The Mountaineers
Volunteers are the lifeblood of The Mountaineers, and we get a clear view of their incredible impact when we dive into the numbers! Here is a look at our collective impact over the past year.
During the 2016-17 fiscal year, we had 2,666 volunteers who supported our programs. That means that over 20% of our total membership - or 1 in 5 members - actively volunteered last year in some capacity! This could be as a trip leader, a committee member, an instructor, a lodge host at one of our properties, a volunteer at one of our events, or as a volunteer during one of our many stewardship activities.
Of our active volunteers, 317 individuals were recognized as Super Volunteers for their commitment to volunteer 15 or more times through the year, and 74 volunteers led 10 or more trips, receiving recognition as Key Leaders in The Mountaineers community. In addition, an outstanding 740 volunteers led at least one activity. Just over 28% of our active volunteers led at least one trip!
On the conservation front, our members took over 9,400 individual actions to protect our public lands, and we volunteered 7,486 stewardship hours on projects ranging from habitat restoration to USFS lookout tower work.
As an organization, The Mountaineers offered 229 courses in the last fiscal year, enrolling 4,930 students. In addition, we offered 216 seminars and clinics with a total of 2,368 registrations. All told, The Mountaineers taught 4,496 individuals in a course, seminar, lecture, or clinic. That’s an 18% increase from the previous fiscal year, and well over a third of our total members!
Our trip leaders continued to do what they do best, offering 2,241 stand alone trips separate from our courses, an increase of about 4% from the previous year. Our membership grew to an an impressive 12,427 members - 3,877 of whom participated in at least one trip. Here’s what a few of them had to say about their involvement in our activities:
- “Our leader was flexible to change plans due to changes in weather. She came prepared with information and gave the group options, and she checked in with everyone to get feedback.”
- “A beautiful classic hike, golden larch trees, North Cascades scenery, fresh new snow, and wonderful interesting participants.”
- “The balance of learning and adventuring, the group dynamics, constantly assessing the weather and terrains along the way, making right calls when conditions change - this trip was great.”
- “Our leader was excellent, and I'd climb with him again in a heartbeat. Good ability to adapt to changing conditions/time constraints, and obviously super knowledgeable about climbing in general.”
Thank you to everyone who participated with The Mountaineers over the year - either as a participant, student, and/or volunteer! We look forward to 2018, and to celebrating another year of adventure with purpose. Cheers to a great year, and to everything on deck for the coming seasons. We’ll see you on the trail!
