to head back to camp to get warm and dry. Then I saw it - my home for the night (an improperly staked 3-season backpacking tent) had collapsed under the 5" of heavy, wet snow that had fallen since morning. My gear was soaked in the puddles of standing water in the tent, and with night falling soon, there was no chance of drying out. I was mortified. Read more…

A picture is worth a thousand words, but the images collected in The Alpine Lakes are worth even more than that. The photographs in this book, published by The Mountaineers in 1971, inspired President Gerald Ford to designate the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. Read more…

June 21, 2018 marks the centennial birthday of Dee Molenaar. At 100 years-old, the legendary mountaineer and 77-year Mountaineers member has built an indelible legacy.  His resume includes pioneering routes on Mt. Rainier, completing the first ascent of a Canadian peak with Senator Robert Kennedy, and sharing a microphone with Sir Edmund Hillary during a radio broadcast.  Read more…

For our member profile this week we talked to ... Read more…

7:30am. Everyone in our canyoning group is finishing up their breakfast at the Mt. Adams Cafe in Randle, Washington. It’s a lot of food for seven people. Calories are key. Pancakes, bacon, and giant omelets fill our faces, as we try to find the balance between too much and too little. Read more…

This summer I’ve been slowly marking off the 100 hikes that Ira Spring and Harvey Manning published in their second edition of 100 Hikes in Washington: South Cascades and Olympics. I completed my 41^st as we hiked to the site of the former Tatoosh Ridge lookout on Tatoosh Peak, made famous in Martha Hardy’s book Tatoosh. This hike is neither for the faint of heart nor the causal hiker. It is steep, with some exposure and drop-offs that leave one wondering, “What am I doing this for?” Read more…

Rock fall is one of the more common causes of injuries in both climbing and scrambling. The rock in the Olympics is notorious for its poor quality, and the Cascades, although overall it is of much better quality, has its share of choss piles as well. A friend of mine used to joke about climbing in the Olympics, “if you don’t like your options for handholds, pick the rock up and move it somewhere else.” Read more…