People

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to.... Read more…

Get to know this week's member spotlight! Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Molly Kirk, a volunteer leader with the Everett Branch who strives to create a safe environment for all her Climbing and Nordic Skiing programs. She also serves on Everett's Alpine Scrambling Committee and Equity & Inclusion Working Group for The Mountaineers.  Read more…

Mountaineers activities are led by volunteers giving their time to get other people into the outdoors safely. Due to the potentially hazardous nature of our activities, some of our leaders choose to require their permission - Leader’s Permission - to register. The process to obtain leader’s permission is not prescribed, and is up to the leader to manage on a trip-by-trip basis. Leader's Permission can be a critical tool for ensuring a successful trip, but good communication is key to avoiding frustration. We hope the guidance below will help set expectations and illustrate best practices for both leaders and participants. Read more…

Interested in learning how to snowshoe, kayak, or navigate in the backcountry? Want to meet new adventure buddies? Have a gear wishlist a mile long, or some extra gear you'd like to unload? Come to The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center from 6-8pm on Monday, August 23 for our upcoming Gear Grab.  Read more…

Thanks to the advocacy and engagement of our outdoor community, conservation and outdoor recreation received strong support from our State Legislature this budget cycle. Earlier this year we shared the great news that outdoor programs in Washington State received record levels of funding, including $4.5 million dedicated to the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) grant program. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Alan Kearney, a volunteer leader with the Bellingham Branch who has been leading climbs for decades. He attributes Mountaineers climbs and family climbing trips, his mother and father were Mazamas members, in shaping who he is today  and influencing his life greatly. Read more…

Over my last four years working for The Mountaineers, it has been a great honor to observe and learn from three amazing Board Presidents, each with their own unique abilities and unwavering commitment to the health of our organization. I may be biased in my admiration of strong women in leadership, but one president stands out as particularly inspiring to me. This spring we honored retiring Board President Lorna Corrigan, an accomplished attorney and 30-year member of the Everett Branch who recently completed her third and final year of presidential leadership. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Gretchen Ta, the Chair Elect for the Kitsap Branch Council, and Kitsap First Aid and Conservation & Stewardship Committee Chair. Gretchen also serves as a Volunteer Leader for the Kitsap Branch Climbing Program!  Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

The many ways our community works together to accomplish big goals never ceases to amaze me. On the heels of our Virtual Gala last month, we launched our annual spring fundraising drive with a goal of reaching 300 donors and raising $30,000 in unrestricted donations to support our outdoor education and conservation mission. This grassroots-style fundraising campaign asked members and donors to consider making a gift of any size - it all adds up to big change! Read more…

It's estimated that 50-60% of Americans do not have a will in place. While not often a topic of public conversation, we have heard from many members that they are interested in setting up their first will but aren’t quite sure where to start. For this reason The Mountaineers has invested in a new resource for members, providing the latest information about estate planning and tax-smart ways to plan for your future. This online support will be available at any time of day, so that you can find the educational resources you need at a time that makes the most sense for you. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to James Pierson, a volunteer leader with the Bellingham Branch who is also a guide at the American Alpine Institute! He credits the experience and skills he learned from The Mountaineers with landing that job and continues to volunteer with the club as a way to give back to the community. Read more…

A little over a year ago, a colleague and I ventured about an hour north of Seattle to the little seaside town of Anacortes. Although tempted by views of nearby Mount Erie State Park, we were on our way to pick up the newest addition to The Mountaineers: a 15-passenger van. The vehicle was fated to take Mountaineers youth to the lakes, trails, and mountains surrounding Puget Sound. Read more…

Braided River author Lynda V. Mapes has traveled across the West Coast to give voice to the region’s orca whales, iconic to the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful—but ecologically imperiled—marine ecosystem. In this excerpt, she travels to OrcaLab in British Columbia, where passionate and determined volunteers are led by founder Paul Spong. Located on Cracroft Point, above Johnstone Strait in British Columbia, they have been documenting the daily lives of the more robust northern resident orca pods since 1970. Read more…

Today we extend big thanks to the 101 donors who contributed over $11,600 to help us reach our first matching challenge during this week’s #GiveBIG celebration. With your help we unlocked the $10,000 match, raising $21,600 toward our $30,000 spring fundraising goal. Thank you to the 28 new donors who answered the call to triple their donation and gave $2,250 towards our surprise matching challenge. It's not too late to help us reach our full match potential. We only need 10 more first time donors with a gift of $25 or more to release the full $2,500 opportunity!  Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we believe a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love. We aspire to offer outdoor opportunities for ALL, and in order to realize this aspiration we are launching a new board nominations process to help us discover potential and qualified board members. We are looking for members with a passion for The Mountaineers who bring a diversity of experience, skills, and expertise to successfully lead our organization, especially during these challenging social and economic times.  Read more…

Each spring we gather our community to celebrate our collective achievements and support future efforts to transform lives and protect wild places. With the pandemic preventing us from gathering in person, we hosted our second (and hopefully final) virtual Gala. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Deloa Dalby, a volunteer leader with the Foothills Branch who helped launch the Trailhead Ambassadors program in partnership with the Mountains to Sound Greenway earlier this spring! Read more…

Just in time for Earth Day, a new photo exhibit from Braided River is launching in celebration of the stunning Salish Sea. Read more…

With the addition of four new members, the Equity & Inclusion Steering Committee started building The Mountaineers first organization-wide Equity & Inclusion (E&I) strategy in the latter half of 2020. That work has continued into this year and we are thrilled to share it with you now.  Read more…

Sometimes a story asks to be told. As part of my role as Assistant Director of Development, I have the privilege of connecting with members to learn how Mountaineers philanthropy has positively impacted their lives. In last fall’s #GivingTuesday scholarship fundraising effort we introduced 18 year-old scholarship recipient Lily Walker, a five-year member of our year-round teen program, the Tacoma Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC). Read more…

COVID-19 presented The Mountaineers with significant operational and financial challenges, many related to facilities and program shutdowns and restrictions. At our recent State of the Organization update, we highlighted the many ways we’ve navigated these unprecedented challenges. As we’ve begun to slowly emerge from the grips of the pandemic, we’re now facing a growing threat: crime that is impacting our Seattle Program Center (SPC) and our staff, visitors, and program participants.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Laurel Geisbush, a volunteer leader with the Everett Branch who encourages aspiring leaders to ask other leaders  questions about their experiences, listen deeply, and learn from them. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

“Friluftsliv” is the Scandinavian word for the joys of open-air living, and few capture the heart of this spirit better than longtime Mountaineer and local alpine ski historian Lowell Skoog.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Alina Badus, a volunteer leader with the Seattle Branch who loves seeing trips come together from start to finish, and whose bucket list includes climbing Mount Rainier! Read more…

Reflecting back on the last year, it’s fair to say that it’s been one of the most challenging years in Mountaineers history. In March 2020, COVID-19 related shutdowns caused nearly every aspect of Mountaineers operations to grind to a halt. Our program centers and lodges had to close their doors, we were unable to ship books to retailers and parks, volunteers had to postpone or cancel courses, trips, and events, and youth programs were put on pause. In addition to severely impacting our mission delivery, these program closures created a financial crisis that threatened our very existence. Without taking immediate and aggressive actions, we ran the risk of running out of operational cash reserves by the end of May.  Read more…

A decade ago, The Mountaineers undertook a radical endeavor: to become a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This year, we’re celebrating the 10-year anniversary of this important accomplishment and giving thanks to the thousands of donors from all over the world who demonstrate to us every day how small gifts can add up to big change.   Read more…