Introducing the Stayed Home Badge!

The first day of April has grown to be a favorite around The Mountaineers. With the outdoor industry going all in on April Fools Day pranks, we’ve had fun following the pranks and coming up with a few of our own. Surely you remember the HonnSolo 11 Freesolo Airbag Pack by Black Diamond, or the Technical Lederhosen from Outdoor Research. We’re especially proud of the Cheater Badges we created for April Fools last year.

But some pranks, like the one claiming Vail had purchased Jackson Hole in 2015, end up being creepily accurate in the future. That’s how our planned April Fools Day prank for this year turned out. Now that we’re facing an unprecedented pandemic, our planned joke (which we’re holding on to with fingers crossed for the future) wasn’t funny anymore.

That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun this April. Instead of our usual prank, this year we want to share something that’s still fun and silly, yet recognizes those of you doing your part to “flatten the curve”. Yes! We’re looking at you dear climber, forlornly washing your rope for the first time in too many years. And you backcountry skier, putting your skis on your back for the twice daily walks around the block. And you, intrepid hiker, wearing your hiking boots inside, the trail of mud you leave around the house be damned!

Inspired by Climbing mag’s photo contest and our All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go fundraising campaign, we’re excited to launch the new Stayed Home badge for your Mountaineers profile. Our collective response to COVID-19 has been life-changing, to say the least, and it’s our responsibility to stay inside right now. This is to recognize those of you who have been diligent, distanced, and indoors. You deserve to pat yourself on the back!

To earn this badge, we want to see you all dressed up with nowhere to go. Put on your favorite gear as if you were out climbing, skiing, hiking, backpacking, paddling, or whatever your outdoor sport of choice, and send us a picture of you in or around your house. Bonus points if you are “sending” something new, like a first ascent traverse of your kitchen! The more creative, the better, and we’ll feature our favorite submissions on our Instagram feed for the next few weeks.

Just because we’re inside doesn’t mean that our gear has to gather dust! Don your harness, lace up your boots, strap on that headlamp, pitch your tent, or use your paddle to scoot your office chair around the room. We want to see your best impression of your outside self, inside.

Earn the stayed home badge!

To earn the badge,  share a photo of yourself geared up for your favorite outdoor activity while staying inside, and the badge will stay on your your profile until we've weathered this storm. Send your photos to info@mountaineers.org to be awarded the badge.

We also encourage you to share your posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and tag @mountaineersorg and use our hashtag #OurPNW if you're willing to have us reshare your content as one of our favorites. You must have a Mountaineers profile to earn the badge.

In all seriousness, the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak are significant, and have had a big impact on The Mountaineers. Your generosity is more critical than ever, so we thank you in advance for any support you can provide to The Mountaineers as we continue striving toward our mission. If you are in a position to do so, please visit our donation page and online silent auction to support our continued efforts in this time of uncertainty.

Photo courtesy of @PB_N_JADE.