Mountaineer Magazine

When I joined The Mountaineers nearly two and a half decades ago, I was motivated - in no small way - by the biggest criticism I had heard about the organization: "They are too safety conscious." I became a Mountaineers member shortly after a guided climb up Rainier, involving many unfamiliar skills and techniques. In my first Mountaineers course, safety was the opening topic. If you can’t be safe, you can’t have fun. That’s the heritage of The Mountaineers. Read more…

Excerpted from the preface to Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 10th Edition (Mountaineers Books, September 2024). Read more…

In the outdoors, many factors are out of our control. We’re often at the whim of Mother Nature and to some extent, that’s the thrill of being outside. While a certain level of risk will always exist, there are variables within our control too, and it’s our job to identify and mitigate them. Hydration - the act of replenishing vital bodily fluids - is no exception. Read more…

In 1974, the third edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills was released and with it, a safety and packing system named The Ten Essentials. This year, we’re happily celebrating 50 years of The Ten Essentials minimizing risks outdoors. Read more…

When I look back on my first three years working to grow a culture of conservation throughout The Mountaineers, one phrase remains top of mind: “conservation powered by outdoor recreation.” I can’t take credit for this catchy moniker; it’s a mantra of our partners at Outdoor Alliance (OA) – a national coalition of human-powered outdoor recreation organizations working to conserve America’s public lands and waters. As a member of OA, The Mountaineers harnesses our shared passion for the outdoors to help conserve the places we love, leading to a compelling and impactful flavor of advocacy. 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…

It was the hike that almost never was. Out of the woods, with ash-encrusted nasal passages, I wished it was the hike that wasn’t. My friends and I had planned a four-day, 48-mile backpacking loop along the remote eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park. Fires flamed all over the west from a surge of hot, dry, windy weather, but where we headed the skies were clear. A reconnaissance hike the day before revealed a moderate air quality index. There was some haze, but no taste or smell of ash. We decided to go for it. Read more…

The Mountaineers has a longstanding commitment to promoting safety in the outdoors. Historically, that commitment has focused on physical safety. I was thrilled last year when we rolled out Emotional Safety in the Outdoors, a new online course designed to help leaders and instructors foster emotionally safe trip environments that ensure physically safe outcomes. Read more…

Enjoy access to our quarterly Mountaineer magazine, keeping you up-to-date with everything our organization and community have been up to. Hear from regular contributors on topics from training exercises to trail tips, and read features from our members sharing stories from the outdoors. We encourage you to access all of our updates, stories, tips, and more in the tree free online magazine today. Read more…

In Paddling the Salish Sea, professional kayaker and paddling coach Rob Casey guides paddlers to the most rewarding destinations across the region. This updated, comprehensive guide covers everything from the quiet inlets of the South Sound to an entirely new section featuring the fjords, waterfalls, and local waterways around Vancouver, B.C. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced paddlers can find beautiful, rewarding routes for their skill levels. Read more…

I took my final dose of prednisone last March after being on the corticosteroid for three years. Excited and relieved, I also felt apprehensive. Would my symptoms return? Two months later and so far, so good. My condition is in remission. Read more…

Scientists have only explored five percent of the ocean, estimating that 91 percent of marine species are still unidentified. Naturally, we wonder about the unknown creatures lurking in the deep. But don’t let curiosity kill the… snail. Right in our own backyard are the waters of the Pacific Northwest, homing a diverse ecosystem of marine species. Among them lives a glorious, potentially terrifying, viscous, and only slightly cannibalistic species: the moon snail. Read more…

In May of 1959, a party of ten Mountaineers were flown one at a time from Darrington Airstrip to a 7,800-foot camp on Glacier Peak. Local photographer Ira Spring organized and led the party of six men and three women to join the expedition, one of his many enterprising invitations to bring people together through photography and adventure. The trip took these Mountaineers six unforgettable days. Read more…

I am at my limit, sick to my stomach and reduced to guttural responses to my fear and fatigue. I have never climbed a mountain before, let alone one at 14,000 feet. On this late-season climb, I’ve seen my crampons spark on the rocks of the Disappointment Cleaver and twice tiptoed across ladders straddling yawning crevasses. And yet, the mountain expects more of me. I keep pushing as the rope propels me forward. Read more…

Waking up to the smell of coffee and freshly baked sweet bread… what could be better? Waking up to these after hiking along the magnificent Amalfi Coast in Italy, of course! Read more…

I have a tumultuous relationship with canoes. When I was eleven, my first canoe trip turned into a raging disaster when a thunderstorm upstream caused a flash flood, overturning our canoe and stranding us on a quickly shrinking island. Years later, I refused to do the canoe-tipping test required to swim at summer camp. Even into my 30s, I was the only person in my group who could not get back into a canoe after swimming in Lake Union, dumping everyone and everything out in the process (RIP iPhone 3). Read more…

Exploring the great outdoors is a transformative experience that connects us with nature in profound ways. For those eager to step onto the trails but uncertain about where to begin, the GoHike: Beginning Hiking Series course offers an inviting gateway into the world of hiking. The GoHike course launched in 2021 to introduce new hikers, or those who are eager to restart, to the joys of hiking while providing a supportive community and valuable resources to ensure a safe and enjoyable beginner experience. Read more…

After the print edition of our magazine, we recognized the implications of using terms like “bagging” which are associated with a culture of conquest over nature. Shifting our language and recreation frameworks is an ongoing journey. Learn more about how to experience the joys of recreating mindfully at alpine lakes. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we strive to recreate mindfully and respectfully on the traditional lands of Native peoples. After the print edition of our magazine, we recognized the implications of using terms like “bagging” which are associated with a culture of conquest over nature. To honor our commitment to mindful engagement with the outdoors and the connections of Native peoples to the lands we love, we have revised the online version of this article to include ways to incorporate land acknowledgment and mindful and respectful recreation into your alpine lake visits. Read more…

A year into our strategic plan, Adventure with Purpose, we’re making significant strides to continue improving support for our mission. To better address the needs of our volunteers who run and operate our three lodges, we are expanding resources and making dedicated financial investments. Of the many improvements taking place this season, I’m excited about a new opportunity to accelerate infrastructure improvements to revitalize Baker, Meany, and Stevens Lodges. Read more…

Being outdoorsy didn’t come naturally to me. Although I’m from a small, blue-collar farming community, my parents' idea of spending time outside meant performing back-breaking work in the mid-Atlantic humidity or struggling to stay warm in Carhartt coveralls during blustery winters. In 2013, I migrated to Wyoming and met people who had different ideas of the outdoors: that it could be healing, peaceful, and most importantly, fun. Read more…

The alarm jolts us from our slumber at 4:45am. I unzip the tent and walk to the cliff to see a blue sky on this clear, April morning. I feel no wind. A happy scream escapes me as I run back to camp. With no time to lose, Ricardo and I stuff cereal into our mouths while dressing in our paddling clothes and drysuits. Coffee will need to wait. We have to start paddling quickly, before the wind returns. Read more…

Growing up in Seattle, I wasn't fully aware of the human-caused impacts on our environment, nor did I understand our responsibility to give back to our shared home until an elementary school field trip taught me about the impact our stormwater systems have on local salmon populations. Picking up trash with my classmates and spray-painting stencils of salmon near storm drains around our local watershed remains imprinted in my mind, reminding me of the interconnectedness of nature and our charge to steward it. Read more…

I’m standing on the Ptarmigan Ridge trail – a nine-mile day hike in the North Cascades lined with lupine, sedges, and patches of blueberries – seriously questioning my sanity. We’ve been hiking for over ten hours in the hot September sun. To make this route qualify as a Conditioning Hiking Series (CHS) graduation hike, we added the Chain Lakes Loop, another six miles through lush forests and alpine lakes. Coleman Pinnacle, Mt. Baker, and Goat Lake are just some of the incredible views we’ve observed so far. Read more…

When my husband and I moved to Seattle from India, we thought we would stay here for about five years, then go back home. But a friend introduced us to The Mountaineers, and now 20 years have gone by. The Pacific Northwest has become our home thanks in large part to this Mountaineers community that embraced us and made us feel that we belong. 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…

Enjoy access to our quarterly Mountaineer magazine, keeping you up-to-date with everything our organization and community have been up to. Hear from regular contributors on topics from training exercises to trail tips, and read features from our members sharing stories from the outdoors. We encourage you to access all of our updates, stories, tips, and more in the tree free online magazine today. Read more…

North, the hill plunges over 600 feet. South, it drops a similar elevation in increments. The hilltop is maybe a hundred feet wide, flat, and stretches a hundred yards or more perpendicular to the valley’s western wall before descending in stair steps to the creek running north. My mind tries to comprehend time and what has happened to sculpt the amazing configuration of this valley. Read more…

We were the luckiest teenagers we knew. In the spring of 1953, my sister (16) and I (18) learned we would spend ten days that summer in the alpine world of Mt. Rainier with two other teenage climbing course graduates, as well as renowned photographer Ira Spring. How did this happen? Ira had a contract with the publisher of a new magazine, Sports Illustrated. Read more…

On a Friday night in late August, I headed north from Seattle with Iris, Phillip, and Jordan - three friends I’d made in the Everett Basic Climbing course. We were on our way to Ruth Mountain and Icy Peak to try what’s known as the Ruth and Icy Traverse - a linkup of two glaciated summits on the border of North Cascades National Park. Read more…