Olympia Junior Mountaineers Adventure Club - 2023/24

Youth Program

Junior MAC - Olympia

From single-day outings to weekend camping trips, activities include rock climbing, backpacking, hiking, car and snow camping, and learning mountaineering skills. Our goal is to give our students the skills necessary to safely travel in backcountry and alpine environments, gain an appreciation for our wild places, learn teamwork skills, and grow in confidence. While attendance at all meetings is not required, the more meetings and outings attended, the more rewarding the program!

Please read this description in its entirety before registering.

Note: Jr. Mountaineers Adventure Club (Jr. MAC) membership is $550 in total for the 2023/2024 course. Participants may register here and pay in full, or may contact clairee@mountaineers.org to set up a quarterly payment plan. 

We offer financial assistance! To apply for financial assistance click here.

The Jr. MAC Course provides youth ages 12-16 an opportunity to dial in their climbing, hiking, camping, backpacking, and snowshoeing skills. The goal is to understand basic rock climbing skills, develop a sense of understanding how to climb outdoors, assess risk, and understand personally boundaries when working with a group. 

Jr. MAC members will spend the fall months  working on their skills and climbing outside once a month to practice skills learned in monthly meetings. Once we enter into the winter session in January, we will climb indoors, practice glacier travel in snow, and snowshoe. When the weather allows for it, we will plan camping trips in the spring and into early summer. 

Jr. MAC will be supported by Mountaineers staff, but parents are encouraged to actively participate and possibly even lead some trips if they feel ready. Staff will provide opportunities for parents to advance their own outdoor skills as well as learn key skills for leading kids safely in the outdoors. This program will focus on skill-building for both youth and adults, and on building an outdoor community.

*Note that while  parents/guardians are encouraged to be active participants in the club, there is plenty of flexibility so that youth can participate in a trip even if a parent/guardian can't make it.

Jr. MAC is a club and requires a time commitment and program fee (which can be paid in quarterly installments). In return, members gain a community of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy spending time learning skills together. As families grow through our programs, lifelong friendships are built. When graduates of our teen program come home from college, they meet up with other Mountaineers friends to go hiking, backpacking and climbing. This program is just the beginning.

Note: Youth ages 12-16  register as participants, and therefore pay the registration and program fee. Parents should become a Qualified Youth Leader and then register for the Jr. MAC program as a  Chaperone (there is no fee for this).

Badges you will earn:

Program Requirements
Program Activity Date Availability Leader
Junior Mac Rock Climb Skill Night (optional)
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Oct 10, 2023
Registration closes Oct 8
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Nov 7, 2023
Registration closes Nov 5
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Dec 5, 2023
Registration closes Dec 3
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Jan 9, 2024
Registration closes Jan 7
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Feb 6, 2024
Registration closes Feb 4
49 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Mar 5, 2024
Registration closes Mar 3
49 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Apr 9, 2024
Registration closes Apr 7
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, May 7, 2024
Registration closes May 5
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Jun 4, 2024
Registration closes Jun 2
11 participants
12 chaperones
Briggs YMCA
Tue, Jul 9, 2024
Registration closes Jul 7
11 participants
12 chaperones
Junior Mac Rock Climb Weekend Trips (optional)
McCleary Cliffs
Sun, Oct 22, 2023
Registration closes Oct 20
11 participants
12 chaperones
Exit 38
Sat, Nov 25, 2023
Registration closes Nov 17
11 participants
Gold Creek Basin
Sat, Dec 16, 2023
Registration closes Dec 14
11 participants
12 chaperones
Franklin Falls
Sun, Jan 21, 2024 -
Sat, Sep 21, 2024
Registration closes Jan 19
11 participants
12 chaperones
Second Beach
Sat, Feb 24, 2024 -
Sun, Feb 25, 2024
Registration closes Feb 22
11 participants
12 chaperones
Artist Point
Sat, Mar 16, 2024
Registration closes Mar 14
11 participants
Paradise
Sun, Apr 14, 2024
Registration closes Apr 12
11 participants
12 chaperones
Vantage (Frenchman Coulee)
Sat, May 18, 2024 -
Sun, May 19, 2024
Registration closes May 16
11 participants
12 chaperones
Mount St. Helens/Worm Flows
Sat, Jun 8, 2024 -
Sun, Jun 9, 2024
Registration closes Jun 6
11 participants
12 chaperones
Squamish
Wed, Jul 10, 2024 -
Fri, Jul 12, 2024
Registration closes Jul 8
11 participants
12 chaperones
Leavenworth
Wed, Aug 14, 2024 -
Fri, Aug 16, 2024
Registration closes Aug 12
11 participants
Roster
Required Equipment

All required equipment, with a few exceptions, is available to be borrowed from the Mountaineers. Before each trip, an itinerary/packing list will be distributed to the group that details all necessary gear and information for the trip. 

If families want to bring their own gear, here are some items you may find useful for most trips:

Backpack

Hiking boots

Wool socks

Non-cotton active clothing and insulating layers

First Aid Kit

Climbing Harness 

Belay Device 

Program Materials

There are no materials for this program.