Badges
The Mountaineers has been teaching people how to get outside safely and responsibly for over 100 years, and now we've created a badge system to help you track your skills and share what you've learned. Mountaineers badges matter because they tell us about the competence and experience of the person on a hike, out snowshoeing, or about to splint a broken leg. For our volunteer leaders, they've become reliable indicators representing trust in someone’s knowledge of a particular activity, commitment to a particular goal, or ability to perform a particular skill.
We have badges specific to different courses and skills, as well as badges to denote someone as an activity or course volunteer leader. Recipients of our conservation badges offer their time to save the wild places where we play. Members with donor badges give the highest level of support to our nonprofit organization and enable us to continue to put on our programs. Youth badges highlight our youngest members who are forming life-long bonds to our environment. Finally, several branches of The Mountaineers present activity awards (pins, patches, etc.) when members achieve particular objectives in climbing, scrambling, hiking and kayaking.
Course & Skill badges
Course and skill badges are given to students enrolled in a course, seminar, or activity. While enrolled in the course, the participant will have a "student" badge. Once a student successfully graduates from the course they will be awarded a "graduate" badge. Learn more about the specific course badges and skill badges you can earn.
Leader Badges
All Mountaineers courses and activities are led by our highly skilled volunteers. Leader badges show members who have been through The Mountaineers courses and have shown an interest and aptitude in leading our courses and activities. Find out how to become a qualified leader in a specific activity through our leader badges.
The Mountaineers have a small staff to run the day-to-day operations, but we are governed by a Board of Directors and Advisory Council. Individual members in these groups support our strategic plan - with progress shown in our annual report - and oversee changes to our bylaws, policies, committees, and safety standards. Members who are part of our Board of Directors or Advisory Council are distinguished with a special leader badge.
Conservation & Stewardship BADGES
Conservation has been an important part of The Mountaineers since we began exploring in 1906. Our members work on fire lookout crews, lead Leave No Trace courses, stop the spread of noxious weeds, speak up about Northwest environmental issues, and act as outdoor advocates and stewards for our wild lands. Learn about our many conservation badges and how you can get involved in our environmental advocacy work.
Donor BADGES
The Mountaineers are successful in part due to generous donations from our members. As a 501c3 corporation, 100% of donations and membership dues are tax-deductible as a nonprofit contribution. A distinguished group of individuals provide critical, aggregate funding to help develop and grow programs vital to The Mountaineers mission. Learn more about the elevated Ridgeline membership and Peak Society, our leadership giving circle.
Youth BADGES
Creating memories and forming bonds with the natural world early on in life is vital to sustaining our environment. That's why The Mountaineers created youth programs in 2009 - now a robust program with opportunities for kids to get outside and explore our backyard playground. Our youngest members are recognized with youth badges.
Award BADGES
Several branches of The Mountaineers present activity awards (pins, patches, etc.) when members achieve particular objectives in climbing, scrambling, hiking and kayaking. The earliest award was the "Snoqualmie 10" Peak Pin created a few years after the founding of The Mountaineers, recognizing completion of 10 peaks in the Snoqualmie Pass area. Over the years this was expanded to include many other peaks, and to create different awards for other achievements.
The last few decades have seen the creation of several new pins and awards; there are now at least 35 awards available to all members. Learn more about our award badges.