The Mountaineers
The Mountaineers is a community united by a passion for adventure and driven by a deep sense of purpose. For more than 114 years we have redefined limits, set new standards in outdoor education through volunteer-led courses and award-winning books, and fiercely defended the outdoor experience.
The last 21 months has been one of the greatest periods of financial uncertainty in the history of The Mountaineers. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve returned to our core value of community over and over again, allowing us to stay connected to our highest purpose and meet the needs of the people and places we serve. A connected and vibrant community provides resilience in the most challenging of times, and it was the strength of The Mountaineers community that made the difference between a challenging year and a devastating one.
Despite program and financial setbacks caused by the pandemic, in many ways fiscal year 2020 was a year of growth that continued into 2021. Our community expanded to 14,400+ adventurers, launched new online courses, offered innovative hybrid youth programming, and increased offerings in our Gear Library. More people than ever before made a charitable donation so that youth and adults can benefit from the transformative power of spending time outside. We also celebrated 60 years as the nation’s leading independent publisher, providing the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to get people outdoors and build a community of advocates for wild places.
Your generosity has been a critical part of our survival during the pandemic. Thank you for providing us with the financial confidence to lean into our strategic priorities to lead innovation in outdoor education, engage emerging and future Mountaineers communities, and advocate for the health and protection of our natural world. Today, we are proud to share what you accomplished with us in our 2020 Impact Report, including testimonials from members like you, who exemplify what it means to adventure with purpose.
Please note: As the COVID-19 crisis began to impact our communities near and far, nearly every aspect of Mountaineers activities came to a halt. As a result, we utilized our limited staff capacity to hyper-focus on protecting our core operations. These limitations are a primary reason why we have been delayed in reporting on the incredible achievements of our community over the course of this unprecedented time. We appreciate your understanding.
