Impact Stories

Impact Stories

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Impact Giving | Advocacy Training for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Mountaineers programs have always been infused with a conservation ethos. “Mountaineers don’t just love being outside, we love the outdoors itself,” wrote Betsy Robblee, Conservation & Advocacy Director at The Mountaineers. “We want to share the natural world with others and take action to protect the outdoor experience for future generations.” Read more…

First Ever Tacoma Leadership Conference – March 23

Nearly 200 current and aspiring volunteers turned out at our Seattle Leadership Conference on December 2 for a dynamic day of learning and networking. Outdoor professionals from diverse backgrounds led our community through a series of interactive sessions exploring leadership from multiple angles. Read more…

Impact Giving | A Classroom With a View

In a North Seattle public school, 65 miles from Mt. Rainier, Kelsey Hoffman’s classroom is engaged in an unusual last-day-of-school activity. Read more…

Double your donation - Giving Tuesday 2023

What benefits do you experience from outdoor recreation? When you find joy outside, does that trickle into your relationships? Your family? Your role in our greater community? Everyone has something to gain from spending time outdoors. The benefits of pursuing individual goals, connecting with others, giving back through leadership, and paying forward as advocates go beyond our personal health and joy.  Read more…

Your Giving Tuesday Gift Doubled on Nov 27 & 28

When members like you give to support scholarships, you are saying that finances should not be a barrier to connecting with the natural world. The outdoors is for everyone, and scholarships can help lower one barrier to finding joy and belonging outside. Read more…

How the Great American Outdoors Act is Making a Difference for Washington’s Public Lands

Washington state has it all when it comes to outdoor recreation opportunities: an idyllic coastline, jagged peaks, and golden larches. But unfortunately, eroded trails, ancient bathrooms, washed out roads, and other challenges can prevent outdoor enthusiasts from experiencing the restorative power of our public lands.  Read more…

Investing in Solutions to Permit and Access Challenges

Picture this: you’re a small instructional group (SIG) leader for the Basic Alpine Climbing course with The Mountaineers. You've planned out all of your weeknight rope-tying and anchor-building clinics, and now you're excited to challenge your students with their first field trip on real rock. But all of your favorite teaching crags are already booked, The Mountaineers is out of permit days, and you can't find a location to run a trip. You may be the latest Mountaineer impacted by Washington’s cumbersome and inflexible public lands permitting systems. Read more…

Trip Report: Outdoor Alliance Washington Advocates for Public Lands and Recreation in D.C. - Oct 2023

Outdoor advocacy can take many forms: from virtual meetings and policy letters, to events with members of Congress. These individual advocacy actions build momentum over time to address challenges facing our public lands, climate, and outdoor recreation. Read more…

The Mountaineers Equity & Inclusion Leader Toolkit: Fostering Belonging in the Outdoors

The outdoors has always been a source of inspiration and rejuvenation. It presents an opportunity to forge deep connections with nature, push our boundaries, and craft lasting memories. At The Mountaineers, we believe all people should have equitable access to the outdoors and the transformative benefits it provides. Through our volunteer-led programs, we strive to empower our members and foster a culture of belonging by providing outdoor skills education to individuals from all backgrounds. Read more…

Walking the Walk: Action Beyond Land Acknowledgement

Mountaineers programs occur on the traditional lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes. As we continue to grow our practice of land acknowledgment, we must also honor the histories, stories, and wisdom of the Indigenous peoples who have been living here since time immemorial. We’re partnering with Sacred Lands Conservancy, an Indigenous-led non-profit with strong ties to the Lummi Nation, to produce a series of educational pieces on the importance of mindful recreation and how we can develop deeper connections to the histories of our natural places. Read more…

Impact Giving | More than Breakfast and a Bunk

Every weekend this winter, tens of thousands of people will flock to the Cascades to play in the snow. The mountains come alive with the bustle of snow plows, ski lifts, and resort infrastructure catering to locals and tourists alike. And if you look closely, adjacent to the hubbub at three popular recreation areas, you’ll find vibrant and warm pockets of Mountaineers community. Read more…

Origin Story: Ian Cox Memorial Dicks-A-Thon - Oct 21, 2023

This story begins in April, 2018 with a silly idea. I was moving away from my hometown of Seattle to Santa Barbara, and I wanted a good old fashioned Seattle sendoff before I went. I started thinking about the things I would miss when I moved, and one of those things was Dick’s, the classic Seattle burger chain. Dick’s is the mecca for late night food for teenagers, and post adventure eats for weekend warriors. It’s fast, cheap, and delicious.  Read more…

How LWCF is Helping Conserve the Central Cascades

Earlier this month, we celebrated the three-year anniversary of the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). GAOA is already making a difference on the ground for Washington’s public lands and the transformational recreation opportunities they provide. In fact, GAOA funding is powering current public lands projects in Washington like the Stevens Canyon Road improvements in Mount Rainier National Park, as well as several trail improvements in the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Read more…

Impact Giving | Transforming Loss into Legacy: Remembering Ian Cox Through Mountaineers Scholarships

We all move through the stages of grief at different speeds, and never in the same order. Sadness tends to hit me first, followed by denial and anger. With self-care and some extra time on the trail, acceptance comes into view. In my role at The Mountaineers, I’m often the first person people talk to when sharing the news that a Mountaineers member has passed, and these conversations never get easier. On the bright side, something that is very special about this community is how fast motivation and inspiration presents itself. The spirit of adventure is forever present, even when facing serious loss. Read more…

2022 Impact Report: Innovating in Outdoor Education

With the recent release of our annual impact report, we're celebrating all that donors and volunteers made possible through The Mountaineers in 2022. 

The model of volunteer-led outdoor education at The Mountaineers is imbued with a sense of purpose that cultivates friendships, mentorships, and lifelong learning opportunities. We approach our outdoor pursuits with more than a “one and done” attitude; we build a culture that fosters collaboration between students and teachers and care for the natural world. And as our community grows out of authentic relationships, consistent values crop up across all activities: safety, respect, communication, and the joy of being outside together. Read more…

2022 Impact Report: Creating a Culture of Belonging

With the recent release of our annual impact report, we're celebrating all that donors and volunteers made possible through The Mountaineers in 2022. 

When I joined The Mountaineers, I didn’t expect to become so fully immersed — taking courses, instructing, leading trips, and
volunteering on committees. My climbing partners who shared adventures with me in the mountains became lasting friends off
the mountain. My outdoor community simply became my community. Read more…

2022 Impact Report: Strengthening Our Voice as Advocates

With the recent release of our annual impact report, we're celebrating all that donors and volunteers made possible through The Mountaineers in 2022. 

For more than 100 years, The Mountaineers has connected people in the outdoors. I’ve had the honor of building relationships with Mountaineers near and far, young and old, daring, mindful, good-humored, and passionate. I’ve been a student, colleague, mentor, and team member. And in each of these roles, I have deepened my relationship to the place that is my home. In fellowship and visitation, I have put down soggy Northwest roots and learned to love more corners of this wild and amazing planet than I ever knew existed. Read more…

Impact Report for Fiscal Year 2022

We are excited to release our annual impact report in celebration of all that you made possible in fiscal year 2022. Read more…

Impact Giving | Homegrown Expertise and Values-Based Publishing

As an independent nonprofit publisher, one of the goals of Mountaineers Books is to amplify the values of Mountaineers members. The editorial team has a finger on the pulse of our outdoor community and chooses projects that help bring readers to the frontlines of outdoor education. Read more…

Impact Giving | Donors Support Leadership Development

The Mountaineers is internationally known for high-quality outdoor education and experiences, yet many people are surprised when they find out that our programs are almost entirely led by volunteers.  Read more…

Your donation builds a vibrant outdoor community

Do you remember a time when you craved a deeper connection with the natural world? Perhaps you found yourself in a new place or stage of life and you were inspired by someone who shared their passion, experience, and joy of the outdoors with you. Maybe it was a trip leader, role model, friend, or family member. Maybe it was an author, blogger, photographer, or trip reporter.  Read more…

Donations protect the outdoor experience

Next weekend an estimated 22.6 million people will go camping across the US, and even more will get outside for the day to enjoy parks, forests, waterways, and other outdoor spaces. We love to see people enjoying the outdoors, and believe that each of us has a role in conserving the natural world—and the outdoor experiences we love—for future generations. Read more…

Donations support volunteer-led outdoor education

Spring is an exciting time at The Mountaineers as people from all backgrounds and experience levels turn to us to seek outdoor education. Many of our most popular adult courses are underway or wrapping up. Kids in our after-school programs are finally getting some long, sunny afternoons to learn and play outside. The activity calendar is filling rapidly, and the latest guidebooks are flying off the shelves as people gear up for summer.  Read more…

Youth Outside | Climbing is for Everyone

I learned how to rock climb through The Mountaineers. Learning to climb this way is empowering because you learn for yourself how to climb safely. As a teacher at the Tacoma Science and Math Institute (SAMI), a public school housed in Point Defiance Park and Zoo, I like to take this empowering educational approach with my students, and one great thing about my school is the requirement that teachers collaborate to co-teach an interdisciplinary class in January. We are encouraged to dream big. Read more…

Conservation Currents | Tacoma Goes Green

Like most major Mountaineers achievements, reducing the carbon footprint of our Tacoma Program Center (TPC) became a reality thanks to the passion and drive of our volunteers. Read more…

Announcing Our Net Zero Vision

As we experience worsening impacts of the climate crisis on our public lands and communities, we must do more to respond to this urgent threat.
Read more…

Conservation Currents | Year One of Outdoor Alliance Washington

Whether you prefer backcountry skiing the North Cascades, climbing in Tieton, or day hiking along the Snoqualmie River, as Mountaineers you’ve likely experienced how policy and management decisions impact our public lands. Many of us have seen hazardous roads, decrepit facilities, and closed trailheads as funding falls shy year after year. But this frustration can – and has – produced change. The experiences of recreationists like you translate into compelling advocacy for conservation and recreation. Read more…

Protections Restored for Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

Over the years, we’ve been on a long journey to protect ancient, old-growth trees in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Our community has answered our calls to action time and time again because it understands that protecting Roadless Areas in Alaska sets a strong precedent for protecting backcountry places in Washington State and beyond. Last week, the administration finalized protections for the Tongass, securing a much-anticipated win for conservation, climate, and Indigenous communities. Read more…

Introducing Adventure with Purpose: The Mountaineers New Strategic Plan

Our last strategic Plan, Vision 2022, provided an important foundation for us as leaders in innovative outdoor education, striving to engage future generations in advocacy, adventure, education, volunteerism, and community. Vision 2022 was community-centric and articulated strategic priorities that were bold and interconnected. Strongly supported by our community through a year-long, multi-level engagement process, Vision 2022 also put a stake in the ground for our goal of becoming a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. Read more…

Impact Giving | We Go Beyond Fun

Like all Mountaineers, our Super Volunteers delight in small moments of frivolity. A cold beverage shared between a paddler and a powerboat. Playing lighthearted pranks during an Urban Walk. Watching the magnificent, performative hunt of a short-eared owl. Community-based fun is the heartbeat of The Mountaineers. Read more…