Mountaineer Magazine

I grew up blind to the American legacy of public lands — an inheritance for all people, regardless of background, language, or creed. I get shivers to think of what my life would be without the rush of climbing mountains in the North Cascades, diving into alpine lakes in the Grand Teton backcountry, or having Elysian Park as a family gathering place for our “Carne Asadas,” our version of a family BBQ. I found my soul in the wild and the heart of my passion within my family in the city of Los Angeles.  Read more…

One of the most important exercises in my own outdoor-conditioning strength program, and indeed in the program of many hundreds of mountaineers I've trained over the past fifteen years, is the one-legged deadlift. Whether you are 8 or 88, you need balance, coordination, and strength. To go faster uphill on foot, include the one-legged deadlift in your program. It will help your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and balancing muscles around the feet, ankles, hips and knees. Read more…

We’re aware some people perceive us as an ‘old guy’s club’. And while that may have been the case 60 years ago when we were inventing methods of climbing the highest and most remote peaks, it just isn’t true anymore. Read more…

Autumn in the Pacific Northwest can be a circle of sun and ice. Mornings of frost-coated leaves melt into blazing sunny days. You may start the day piling on layers of fleece and down, only to find yourself in one short-sleeve shirt by mid-afternoon.  Read more…

Thursday, July 12, 2012. 

It could have been the last day of my life. In fact, I’m still a little surprised it wasn’t. There are certain events that occur in one’s life, to which it’s hard not to attribute supernatural meaning. It being the day before Friday the 13th, I’ve thought perhaps that Thursday was contaminated by the misfortune of its notorious neighbor. I’ve also caught myself half-believing in guardian angels, and, while contemplating other close calls, have wondered whether the Universe is out to kill me, and if so, why it hasn’t succeeded.  Read more…

For over a century, The Mountaineers has inspired conservation and stewardship of our public lands through our outdoor education programs and books. Today, we build on this tradition by taking responsibility for protecting the places that inspire, excite, and challenge us. The Mountaineers is uniquely positioned to define and grow the modern conservation movement by providing powerful outdoor experiences that enable people to gain special connections to these places and the desire to protect them. We instill stewardship and Leave-No-Trace wilderness ethics through the educational components of our courses and provide opportunities to learn and engage in conservation issues – practices that ignite passion and action in current and future generations of conservationists. Read more…

“There are two things that interest me: the relationship of people to the land, and the relationship of people to each other.” –Aldo Leopold Read more…

For our member profile this week, we talked to our very own Kristina Ciari, Mountaineers' Membership and Marketing Manager. Her spirit of adventure takes her to mountains and crags all over the world - from Alaska to Croatia to Thailand. And as a Turns-All-Year skier of 48 months and counting, she's very familiar with the mountains and volcanos of the Pacific NW.  Read more…

by Steve Scher

A climber, staring up from below, already has the summit in mind. The cracks and crevices might be as thick as an interstate on a highway map or as faint as a Jeep trail. The route will emerge.  Read more…

The sagebrush sea is a vast ecosystem wearing many faces across 11 states: from southern desert shrublands to mountain woodlands, from grasslands and riparian areas to the sagebrush steppe, where grasses and shrubs are co-dominant. Perhaps the sagebrush sea’s most recognizable form, the sagebrush steppe is a mix of big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, horsebrush, and rabbitbrush, with perennial bunchgrasses (providing horizontal cover for ground nests) dotted with balsamroot, lupine, Indian paintbrush, pasqueflower, saxifrage, and shooting stars. This is the realm of the greater sage grouse, Gunnison sage grouse, sagebrush sparrow, Brewer’s sparrow, and sage thrasher, obligate species that require sagebrush for cover, nest protection, and food.  Read more…

No, I am not talking about whether you consider yourself a liberal or conservative. I’m talking about whether you've hiked Mount Si or not. Read more…

Ever since we were quite young, the out-of-doors has been an important companion in our games and studies. As we grew older, however, a dream to partake more seriously in the joys and dangers of the wilderness took firm root. When our family moved back to our native Pacific Northwest after living in the rural Midwest and East for a number of years, it began to look like the dream might just become a reality. Read more…

As an outdoor enthusiast nearing fifty, I’ve noticed my balance and coordination aren’t what they used to be several decades ago. Both of these are important for hiking, climbing, backpacking, trekking, skiing, and mountaineering. Try this exercise to help restore balance and coordination for any age or ability level. Read more…

What is the collective meaning of this unusual part of our country — the north eastern shore of the Pacific? We are all People of the Salish Sea and the uplands that feed this second largest estuary of the United States, where we live. It’s a place; an idea; an ideal; a future; the sum of its historic parts. It is our shared vernacular. Read more…

I made my first trip to Washington, D.C. for The Mountaineers about five months into my job here. As I coordinated with partner organizations to schedule meeting with legislators, I was a bit surprised — I was easily able to get meetings as a representative of The Mountaineers that other organizations couldn’t. I say only ‘a bit’ surprised because I knew I was walking in the footsteps of giants; that our organization’s reputation as a leader in outdoor education and conservation far preceded any of my work here. Indeed, The Mountaineers’ legacy of leadership is why I joined and took on the role of defining and amplifying our conservation work as we move forward. Read more…

Our first-ever Mountain Workshop was with the John Muir Elementary School fifth grade. The program had three parts: our volunteers visited the school, the kids came to the Seattle Program Center to climb, and we all met one last time at Seward Park to spend the day exploring outside and working on a stewardship project with Seattle Audubon. Read more…

As I look out over a plain of rushing water, a pleasant earthy smell permeates the air, hinting surprisingly of sulfur. 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…

Blame the Internet. Blame social media. Blame me and other guidebook writers. Blame the Washington Trails Association (WTA). 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…

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…

John Porter is a hiker, scrambler and climber who joined The Mountaineers just a few years ago. He wanted to sharpen his technical skills and learn to climb. In the short amount of time that he’s been climbing, he’s summited more peaks than many do in a lifetime, venturing out every weekend without fail. When he can, he brings his two dogs, Cooper and Cody (a black and yellow lab). I interviewed him to discover what excites him about getting out into the mountains, and what keeps pushing him to go further.  Read more…

It was just a year ago in late December, when I accepted the position as Conservation and Responsible Recreation Manager for The Mountaineers. If someone told me then, that within my first year on the job I would be taking a lead in planning an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, I might have told them they were crazy! But, thanks to event co-hosts REI and the Wilderness Society, and a creative, passionate, involved steering committee, we made, we made it happen on November 15th at Explore Washington’s Wilderness, a special event to celebrate the landmark conservation bill that created a way for Americans to protect their most pristine wildlands for future generations. Read more…

The mudslide that destroyed the small community of Steelhead Haven in Oso also blocked access to the town of Darrington. Before this disaster brought the area national attention, Darrington was known for two things: logging and access to amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. From climbing at places like Three O’Clock Rock, rafting on the Sauk River, setting out on an adventure to Glacier Peak or enjoying an afternoon with the family on the Old Sauk Trail, Darrington has been a gateway for Mountaineers as long as we have been getting folks outdoors. Read more…