Blog

In the winter of 1205, two Norwegian Birkebeiner warriors donned crude plank skis and shuffled off into severely cold, windy weather to cross a snowy mountain, one of them carrying a swaddled baby on his back. Their mission? To safely transport the baby 54 kilometers from Lillehammer to Rena as a civil war raged. The child was heir to the throne and being targeted by a faction competing with the more dominant Birkebeiners, to whom he belonged. Read more…

Note: The Park's timed entry FAQ webpage is the best resource with the most up to date information on how to visit Mount Rainier National Park  during summer 2024.

Last week, Mount Rainier National Park announced that many visitors will need reservations to access the park through popular entrances during peak hours this summer. From May 24 through Labor Day, most visitors entering through the Nisqually and Stevens entrances between 7am and 3pm will need to make an online or phone reservation ahead of time. Reservations will also be required at the White River entrance beginning July 3 and lasting through Labor Day.  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…

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Storm Yanicks, 32-year Mountaineers member, former Mountaineers Books employee, and dedicated past Chair of the Retired Rovers. Storm passed away on December 14, 2023.  Read more…

I got my first snowmachine when I was two, my first ATV when I was four, and my first gun when I was nine. My snowmachine was an Arctic Cat “Kitty Cat,” a real, gas-drinking motorized vehicle, miniaturized with a 90s brand of teal and purple striping on black casing. The ATV – four wheels for four years – was a zippy red Suzuki. My first gun was a BB. Read more…

Books are portals to new places. I’ve experienced this time and again as a lifelong reader. The book that is featured most prominently in my life, hands down, is a Mountaineers Books classic that propelled me on a path to a new passion and community — Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. Today I’m proud to support Mountaineers Books as a donor because of the impact I can help make possible through values-based nonprofit publishing. Read more…

Note: this public comment period has closed. We'll keep our community updated on future developments in this process.

When the Pacific Northwest “Timber Wars” reached a boiling point in the early 1990s, federal agencies turned to scientists to find a solution. The result was the creation of the U.S. Forest Service’s landmark 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. For nearly 30 years, the plan has attempted to strike a balance between conservation and timber industry interests on federally-managed lands in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. But threats and pressures to our forests have changed dramatically since the plan’s inception. Wildfires have grown in intensity and range, and scientists and policy-makers have a better understanding of the urgent need to slow and mitigate the impacts of climate change. 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…

Join the upcoming May 2024 Mountaineers Global Adventure  for moderate day hikes among dramatic limestone peaks and lush valleys of the third highest mountain range in Spain. Our destination, Picos de Europa National Park, is in the heart of Green Spain. Trip leader, Roseanne Lorenzana, visited there in May 2023 and declares it a “must-see” for all who love tranquil mountain hikes, spring flowers, local history, and food culture. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we strive to create policies and learning environments that foster experiences where all participants feel belonging. To support this goal, we have a Member Code of Ethics to define expectations for members and leaders for a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful community. We developed these comprehensive policies so that everyone understands our expectations for how we should treat one another and for how we handle complaints of inappropriate behavior.  Read more…

Living a modern lifestyle means keeping up with a lot, especially if you want to fit everything in. When it comes to trips outdoors, how do you balance training hard to perform while feeling rested enough so you can be your best? How do you avoid the risk of burnout, injury, and exhaustion? The answer is recovery. Read more…

The Mountaineers is an incredible community of outdoor enthusiasts, students, instructors, advocates, and leaders dedicated to fostering connections to the outdoors. As we close the door on 2023 and look ahead to 2024, we reflect on the core of our mission: to connect people to the natural world and to each other. Take a look back on our collective achievements and how our strategic goals – Lead, Engage, and Advocate – guided us this past fiscal year (Oct 1 - Sep 30.) Read more…

Being someone who hasn't yet experienced parenthood, I'm unfamiliar with the most challenging aspects of raising children. However, as a summer camp professional, I do have a backstage pass to what appears to be one of the more stressful parts of being a Seattle area guardian: camp registration. For camps in the Seattle region, summer camp enrollment can begin as early as January. In the thick of winter, with summer far behind, families play scheduling Tetris to guarantee childcare and transformative summer experiences for their kids. Read more…

The outdoor adventures made possible through The Mountaineers would cease to exist without conserved public lands and waters, climate-resilient landscapes, and sustainable recreational access. A critical component of adventuring with purpose is advocating to protect public lands, fight the climate crisis, and improve the human-powered outdoor experience. You don’t have to be a policy expert to make a difference for the lands you love. As someone who cares deeply about the outdoors, you’re well positioned to be an effective outdoor advocate - it just takes a little time and training. Read more…

Meet John, a hike, scramble, snowshoe, and cross-country ski leader who is also the Chair of the Foothills Cross-Country Skiing Committee and organizes the Foothills Wilderness Navigation course. John has earned numerous Key Leader, Key Instructor, and Super Volunteer badges for his contributions to The Mountaineers. Read more…

Getting new winter gear is usually great for the ego and painful for the bank account... but it doesn’t have to be. Did you know you can make your own snowshoes? And for quite cheap, too. 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…

You did it! Together we raised more than $210,000 and smashed our year-end goal. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we believe strongly in the importance of getting kids outside.  The benefits of spending time outdoors - for both kids and adults - are so numerous they can hardly be overstated. Unstructured time spent outside builds confidence and promotes creativity. It gets us moving and inspires wonder.  For all these reasons, we are thrilled to offer you and your family another season of our Mini Mountaineers program!  Read more…

This year’s Bellevue Mountainfilm on Tour film program, Big Green World, highlights films on environmentalism, ecology, stewardship of our lands and wild places, adventure, and emotional engagement with the outdoors. Travel to places such as the rain forests of the Amazon Basin, the coast of Scotland, and the Baffin Islands of Nunavut. Don't miss the highline rope walk between two hot air balloons at 6,300 feet! Read more…

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is back to bring the best action, environment, and adventure films to Olympia! Join us March 1-3 at the Capitol Theater to experience these films on the big screen. The playlists are different each night, so come for one night, or all three! Discount tickets are available if you purchase a ticket for multiple nights. Read more…

Enjoy a collection of trip reports that floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, and may ruffle the feathers of our piqued and potent powder hounds. Read on, dear friends, for a bright-yellow rump, an ode to Charles Dickens, hoar frost, the mighty useful herringbone, and (painfully) varied early season conditions. Read more…

The Mountaineers launched our Instagram (@mountaineersorg) in 2014 as a way to celebrate the adventurous spirit of our community, the beauty of our natural landscapes, and the myriad types of outdoor experiences we have access to in the Pacific Northwest. From star-lit campsites to sun-kissed summits to smile-filled stewardship, Mountaineers are eager to share their photo-rich trip reports and inspire others to appreciate and protect the special places that we’re lucky enough to call home. Read more…

In a North Seattle public school, 65 miles from Mt. Rainier, Kelsey Hoffman’s classroom is engaged in an unusual last-day-of-school activity. Read more…

We know it: you love being outside. Whether on calm waterways, crackling glaciers, bustling city parks, or quiet old growth forests, you find joy and connection outdoors. And as a Mountaineer, you don’t stop there. 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…

Washington’s premier ski-touring race is back again and open for registration! The Patrol Race is the oldest continuing ski race in the northwest – traversing nearly 20 miles and approximately 4,500 feet of gain and descent – taking racers from Snoqualmie Pass to Meany Lodge. With a rich history dating back to the 1930s, the Patrol Race is an experience steeped in snow, tradition, and adventure that you won’t want to miss! Read more…

Downhill ski, snowboard, and telemark lessons are now open for registration at Meany Lodge. We offer single-day lessons almost every Saturday, as well as multi-week classes (4 days total) during the winter season. Check out our Meany Lodge webpage and register for one of our ski courses!  Read more…

I am afraid of going downhill. Everyone is afraid of something, and for me it’s moving fast downhill on trail, rock, or snow. I am sometimes tempted to hide my fears and insecurities, but when I started the Scrambling course, I knew I would have to share this fear with my instructors and classmates. It felt like a true confession. Read more…