The Mountaineers
Adventure and travel are on the horizon!
This past year, social distancing and virtual experiences have helped keep our community safe. While we’re not out of the woods, we’re feeling hopeful and excited about near-term experiences and opportunities to travel! And what better way to kickstart your plans than through The Mountaineers Annual Gala: Adventure with Purpose?
With over 50 auction packages, including unique experiences, adventurous getaways, beautiful artwork, and awesome outdoor gear, you can feel great knowing that your next vacation or new swag benefits a cause you care about!
The Gala will be hosted virtually on Thursday, April 29 from 7 - 8pm. In addition to the online auction, this one-hour event will include a creative celebration of our 2020 Volunteer Award winners, Mountaineers musical guests, and more! Be sure to register today to be on the list to receive the special auction link, as well as future auction sneak peeks. The virtual Gala is free to attend, with 100% of proceeds from optional ticket donations, meal sales, auction, and raise the paddle gifts supporting mission-driven priorities at The Mountaineers.
Check out this preview of our 2021 auction:
Final auction packages are still under development and may be subject to change. A detailed list of items, values, and donors will be available once the auction is published on April 22.
All-Access Passes to the 2022 Banff Mountain Film Festival
You read that right: you and a friend will join Rab USA in Banff, Alberta for a five-night stay and all-access passes to the October 2022 Banff Mountain Film Festival. Your all-access passes will open the door to interviews with world-renowned authors and explorers from around the world, and provides exclusive access to premiere screenings of the legendary festival’s lineup of new films!
To outfit your trip, Rab USA is offering the bid winner $1,500 to spend on their high performance mountain clothing and equipment. Perfect for sneaking away to explore nearby Lake Louise, Banff National Park, or enjoying a night out on the mountain town! And we didn’t forget about your carry-on - you’ll also be receiving two Lowe Alpine backpacks for you and a friend to haul your cameras, passports, and Banff Film Festival passes.
Mountaineers Books is offering some reading for the trip as well - four titles that were finalists in the 2020 Banff Mountain Book Competition! Crack open Winter 8000 by Bernadette McDonald, Journeys North by Barney Scout Mann, Crack Climbing by Pete Whittaker, and Raven’s Witness by Hank Lentfer to help you pass the time while you await your adventure. Raven’s Witness stole the show last year and won the Grand Prize!
Mark your calendar. You’re headed to the 2022 Banff Mountain Film Festival!
Joshua Tree Family Vacation
The United States currently has 63 national parks, and this is your opportunity to check another one off the list with the entire family! Your family of four will enjoy a five-night stay in the beautiful Twentynine Palms area, located just outside of Joshua Tree National Park. Your home-away-from-home comes equipped with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a fully stocked kitchen. After a day of adventuring around the park, you can host a barbecue on the deck or take a soak in your private hot tub while gazing at the Milky Way. This stay is the perfect getaway with enough fun for everyone!
Characterized by rugged rock formations and twisted, bristled trees, Joshua Tree National Park offers incredible hiking trails, rock climbing, and bird watching. Need to pick up some hiking shoes or supplies for your trip? Head over to Ascent Outdoors, where their gear experts will hook you up with a $500 shopping experience to outfit your adventures. Additionally, Petzl is including four headlamps, perfect for your post-sunset excursions. Mountaineers Books will also help you find the area’s best day hikes, walks, and sights with their new title, Hike the Parks: Joshua Tree National Park. And to top it off, Alaska Airlines is providing two roundtrip flights to Southern California (or anywhere else they fly!).We’ve got you covered for everything you and your family needs to experience the unique landscape of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
Outdoor Elopement Photography Package
Elopement of Sarah and Jeff MacGillivray, by Steph Keegan.
Imagine this: you’re in your favorite spot outdoors with your better half. The scenery is breathtaking and you’ve just spent the whole day wandering around the wilderness at your leisure. You’re breathing in the crisp air, surrounded by nature and maybe a few loved ones. As you watch the sun slowly sink behind the mountains, you are at ease, you are present, and you have just committed your life to your favorite person in the whole world.
If this is your dream, Steph Keegan will help make it happen! A talented adventure elopement photographer, she’s offering a half day elopement session for you and your plus one. This package includes up to a 4-hour photography session for an outdoor elopement, or a memorable experience for couples who want professional photos taken of them doing what they love - hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, and more. This opportunity will be one you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Deluxe Car Camping
What better way to social distance than to go camping? Washington has been booming with hikers and campers looking for a nature getaway, and this package takes your car camping game to the next level. From Cougar Rock in Mount Rainier to Kalaloch in Olympic National Park, the possibilities are endless, and we’ve put together the perfect package for luxurious car camping.
Elevate your cooking experience with the pro cook set from Stanley PMI. This fully-loaded cook set makes big meals but packs up small for your campsite or RV. Every piece functions just like the supplies in your kitchen. Try your new gear out with one of the 120 delicious, modern recipes from your new copy of Dirty Gourmet, a Mountaineers Books title that will elevate your car camping cooking game.
With full bellies and a quiet, crisp air settling in, snuggle up by the fire with your new down throw from Feathered Friends, grab a cold beverage from your new YETI Roadie 24 cooler, and listen to the crackle of the campfire as you wind down for the night. You deserve it!
Cozy Cabin in the Woods
Work from “home” with internet access or unplug and stay a while at this charming cabin in the woods, located in the heart of Central Washington! Only 20 minutes north of Leavenworth and 20 minutes east from Stevens Pass, enjoy a two-night weekend or four-night weekday stay at this rustic, dog-friendly retreat. Prepare a homemade meal in the well-equipped kitchen, take a soak in your private hot tub, or entertain your pod on the furnished deck and take refuge in the beautiful evergreen trees.
When the snow is falling, head over to the Chiwawa Sno-Park where you’ll find cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails, as well as hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails. The charming community of Plain is a little over four miles down the road and is a convenient place to shop, find Nordic ski rentals, or grab lunch. If you choose to claim your trip in the summer, you can take a dip in two nearby alpine lakes or take a zipline ride at Mountain Springs Lodge. This three bedroom cozy cabin can accommodate up to six adults and two dogs.
Signed Taft Point Print by Jimmy Chin
In 2018, world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin gained international acclaim, as well as an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, for his film Free Solo (co-directed with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi).
The film is a stunning and unflinching portrait of the free soloist climber, Alex Honnold, as he prepared to achieve his dream of climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock - the 3,000ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park - unroped.
To commemorate this incredible feat and incredible filmmaking, we are offering a stunning 16x22 inch print of Alex Honnold looking over Yosemite from Taft Point at sunset. This photo was taken and hand-signed by Jimmy Chin, and would be the perfect fit in your home office.
The Mountaineers online auction will go live on April 22 and culminate on April 29 during the on-air event. Our online auction will include gear, trips, stays, and more - over 50 biddable items and packages in total! Register today to make sure you are on the list to bid on these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Interested in receiving benefits as a Gala sponsor or have questions about the event? Visit our event page or contact Sarah MacGillivray at sarahm@mountaineers.org.
