A True Mountaineer Ken Nolan and His Climbing Exploits Uncompahgre Peak, as seen from Wetterhorn Peak. Photo by Ken Nolan
By Kent Groninger
O
n November 3, Ken Nolan was awarded the CMC’s 2012 Ellingwood Golden Ice Axe Award at the Boulder annual dinner. This is the highest and only award that the CMC gives for mountaineering excellence. It is given to the recipient for: 1) Reflecting the CMC’s climbing ethics; 2) Demonstrating and teaching strong climbing skills; and 3) Pushing the boundaries of climbing accomplishments in Colorado and around the world. Please pay heed to the phrase “pushing the boundaries”, because Ken Nolan’s accomplishments epitomize this criterion. Of all places for a mountaineer to be from, 32
Trail & Timberline
Ken was born in New York City, on October 17, 1947. While living in New York in the early 1970s he became an “Adirondack 46er” by climbing all the Adirondack peaks above 4,000 feet. Those who have climbed in the Northeast can attest that although these peaks may sound puny, their ascents have elevation gains comparable to our 14ers. In any case, from an early age Ken was “bitten by the bagger bug.” In 1977, Ken hiked the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine; though he actually missed the last few miles due to a raging fire. In 1978, Ken moved to Colorado, and
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climbed Longs Peak, his first 14er. Soon after he joined the Colorado Mountain Club as a lifetime member and took the Boulder Mountaineer School (BMS). For a few years following graduation he assisted in teaching BMS. It was during this period that I first got to know Ken when he asked me to help teach the annual “snow structures” training. On a winter weekend, we would go to a well-known, huge snowdrift that would invariably accumulate at the base of Mount Audubon in the Indian Peaks Wilderness and show members how to dig their own snow caves or how to build igloos. They would then spend the night in
