Courses & Activities

Chosen from a field of more than 170 international titles, The Climbers by photographer Jim Herrington was awarded the prestigious Grand Prize at the recent 2017 Banff Mountain Book Competition in Banff, Alberta, Canada.  The Climbers was also named the competition's Category Winner for Mountaineering History. Read more…

Name: Heidi Walker
Hometown: Grew up in Monroe but now live in Edmonds
Member Since: 2003
Occupation: Desk Jockey at a nonprofit
Favorite Things to Photograph: flowers, landscapes, and people out adventuring Read more…

Have you ever wondered what it's like to guide climbers to the summit of Mount Rainier? Would you like to know the five things that are always in a travel writer's backpack? Do you want to work outdoors, or maybe pursue a career as a guide? Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Rodica Manole, a volunteer with the Everett Branch who encourages her fellow women to step into leadership roles because you’re more ready than you think you are. Read more…

Several have asked (and many others no doubt have wondered), "What is going on with the Friction Slab Project?" Read more…

In the thousands of years before humans created the first sharpened tools, how did we catch the food we needed to survive? According to many if you answered, "We ran it to death (in a technique called persistence hunting)", you’d be correct. Read more…

On December 29, 2002, a party of seven mountaineers were involved in an avalanche accident in Cement Basin near Crystal Mountain. While skiing, they triggered a slide that buried one and partially buried three. One person was killed and another sustained a broken leg.  Read more…

Join Mountaineers trail runners from the east side of the lake to talk about creating a community of  folks from the area who love to run our trails with like minded folks! Come grab a brew and/or snack and join us in getting to know more!  No previous trail running experience is required! Read more…

Lands adjacent to the Lake Serene Trail are slated to be logged this year. If the plan goes through, the routes to Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls will be closed until July 1, 2018 and the surrounding forest will be scarred for many years to come. But there’s hope. Outdoor leaders, including The Mountaineers, are joining forces with individuals across the Pacific Northwest to purchase the land from the timber company. Together we can raise the funds, but we aren’t there yet – and we need your help! Read more…

The Hoh Rainforest, reminiscent of a land before time, receives between 140 and 170 inches of rain a year. Some of the trees that live here are over 1000 years old. The Hoh River Valley was formed thousands of years ago by glaciers.  Read more…

Upon starting the second rappel from the summit of The Tooth, a Basic student  hit his knee on the rock. He said it was fine, and after a minute to recompose himself, nothing more was discussed until after our final rappel to the rock field below the base of the climb. Read more…

You’re walking down your favorite trail, newly watered by an autumn shower, when it strikes. That misstep or unexpected slide leading to feelings of both weightlessness and panic: will you get that other foot down in time or end up kissing mud? 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…

Name: Doug Schurman
Hometown: Woodland, WA
Member Since: 1993
Occupation: Finance Director
Favorite Things to Photograph: Birds Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Bill Borom, a 5-year leader whose involvement in a wide variety of club activities has continued to spark his sense of adventure and expand his pool of friends to adventure with! Read more…

Hope Island State Park is a 106-acre marine camping park in Mason County on the Puget Sound. This island is not only a state park, but also part of the expansive Cascadia Marine Trail that extends all the way north to the San Juan Islands. This quiet island can only be reached by boat. It is covered with old growth forests, saltwater marshes, and a two mile long beach. With the proper training and equipment, it makes for a great adventure! Read more…

Did you know that The Mountaineers club didn’t have a paid employee until 1984? Tired of all of the paperwork, the growing organization hired a part-time administrator to help with waivers and dues so that volunteers could focus on the fun stuff: developing courses, providing instruction, leading trips, and running committees. Read more…

Are you new to the Pacific Northwest and to giving hiking/backpacking a try for the first time? If you're not sure where to go, how to find compatible people to go with, what gear you need, or how to do it safely, join us on Monday, October 16 for a free seminar. Read more…

Back by popular demand, and open to all branches, FOREFRONT 2017 will take place Oct 13 from 6-9pm at the Seattle Program Center. You will have a chance to move from one table to the next learning climbing techniques and concepts from instructors and special guests, including representatives from Black Diamond and Petzl.  Read more…

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of taking Mountaineers on multi-day adventures in far-flung places around North America and the wider world? The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams while taking your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level.   Read more…

Friction climbing is a type of rock climbing where the rock face is angled to less than vertical, offering little in the way of traditional hand and foot holds. Instead, friction climbing requires movements that allow you to ascend steep slabs using nothing but rubber on rock and careful, deliberate movements. In this blog, I’ll define slab climbing techniques and how you can combine balance and footwork to get to the top. Read more…

The cell phone has become a popular navigation tool for the modern outdoor adventurer. In fact, these days there are so many apps available it can be hard to know where to start. But don't be deterred! Your friends on the Seattle Navigation Committee love this stuff, and we took the time to review several apps that are free or close to it. Read more…

The Mountaineers Walking the Wild Series celebrates extraordinary trekking and backpacking adventures by Mountaineers members with stories, photography, and information for other members to add those same experiences to their life list! Read more…

Our plan was to climb Dragontail Peak by the Serpentine Arete car-to-car from the Colchuck Lake Trailhead on Thursday, August 31. We expected to return to the car around nightfall Thursday. We both had cell phones but did not expect to have service (T-Mobile). Each of us carried a one-way emergency-only AQR ResQLink PLB. Read more…

It was one of the rare late winter weeknights with a full moon and a clear sky, but I missed a turn. Our Seattle Stairway Walks hiking group was passing several back doors (or were they front doors?) going up many unintended Magnolia steps. This was not the Gaia route I had planned and followed the prior week. Nor was it the highlighted route on the map tucked in my trouser pocket, or the same Gaia route on my iPhone.  Read more…

Name: Michael Montgomery
Hometown: Kennewick, WA
Member Since: 2004
Occupation: Software Engineer at Amazon
Favorite Things to Photograph: Things that sit still. Flowers and landscapes. Definitely not birds. Read more…

My name is Lucy Grim and I am a Girl Scout finishing out my last cadette year. I have been working towards earning my Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout cadette can earn, for the last few months. For my project, I made a video on how to stay safe and have a successful hiking trip for groups hiking with kids. Read more…

Join us on September 21 for the next Mountaineers Books Web Series episode with author Maria Mudd Ruth. Maria calls herself an accidental naturalist and has written more than a dozen books about natural wonders that have, one, fascinated her and, two, she became obsessed with learning about.  Maria’s new book, A Sideways Look at Clouds, shares her curiosity about clouds and what she’s learned about them—why there are so many variations, what they tell us, how far away they are, and why they are even there, among much more. Read more…

Has it happened to you? I was camping at 11,500 ft at Guitar Lake along the John Muir Trail on the last day of a 2013 backpacking trip with my 3 sons. The low overnight temperature was 32 degrees, and while I should have been comfortable in my 30 degree rated sleeping bag, even with all my clothes on, I was barely warm.  Read more…

As Mountaineers, many of us have spent the majority of our days roaming the hills, but haven't spent enough time on the waters of Puget Sound! On Sunday September 24, you're invited to try sailing without any prior experience, at just $45 for our members ($50 general public)! You can't find an experience like this anywhere else. Read more…