Thank you for your interest in joining the Seattle Explorers/Jr. MAC Clubs! This survey is to formally gather a list of those interested in making this commitment and to equitably allot the available openings in the program. Current students wishing to re-enroll will be given priority in registration and any remaining spots will be allocated to new students per the results of this lottery. The number of potentially available spots will not be shared with anyone. Just a heads up, you will need an Mountaineers membership to register for the Information Meeting and the Kick off Trip if you are awarded a spot in the program.
Learn more about Mountaineer Memberships here.
- The Explorers and Jr. MAC programs are strictly for students aged 10-13 (or grades 5-8th).
- Explorers and Jr. MAC will have a total of 18 spots in each club for the 2026 program year, which formally begins on October 1st, 2025. The program year runs through the end of September of 2026. Students must then re-enroll if they would like to continue participating.
- The program fee for the year is $1,800. The default payment method will be a 100% up-front payment upon online registration. At the Open House meeting September 17th, documents explaining in-full the program fee, how it is used, the refund policy, and an option to elect for installment payments will be handed out. The Mountaineers offers scholarships. If you anticipate needing a scholarship, please apply as soon as possible. Receipt of a scholarship does not guarantee enrollment.
- The Seattle Explorers/Jr. MAC Open House is for prospective and returning students and will be held September 17th from 6:00-8:00pm at the Seattle Program Center. Please ensure you are registered for the open house. Attendance at this meeting is required for anyone wishing to join Explorers or Jr. MAC. Information about the program will be presented to everyone, the process for this lottery explained again, and it will be a chance for prospective students to meet returning students and ask questions. Anyone attending the meeting that has not taken this lottery survey will be reminded to do so.
- This lottery will be open through EOD September 17th. The lottery will be processed on September 18th at 9:00am and students/families receiving a spot will be notified shortly thereafter. They will then be invited to join the Kick-Off trip in Leavenworth and will receive details about the trip at that point. New students/families will be given at least 2 weeks advance notice that they have been awarded a spot in Pathfinders and they are invited to join the Kick-off trip to try out the program before committing and request any climbing or camping gear from Youth Clubs Staff. If you do not receive an email from the youth clubs program manager after the information meeting, it means you weren't selected for a spot.
- We offer a Kickoff trip or a "trial trip" where we will car camp, climb, and hike in Leavenworth. This trip will be open to returning students and those who have been awarded a spot in the program through this lottery and want to try out their fit with the program. Students who have expressed interest through this lottery or elsewhere, but were not awarded a spot in the program through this lottery, unfortunately, will not be invited to the Kick-Off Trip. Club Staff will sent you the registration link to the Kick Off trip if awarded a spot through the lottery.
- After lottery results have been processed and students notified, families will have the month of October to make the commitment and pay to register on either the Explorers or Jr. MAC course page. If students do not accept their invitation to Pathfinders, staff will work through the waitlist until all spots are filled. More details about registration will be shared with selected families after the lottery has been processed.