Mountaineers Books Blog

These six books are the last new releases of 2020! We have two new books (Snowy Owl and Great Gray Owl) from award-winning author and photographer Paul Bannick, two new additions to our popular Urban Trails series (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene and Vancouver, WA), an in-depth look at the spectacular Douglas-fir tree, and an approachable fitness book perfect for getting you through the dreary winter (24  Ways to Move More). Check them out! Read more…

For nearly 20 years, our conservation imprint Braided River has published stunning multimedia books about the wildest places in North America. In particular, the western Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have been a special focus. Award-winning books like We Are the Arctic and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land have been used by senators, grassroots groups, and Indigenous tribes to help people experience this remote corner of the world through images and stories, and be inspired to protect it. Read more…

We are so proud and excited to announce that four of our titles are 2020 Banff Mountain Book Competition finalists! Judges pored over 130 titles in seven categories and we are honored four of our books made the shortlist. Category winners will be announced in October so keep your fingers crossed!

Congratulations to all the finalists, but especially our amazing authors Bernadette McDonald, Hank Lentfer, Barney Scout Mann, and Pete Whittaker.  Read more…

Get to know nature two new ways with the Olympic Mountains Trail Guide and What Birds Eat! If you're planning on exploring the gorgeous Olympics our brand new 4th edition of the Olympic Mountains Trail Guide provides the most up-to-date information you need to hit the trails. Get a closer look at bird physiology, eating habits, and more with Kim Long's What Birds Eat.  Read more…

Join us on September 10 for a virtual BeWild event with avid mountaineer, climber of the 7-summits, and Mountaineers board president, Vik Sahney. Read more…

We are so excited to show off our latest new releases! Learn all about Northwest trees, travel across Canada on skis, dig into avalanche science and stories, and read about some of the most heartbreaking and dangerous feats in mountaineering history. Read more…

It’s always a joy to visit with someone who speaks passionately about the things they love. For Helen Cherullo, her passion is books. Helen’s love is about more than a simple bound text; it’s about imagery and place-based storytelling, and how their subsequent ripple effects move communities to act. Read more…

The high temperatures we've been having lately have us dreaming of the cooler days ahead.  Don't misunderstand, we've been trying to get the most out of summer. Gardening, swimming, running - all activities best enjoyed in warm weather. That doesn't mean we're not looking forward to winter activities and a beautiful blanket of fresh snow.   Read more…

The Mountaineers are proud to call Puget Sound home. From the towering glaciers and old growth forests of Mount Rainier to the stunning waters and diverse wildlife of the Salish Sea, our home is a special place. The natural beauty and adventure of these wild places inspires us to not only enjoy our special spaces but fight for their protection for future generations. That desire for preservation is centered within our core value of conservation. From the mountains to the sea, we are dedicated stewards of our backyard and beyond. Read more…

We are excited to announce that three of our titles are 2020 Washington State Award finalists! In its 54th year, the program (formerly called the Governor's Writers Awards) recognizes outstanding books published in 2019. There are a total of 39 finalists in all eight categories. Read more…

We have just announced our new distribution agreement with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC). The ATC is a West Virginia-based nonprofit with the lead role in protecting and managing the Appalachian Trail and surrounding 250,000 acres of public lands in cooperation with an array of federal, state, and local agencies. Beginning August 17, we will be the exclusive distributor of ATC books and maps. Read more…

Eighteen years after his first attempt to reach the summit of Link Sar, Steve Swenson, legendary alpinist, Mountaineers Board Director, Mountaineers Books author, and past president of the American Alpine Club, finally stood atop the notoriously technical peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram. He was joined by alpinists Mark Richey, 61; expedition leader Graham Zimmerman, 33; and Chris Wright, 36. “The climbers succeeded because they were persistent, used their 126 years of combined climbing experience, and understood what partnership meant,” and for this they are being awarded the prestigious 2020 Piolet d’Or. Read more…

Over the past sixty years, Mountaineers Books has built something incredible. Beginning with a single book, written and produced by volunteers, we have grown into a world-leading outdoors publisher with over 650 titles in print and nearly 17 million books sold since 1960. Today we sell books in print, online, and on-demand, around the world and in a dozen languages. Mountaineers Books are nearly as well traveled as Mountaineers members. Read more…

For your final auction surprises we’re adding two more items to round out our 50+ packages. One will appeal to mountaineering history buffs, and the other will call to anyone who could use a two-night getaway in the woods (but why not win both and read your new book at the cabin!). Read more…

What fun is an online auction without a few surprises? To stoke the fundraising fire, here are two incredible new packages we’ve added for your bidding pleasure (and don’t forget to view the other 50+ packages already in play). Read more…

By now you know that The Mountaineers rescheduled virtual gala is happening on July 23. But, do you know why?

To be completely honest, part of the reason is because we already secured 50+ amazing auction packages and they’re just waiting to get into your hands! This year has provided a lot of lemons and everyone is trying their best to make lemonade. We hope that taking home new gear, artwork, or a unique experience while supporting a great cause will bring a little joy to your life. Read more…

For the last five weeks we have been revealing auction sneak peeks and teasers, all in the hopes of getting you prepared for this moment - our online auction is now open for bidding! With over fifty packages available you’ll surely find something that piques your interest, from a Joshua Tree Getaway to a first edition copy of Freedom of the Hills. Read more…

As you saw last week, we have something exciting up our sleeves for our Virtual Gala on July 23 regarding outdoor celebrities and their advice for weathering a pandemic. You now know that the evening will include former keynote speakers Jimmy Chin and Lynn Hill, and fourteen soon-to-be-revealed remarkable guests! Visit our gala website to see the latest celebrities added to the list (and be sure to either pre-register for the online auction or sign up for the free virtual event to keep up with gala news)! Read more…

Hiking guidebooks and I go back a long time, long before I first set out with a notebook, pen, and camera to craft my own. In the early 1980s, after years as a road cycling fanatic (and fanatic I was, having biked across North America three times before my twenty-first birthday) I discovered the world of trails. A handful of hiking guidebooks helped me discover so many trails near and far: the AMC White Mountain Guide, 50 hikes in the White Mountains, and GMC’s Long Trail Guide, soon followed by many others. Read more…

We’ve got something very exciting in store for you at our July 23 virtual Gala. It’ll be an uplifting reminder that, even in the middle of a pandemic, outdoor celebrities are just like us. As a little teaser, we can say that you’ll be hearing from many of our special guests from previous galas (including Jimmy Chin and Lynn Hill!). Want to hear how athletes entertain their kids during quarantine, or where our authors plan to travel as soon as they can? Tune in on July 23 to find out! Read more…

Popularized by Alastair Humphreys, a micro-adventure is "an adventure that is short, simple, local, cheap – yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding. " As summer arrives, many of us want to maximize our time outside. But it’s not always easy to get out after work or on a busy weekend. Fortunately, opportunities for outdoor exploration are right outside your door. Join us as we take a look at a few of the micro-adventures you can take any day of the week. Read more…

Planning a gala today is much different than it was a few months ago. It now includes the intricate dance of supporting Safe Start Washington, shifting catering logistics for pickups and home deliveries, and all sorts of new multi-media technicalities. But for the team of staff and volunteers involved in auction planning, we’re having a lot of fun dreaming up a reimagined gala. Read more…

In case you haven’t read yet, last week we announced that our July 23 gala is going virtual. As with many organizations navigating the effects of COVID-19 we’ve had to adapt to new modes of operation, and moving our auction online is one of them. It’s come with a learning curve, but we’ve already noticed many benefits: you have more time to bid on your favorite items, it opens up opportunities for everyone to participate, and we have the opportunity to further promote businesses that have donated to the auction. Read more…

Earlier this week we announced to gala attendees that the July 23 event will now be virtual in order to protect the health and safety of guests, speakers, and staff. While we originally hoped to celebrate in-person, we’re excited about this change as it opens the event to our entire membership and hopefully provides a little light and camaraderie for our outdoor community during these challenging times. Read more…

For a couple of years, Mountaineers Leader Rena Chinn has been asking me if I wanted to start a book club with her that featured adventure and outdoor books written by women and people of color (POC). We somehow never found time with our own adventuring to fit it in. When the COVID-19 shutdown happened, we felt it was the perfect time to start our club with online meetings. Read more…

Since its earliest years, Mountaineers Books titles like The North Cascades (1964) and The Alpine Lakes (1971) have influenced the creation of national parks and protected wilderness areas through images and stories. But in 2003, something incredible happened. Read more…

Six months ago we began this Impact Giving series as a way to feature the many ways philanthropy makes a difference for The Mountaineers. This month, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of Mountaineers Books and how philanthropy expands the impact one book can have on an individual, a classroom, a community, and the world.  Read more…

Join author Eli Boschetto for an inside look at his new guidebook, Day Hiking Mount Hood. Eli also shares features and details about hiking Oregon’s iconic peak, including trail selections where you can avoid the crowds for safe hiking as we get accustomed to new norms for recreating in our favorite outdoor areas. Read more…

Brendan Leonard bought the url semi-rad.com for $29 in 2011, intending to write a weekly post about adventure for a year and see what happened. Almost nine years later, his writings on Semi-Rad.com are read by half a million people each year, and even more in his Semi-Rad column for Outside magazine. Read more…

Trek to wild mountain peaks, cycle around the world, paddle Alaskan waters, and take a closer look at the nature within your city this summer with our top recommendations to add to your reading list.  Read more…