Leader Resources Blog

We've made lots of improvements to our website support for leaders over the past few years. Whether you’re a new or seasoned leader, we want to make your life easier by making sure you know what resources are out there for you. Staff will be on tour hosting informational seminars with exciting and useful information to make it easier for you to lead trips and courses. Join us! Read more…

We're thrilled to offer our third annual Fostering Leadership Conference on December 3, 2016. Each year, we create a special day reserved for current and aspiring leaders to foster new ideas and skills to support what The Mountaineers have been best at for more than 100 years: Leadership Development. Read more…

The first ever Northwest Youth Leadership Summit was held Saturday, October 22, 2016 at our Seattle Program Center. Working with more than 30 partner organizations, we brought together 120 youth from around the PNW for a day of leadership and learning, plus we enjoyed a surprise visit from Sally Jewell! Read more…

Over the years, members of The Mountaineers community have worked on a number of inclusion initiatives to encourage more involvement from diverse communities. To date, limited resources have been put toward a mindful effort to create a more inclusive environment at The Mountaineers. Read more…

Leading hikes and backpacks offers unique rewards, but also unique challenges. Unlike other more technically demanding Mountaineers activities, hikes and backpacks have no course pre-requisites. We often lead people who are new to the outdoors and/or have widely varying capabilities. This seminar focuses on leadership skills to help you thrive and deliver safe, enjoyable trips. Read more…

In mid-July, at the direction of the board, CEO Tom Vogl signed a contract with Outdoor Safety Institute (OSI) to conduct a risk management review of Mountaineers programs. This affirms our ongoing commitment to safety and ensures our programs and trips are conducted in the most professional manner possible.  Read more…

Each year, Mountaineers kayakers come together to attend the advanced clinics sponsored by the Seattle Kayaking Committee at Deception Pass. Staying at the Environmental Learning Center at Cornet Bay, Mountaineers paddlers attend two full days of clinics that teach skills such as advanced paddle strokes, incident management, on-the-water navigation, introduction to moving and dynamic waters, and more! Being so close to the waters of Deception Pass for an entire weekend allows time for paddlers to spend more time learning skills and to connect with each other.  Read more…

Creating an inviting and diverse membership is an important goal for all of us. It's a challenge because building an inviting, diverse, inclusive environment for learning and adventure will take many steps and The Mountaineers, with a predominantly white membership, could do more to make progress on this journey.  Read more…

As Leaders in the outdoor industry, we must always remember the importance of being open to new information, re-evaluating our plans in light of new conditions, and avoiding overconfidence that can lead to mistakes. Read more…

Most Mountaineers are not members because they love meetings (apologies to those of you who do!). But since meetings are necessary to run the programs we offer, let's focus on making them more effective, efficient, and enjoyable! Volunteering should be FUN.  Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. We go outside to wander and explore the adventurous spirit within ourselves. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit; so our grandchildren can experience the sensation of discovering an untouched place. Read more…

I arrived early on my first day at Junior Mountaineers Summer Camp, excited to meet all the kids and ready to learn how this camp worked and what to do. After meeting the other counselors, my co-counselor Christoph and I read through the forms for each of our campers. Read more…

The Foothills Branch has been growing at a rapid pace the past two years, and our success calls for more support to coordinate our many activities sponsored by branch volunteers. Please consider supporting our volunteers, who have provided trips for 600 activity participants so far this year (already 250 more than last fiscal year)! Read more…

Each year The Mountaineers hosts a Leadership Conference, a day for current and aspiring leaders to foster new ideas and skills. Esteemed outdoor community speakers and interactive sessions punctuate a program designed to enhance your leadership and personal growth. If you have a presentation that would benefit our members, we want to hear about it! Our Leadership Conference Committee will review all proposals to help design the most interesting and useful conference possible.  Read more…

We've been busy making lots of little improvements and a couple big ones to our website. Here's what's new this spring! Read more…

We've got four great work parties scheduled for National Trails Day this year. Whether you are on the Peninsula, in the greater Seattle area or near the North Cascades, you can get outside and get your hands dirty!  Read more…

These changes now apply to all Sea Kayaking activities at every branch.  Read more…

How can we ensure the iconic lands “made for you and me” continue to be the gateway for falling in love with and protecting the natural world? Can our national parks be more inviting and better reflect the rich diversity of America? Will they remain world-class destinations? Can our parks become models for sustainability? Read more…

Two Beers Brewing Co. & Seattle Cider Company is seeking Mountaineers volunteers to host presentations at their new tasting room, The Woods. This is a great opportunity to practice your public speaking skills and show off your Mountaineers knowledge. Read more…

The recent discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO project has provided a boost of interest in space travel like nothing else since the 2013 budget sequester. This scientific breakthrough has spurred a number of private donations and have officials making plans for manned missions to Mars. Learning from mankind's explorations of earth, the principles of safe mountain travel will be used to ensure the safety of astronauts (who may be traveling at faster-than-light speeds very soon). Mountaineers volunteers have already begun crafting the curriculum.  Read more…

If you have time to volunteer with us via computer, you could help all of your fellow volunteers by posting courses on Mountaineers.org. When you provide this support, our volunteers will have more time to focus on curriculum and teaching techniques, which will ultimately benefit all of the students and instructors involved in the course.  Read more…

We hear about it all the time. National Parks visitation is becoming less diverse as our nation is becoming more diverse. The lack of diversity on our trails, at our crags, and on our rivers is profound, and it’s a problem. If you’ve spent enough time in the Outdoor Industry, you’ve likely sat at a table with well-intended, mostly white, predominately middle-aged male educators talking about a shared passion for changing this demographic imbalance in the outdoors. Last week, there was a new kind of conversation. Read more…

Everything accomplished by The Mountaineers as an organization can be credited to the efforts of our volunteers. Our courses, trips, youth programs, and advocacy efforts are fueled by  passionate people who are engaged because they want to be, not because they receive financial motivation. Each year we hold a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner to recognize these tireless individuals. Read more…

With five years of youth programs under our belts, The Mountaineers has had an opportunity to experience what works and what doesn't, and the time has come to take a new look at our Youth & Family Policies. Read more…

Early altimeters with 19 jewels and Swiss-made movements were price-prohibitive and thus weren’t included in either The Mountaineers navigation courses or the Ten Essentials. However, with new technology emerging, the upcoming  9th edition of Freedom of the Hills  will feature map, compass, and all of the modern tools with altimeters prominent among them. Read more…

My own Mountaineers leadership story started with a search for trail companions. I was seeking a compatible group on the types of hikes and backpacks that interested me. Then, one day, I took a new arrival from China on his first hike, and I saw the joy and wonder blossom on his face when Mount Rainier emerged in all her glory behind a ridge covered with meadow wildflowers. That was it, I was hooked. Read more…

As an organization, The Mountaineers just reached a huge milestone. Our members - through their collective trips - just reached the 100,000 mile mark for the year - the weekend before Christmas (our members registered about 800 miles on Mountaineers.org on 12/19 and 12/20)! That’s a lot of human-powered adventuring in 2015!  This includes 30 MILLION feet of elevation gain over all of our different activities.   Read more…

On September 13, 2014 The Mountaineers held a one-day conference to provide professional development for its activity leaders. With tremendous volunteer assistance, we were able to record most of the sessions, which are presented here. Many thanks to the speakers who volunteered their time to speak, and to the volunteers who gave their time to record.  We intend to update this site as videos are edited and uploaded. But for now, enjoy these presentations: Read more…

Regardless of your favorite outdoor activity, sometimes circumstances can make it hard to enjoy the experience. The volunteer leaders at The Mountaineers commonly deal with these situations as they help people explore, learn about, and conserve the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Read the following scenario and see how your assessment aligns with those of our experienced trip leaders.  Read more…