Bellingham Branch Blog Posts

As a Mountaineers member, you receive free 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…

Join The Mountaineers for a screening of The Last Mountain, which tells the unforgettable story of climber Tom Ballard, 30, who disappeared on Nanga Parbat in 2019 – 24 years after his mother, legendary alpinist Alison Hargreaves, famously perished on K2. Read more…

Nearly five years ago, The Mountaineers announced our new equity and inclusion programs, including our Equity & Inclusion committee. This work stems from our core belief that a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love. We're grateful to all in our community who have been engaging and supportive, and we're excited to introduce you to our new  committee members. Read more…

February is a month of anticipation. Although we are still in the heart of winter, the days are beginning to get longer and we are often surprised by blooming flowers and brief opportunities for short-sleeved hikes. I was even able to ride my bike to work on a couple days this month, enjoying the aroma of jasmine lining the Burke Gilman (I will admit my hands were frozen solid by the time I arrived at the Seattle Program Center).  Read more…

On February 28, 2020, the Center for Disease Control announced the likelihood that coronavirus (COVID-19) would spread in US communities. Since then, The Mountaineers  has been carefully tracking the recommendations of public health agencies, and our hearts go out to those who have been affected. The health and safety of our community is our top priority and we will diligently implement recommended actions while doing everything we can to sustain our mission and operations. We will continue to update this blog as the situation develops. Read more…

Conservation advocacy has been an enduring priority throughout The Mountaineers history. Early members recognized the importance of protecting wild places for the outdoor experience, and as a result we have been involved in nearly every major conservation campaign in our state's history. Advocacy has been, and remains, at the heart of key environmental protections.  Read more…

The Mountaineers is a unique community of hikers, climbers, paddlers, birders, and more coming together from all different walks of life to experience and enjoy the incredible landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. To celebrate this diversity and the joy that our community brings to every trip outside, we want to create a video for our annual Gala to showcase your adventures big and small. That means we’re looking for photos and videos from folks across our organization – from you! Read more…

Nash Maz is an Indian American hiker and climber breaking ground with an all-women of color climbing attempt on Tahoma (Mount Rainier). She’s put together a team of 12 women, known as Women of Color Who Summit, to raise funds and awareness for the minority populations disproportionately affected by COVID and other lung diseases. As someone who overcame extreme health conditions as an infant, and as a true Washingtonian with more than 200 state hikes under her belt, Nash is uniquely positioned to inspire change through education and advocacy.  Read more…

Two years ago, Keta Legacy Foundation (Keta) filed a lawsuit against The Mountaineers. Keta sued The Mountaineers, claiming they had superior rights in our name, which we had previously authorized Keta to use as the “Mountaineers Foundation.” In addition to wanting to continue to trade on our name to capture donations, Keta also seeks to prevent us from using our own name – The Mountaineers – to raise funds for charitable purposes. Read more…

Every two years, we invited our current, past, and future members and volunteers to participate in a community survey. We use your responses to help understand the needs of our community and to learn where we need to allocate more resources. Based on your feedback, we’ve launched Alpine Ambassadors, the Leadership Development Series, and our Equity & Inclusion work in the last five years.  Read more…

This past year, as always, our volunteers have remained at the core of our operations. Thank you to the 2,887 members who volunteered their time during fiscal year 2021 (October 2020-September 2021), and to the many others who supported from afar! Each of you has made a difference. Read more…

As we're offering more vaccine-required programs, many Mountaineers leaders have requested support with tracking vaccination status. After several months of brainstorming and collaboration, we're pleased to launch an optional COVID-19 Vaccine badge for tracking member vaccination status on the website. Thank you to the many members of our community who contributed feedback along the way! Read more…

It was the evergreen conifer trees synonymous with the Pacific Northwest that gave Washington State its nickname, “the Evergreen State.” Washington offers the opportunity to experience and appreciate these majestic trees in all seasons, from big cities to the wilderness. These tall sentinels shade our campsites and trails, cleanse the air, and play an integral role in the iconic mountain vistas we love. They’re more than a symbol - they’re deeply rooted and connected to our communities, public health, and culture in the Pacific Northwest. Read more…

The Mountaineers is an incredible community of adventurers, students, instructors, advocates, and leaders. We’re proud of our community for persevering through another demanding year, prioritizing safety, and fostering connections to the outdoors. As we close the door on 2021 and look ahead to 2022, we reflect on our core values and how they’ve guided us through this past year.  Read more…

Photos have the power to transport us to a feeling. Often, we are brought back to a specific time, place, and emotion. Like the sunrise shot that reminds you of the pride, gratitude, and exhaustion of an early morning alpine scramble. Or the snapshot of frosted evergreens that takes you back to skiing on a crisp bluebird day. Sharing photos with others also gives them access to these small moments of magic we find in the outdoors. It can offer inspiration to the experienced outdoorsperson to take on a new feat, or reassurance to the novice that they can tackle it, too. Read more…

Winter is officially here. We've got snow in the mountains and trip reports are full of stoke for fresh powder, headlamp hiking, and those rare sunny days that give us the summit views of our dreams.  Read more…

The world-renowned Banff Centre's Banff Mountain Film Festival celebrates its 46th year, continuing to bring the best action, environment, and adventure films to audiences in Banff and no less than 40 countries across the globe. Join us as we host this premier outdoor film festival for our 16th year.  Read more…

As a Mountaineers member, you receive free 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…

The close of the calendar year offers us many reasons to celebrate. Snow is beginning to fall in the mountains, friends and families are gathering for holidays, and some of our favorite traditional dishes are making their way to our tables. At The Mountaineers, we also celebrate you: our members, volunteers, readers, and donors, who help make the magic of our community possible through your charitable giving. Read more…

The last 20 months have challenged all of us in ways we never could have imagined.  Now more than ever, we need the outdoors to connect with one another, as well as experience the physical, emotional, and mental benefits that outdoor recreation provides. Read more…

Join The Mountaineers for a Nov 16 screening of The Alpinist, which offers a breathtaking portrait of charismatic climber Marc-André Leclerc as he makes some of the boldest solo climbs in history. Read more…

After a rollercoaster of a year and a half, we are looking to the year ahead with cautious excitement. For fiscal year 2022, The Mountaineers Board of Directors have approved a high-confidence operating budget of $9.785M to provide the vital support needed to educate and engage the next generation of recreationists and conservationists. Read more…

Thanks to support from outdoor enthusiasts like you, we’re able to successfully advocate for public lands protections and outdoor access. It starts with building relationships with lawmakers, management agencies, and their staff at the federal and local level in order to influence legislation and advocate for critical funding to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities and protect our beloved Pacific Northwest landscapes. Read more…

For six years, The Mountaineers has been a proud member of Outdoor Alliance, a national coalition of human-powered outdoor recreation organizations working to conserve America’s public lands. We joined Outdoor Alliance because we know that the voices of climbers, paddlers, hikers, mountain bikers, and backcountry skiers are much more powerful when we speak together. Our collective voice increases our community’s leverage with federal and state decision makers on public lands and recreation. Read more…

On Friday, President Biden restored protections to three national monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in southeast Utah. These spectacular landscapes are sacred to Indigenous peoples and contain world-class recreational opportunities. The President used his authority under the Antiquities Act - a bedrock conservation law - to permanently protect these lands as national monuments. Read more…

Mountainfilm on Tour showcases a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed, and incredibly inspiring documentary films curated from the annual Mountainfilm festival held in Telluride, Colorado.

In lieu of a traditional in-person gathering, The Mountaineers will be hosting a virtual screening of Mountainfilm on Tour with an inspiring program of films that explore themes connected to Mountainfilm’s mission of using the power of film, art, and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. Films can be viewed from Oct 14-17, 2021. Read more…

Lately you’ve heard from us about historic opportunities to tackle climate change and invest in public lands through upcoming infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills. Now it’s crunch time: Congress is on the precipice of passing once-in-a-generation legislation to protect climate and public lands. How big Congress decides to go is still very much in the air, so this is a critical time to share your priorities with your senators and representatives. Read more…

If you’re a bit like me, then maybe every day could be public lands day. The Pacific Northwest is fortunate to have many parks, trails, waterways, and green spaces that provide positive benefits across communities. There truly is something for everyone, in every season. Here at The Mountaineers, we strive to raise awareness around the importance of natural landscapes conserved as public lands - not just for recreation, but for the health and cultural identity of our region. Join us to celebrate National Public Lands Day this September 25th. Read more…

“Almost 60 years after the first successful American ascent of Mount Everest, a team of U.S. climbers aims to make history once again on the world’s highest peak. Led by Phil Henderson, a former instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School and a veteran  mountaineer, this group, made up of athletes from across the country, aspires to be the first all-Black American expedition to reach the summit.” wrote James Edward Mills, Mountaineers Books Author and freelance journalist, in an article for Outside Business Journal announcing the project in late August 2021. Read more…

As a Mountaineers member, you receive free 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…