CMC 101:
fun facts about our favorite outdoor recreation, Education, and Conservation organization
by amanda larrInaga, marketIng and membershIp dIreCtor
Left to right: Albert R. Ellingwood, Barton Hoag, and Eleanor Davis take a break after a successful climb. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives.
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CMC founding member Mary Sabin. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives
I moved to Colorado a mere sIx months ago, just a few short weeks before I started my tenure wIth the Colorado mountaIn Club. as the marketIng and membershIp dIreCtor, I’ve been fortunate to work wIth dIfferent aspeCts of the organIzatIon, whICh has allowed me to learn so muCh about not only the amazIng mountaIns of the state we all Call home, but of the rICh hIstory of thIs long-standIng volunteer-run organIzatIon. wIth over 10 years of experIenCe wIth nonprofIts and volunteer-run organIzatIons, I have never seen IndIvIduals wIth the same level of passIon, CommItment, and dedICatIon as I have seen at the CmC. durIng my fIrst week of work wIth the CmC, I was asked to help Come up wIth a ConCIse message to desCrIbe what the CmC Is all about.talk about a task! the desCrIptIon I drafted holds true now, as It dId when the CmC was founded 101 years ago:“the Colorado mountaIn Club works to ensure that Current and future generatIons have the aCCess and abIlIty to enjoy Colorado’s open spaCes and outdoor aCtIvItIes. as one of Colorado’s oldest organIzatIons, the Colorado mountaIn Club foCuses on ConservatIon, advoCaCy, youth and adult eduCatIon, and outdoor reCreatIon adventures.” wIth thIs legaCy steeped In envIronmental and outdoor reCreatIon foresIght and fortItude, I am truly proud to Call myself a Colorado mountaIn Club member and feel prIvIleged to have been IntroduCed to Colorado’s mountaIns through our organIzatIon. In CommemoratIng our 101 years as a volunteer-based organIzatIon, I’ve CompIled a lIst of 101 faCts I’ve learned about and have gaIned an appreCIatIon for, regardIng the Colorado mountaIn Club’s hIstory and Culture. whIle It may be far from exhaustIve, It has been eye openIng and InspIrIng for thIs young mountaIneer hopeful, new to Colorado. 1. In any given year, Adventure Travel leads up to 20 trips domestically and abroad, including countries as unique and diverse as New Zealand, Nepal, Russia, and Argentina. 2. One of the legacy Adventure Travel trips includes a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. On this trip, participants stay in the same lodge as they did when the outing was first offered, in part because the lodge is still owned by the same family. 3. The Colorado Mountain Club is a partner in the American Mountaineering Museum, alongside the American Alpine Club, The National Geographic Society, and Colorado Mountain School. 4.The American Mountaineering Museum is named after world-renowned explorer Henry Bradford Washburn Jr. 5. Henry Bradford Washburn Jr. was born on June 7, 1910, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He first climbed Mount Washington at the age of 11. Two years later, his mother gave him his first camera, a Kodak Brownie, the point-and-shoot of the day. He remained passionate about climbing and
photography for the rest of his life. 6.The Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum (BWAMM) opened in February 2008 and is America’s first and only museum dedicated to the heroism, technology, culture, and spirit of mountaineering; it’s also one of very few mountaineering museums in the world. 7. Each year, the museum honors individuals for their accomplishments both on and off the mountain by inducting them into the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence. 8. In 2013, the inductees were Nick Clinch, Barry Corbet, Norman Dyhrenfurth, Jeff Lowe, and Peter Metcalf. 9. The Colorado Mountain Club’s first permanent home was purchased in 1974 in Denver. 10. More recently, the building that houses both the BWAMM and the CMC’s state offices is the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden. 11.The AMC is jointly owned by the American Alpine Club and the Colo-
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