Pathfinders

THE CLUB

Our Pathfinders program provides youth ages 6–9 and a parent or guardian with the opportunity to get outside monthly. This club is designed to introduce your family to a variety of outdoor activities and connect you with a supportive community of likeminded families.  

Participating families will have monthly opportunities to climb, hike, paddle, explore, and learn how to safely travel in the mountains and beyond. While most trips are supported by our expert Mountaineers staff, parents are an active part of the planning and leading process. Whether you’re new to playing in the outdoors or a seasoned outdoorsperson, we’ll help you advance your own outdoor skills and learn how to confidently lead your family into the outdoors.  

This program will focus on skill-building for the student and their parent/guardian, and on building an outdoor community with an emphasis on climbing skills and climbing trips. We supplement the program calendar with other activities sponsored by the Mountaineers.   

Parent Expectations

Chaperoning = Volunteering. There is a lot of logistics, and we need people who can drive, support group flow, help build the fire for s’mores and remember the sunscreen. All Parents interested in chaperoning trips must take our Qualified Youth Leader e-course to earn their QYL badge, which is a requirement for each adult involved in the program. 

What if I don’t climb? That is OK! These climbing areas are in beautiful parks - you can hike, hang out in a hammock and cheer people on, or try out climbing and see if you like it! Stay within your scope, e.g. don’t give climbing advice if you’re not a vetted climb leader. 

Registration 

WHEN CAN I REGISTER FOR PATHFINDERS? 

For those who were a part of the youth clubs during the 2026 program year, please fill out the enrollment lottery. Anyone wishing to join the program, must have completed the enrollment lottery, regardless of participation in the clubs for 2025. On September 10th at 12pm, the lottery will close and placement in the club will be offered the following morning.  

 Here is a video that demonstrates the registration process for individual trips, which will be a helpful reference after accepting your offer to join the club per lottery results. 

Pricing

The Pathfinder’s course fee is $1800 for families joining in October. Students joining in the winter will be prorated. The standard payment structure will be a single payment of the total amount upon registration. Upon request, members may opt-in to a 4-installment payment plan.  

To join, members must pay the entire course fee on this page when registering. If members wish to opt-in to the payment plan, they may make that request upon being offered a spot in the club after the lottery. In that case, registration will be handled manually by staff. Interested members will have the opportunity to join in on at least one trip or outing before paying and committing. 

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

Kick Off Trip

The kickoff trip is offered to returning students and new students who have been awarded a spot in the program through the enrollment lottery. New families will be given at least 2 weeks' advance notice that they have been awarded a spot in the program, and they are invited to join the Kick-off trip to try out the program before committing. To register for the Pathfinders Kick-Off Trip, register on the activity page, which is listed as a stand-alone seminar in order to allow prospective members to register themselves.  

Register here for the Kick-Off Trip on September 26-28th. Location TBD 

Signing up for Trips

To register (or cancel) for trips, make sure to always visit this page. Here is a video that demonstrates the registration process both for the club as a whole and for individual trips. 

1. Click on "Manage Registration" on the right side of this page 

1. Check the box(es) of the trip(s) you'd like to register for 

1. Scroll to the bottom and click "save" 

1. Double check what you are signed up for by viewing the "My Activities" section of your profile.  

Cancelling from a trip 

Please note that if you have the tendency to cancel last minute events/activities, we prefer that you do not seek enrollment in the MAC program. Chronic last-minute cancels are frowned upon and take experiences and opportunities away from someone who can commit to the program.  

Cancelling yourself or your child off a trip is quite simple; it's just the reverse of registering for trips.  

1. Click on "Manage Registration" on the right side of this page 

1. UNCHECK the box(es) of the trip(s) you'd like to cancel your registration 

1. Scroll to the bottom and click "save" 

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS 

If it's not letting you register your child: check to make sure your child's "Youth Information Form" and "Youth Programs Form" and "Youth in Adult Programs Form" are filled out on their profile.  

If it's not letting you register as a chaperone: check to make sure your Mountaineers waiver is filled out on your profile and that you still have your QYL badge. 

If it's still not letting you register as a chaperone: double check to make sure you are listed as a chaperone on the roster on this course page. Scroll down and click the blue "Roster" tab to check. 

RESOURCES 

Check out the blue "Program Materials" tab to find additional resources including the handbook, reimbursement form, general gear lists, trip leadership resources, and more! 

Required equipment:  

Each trip has its own gear requirements. See activity pages for gear lists. If you'd like to borrow gear, as a member of Youth Clubs you have access to use of our climbing gear while on club trips as well as the Gear Library. A gear library membership is required if you would like to borrow gear for personal trips or other Mountaineers activities.