Letter from the President

An update on CMC marketing and Membership Outreach

iwant to update you on CmC’s plans to strengthen our club’s brand, build awareness, attract new members, and increase member retention. We have several strong initiatives underway, both at the state level and in cooperation with the groups. With our 100th anniversary approaching, now is a great time to re‐invigorate our outreach efforts, make sure we’re appealing to a broader set of prospective members, and ensure that CmC is delivering the high‐quality experience that will keep members coming back.

Sign‐Up Fee Waiver

earlier this year, at the request of several groups, we agreed to waive the $25 sign‐up fee for new members at certain times during the year; the groups had to request a waiver and commit to a strong membership development or marketing plan. Several groups, including Denver, boulder, Gore range, and San Juan are already taking advantage of this opportunity.

For example, the Denver Group has identified several calendar periods through year‐end when prospective members can join with no sign‐up fee. The group is focusing marketing efforts on these dates with events such as outreach at local rei stores, featuring a new presentation that conveys the benefits and value of CmC membership. The boulder Group will offer the discount at its monthly open houses for prospective members and also for non‐members attending the group’s annual holiday dinner.

Web Site Upgrades

We’ve taken steps to make the CmC website more user‐friendly, with further improvements in the works. if you’ve visited our site lately, you’ve probably noticed the four large buttons at top left (“Trip Schedule,” “Class Schedule,” “Why Join,” and “Contact Us”), which address 75 percent of what most visitors are looking for when they come to our site. These buttons make it easy for visitors to move quickly to the information or function they need. We’ll continue to improve the user experience on the CmC site, for current members and prospective members.

Marketing and Outreach Staff Support

We are investing in the growth of our club by hiring a new full‐time marketing and outreach manager, rachel Scott, who began work on July 26th at the state office in Golden. rachel has a strong marketing background, most recently working for an outdoor industry company in nashville. in her new role, rachel will work with groups, operating committees, and the state board to develop and implement a CmC marketing and outreach plan, with help from volunteers including the state marketing committee. She will visit in person with all the CmC groups to discuss specific group marketing and membership development needs. rachel will focus on coordinating with the groups to increase membership, improve retention numbers, and grow the CmC name.

Increased Presence and Visibility

You will be seeing and hearing more about the CmC across the state in the coming months. We plan to ramp up our presence at outdoor recreation events appealing to a broad cross‐section of members and prospective members-from our own events, such as mountain Fest and the backcountry bash, to other festivals celebrating outdoor recreation, like the Teva mountain Games.

We are planning more membership drives, including outreach on Colorado’s university campuses, to attract younger members. The state will coordinate with the groups to provide them with tools for outreach in their local communities.

We’re also working more with the media. You may have heard our statewide CmC message as a sponsor of Colorado Public radio. We’re also seeking more “earned media” publicity. For example, Fort Collins group chair York was recently interviewed on the radio about CmC and what we have to offer, along with the club's CeO, Katie blackett.

We have also started on a “We miss You” campaign to entice expired members to rejoin the club at either a reduced rate or as a “Friends of the mountain” supporter.

New CMC Logo and Tagline

like many of the leading mountaineering and outdoor associations (including the american alpine Club, the appalachian mountain Club, the mountaineers, the mazamas, and the Sierra Club), the CmC is updating its look with a new logo and tagline, approved by the state board on September 14, 2010.

For nearly 100 years, the bighorn sheep and the “more than a great hiking club” tagline have served us well. but the tagline says more about what we are not than about what we are and aspire to be; the sheep logo does not convey-instantly, powerfully and in a contemporary way-that our club is about the mountains of Colorado, or enjoying, celebrating, and preserving them.

The CmC plans to retire the bighorn sheep with honor, although he will reappear from time to time in recognition of his long service to our club and his place as part of our heritage. Our new logo is a strong, simple image based on the silhouettes of two of Colorado’s most recognized and photographed peaks-the maroon bells. as you know, we experimented with many logo designs, sought two rounds of feedback from groups and state committees, and took this feedback into account in developing the new design. logos are highly subjective things. Given the diversity of strong opinions among our members, our powerful attachments to heritage and tradition, and a natural tendency to resist change, we recognize not everyone will like this decision. after careful deliberation and consideration of a wide range of feedback, your board feels we must look to the future and present the CmC to the world with a more contemporary face.

The quality of experience we deliver to our members, and the energy and enthusiasm we bring as volunteers to our outreach efforts, are even more important predictors of our future than our logo, and we intend to focus our energies there.

We also have adopted a new tagline for the club, “a Passion for the mountains,” which will replace “more than a great hiking club.”

You will see our new logo and tagline beginning to appear as part of the club’s marketing and outreach efforts soon, beginning with our website and gradually including printed materials, signage, and branded apparel. We will strike a balance between moving promptly to introduce our new

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22 Hope and peace and pain: Found on the Walker's Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt

The greatest trek in the world? The scenery is beyond gorgeous; the people you'll meet will stay in your memory forever; the undulations will make you work for your beer (or hot chocolate). What more can you ask from a trek? Text and Photography by Chris Case

28 Winter tradition: Two decades of Yellowstone in Winter

What keeps people heading toward Yellowstone in winter? Sights, stars, skis, and the CmC. By Polly Hays Photography by Frank Burzynski

28

33 Vertical epic: The Tarahumara of Mexico's Copper Canyon

Deep in mexico's Copper Canyon, there is a brutal race for big bags of corn. Text and Photography by Michael Huckaby

36 tHe longest trip: The CMC's 1964 European Alpine Outing

The club's first official overseas trip was a grand undertaking yet to be matched. By Woody Smith

38 tHe Fourteener Files (and Beyond)

Who made the lists this year? Will you join them? By Linda Crockett, Teresa Gergen, Dave Goldwater, and Chris Ruppert

Winter 2010

Trail & Timberline • issue 1009 • www.cmc.org

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on tHe coVer

The mesmerizing view of the Grand Combin, along the Walker's Haute from Chamonix, France, to Zermatt, Switzerland. Chris Case 01 Letter from the President

06 On the Outside

08 Mission Accomplishments

learn the latest from the conservation and education departments, as well as the mountaineering museum.

14 The Clinic

Stop, assess, plan. Keeping mountain travel safe with simple steps. By Brenda Porter

16 Pathfinder

What do Transylvania, Kamchatka, and the Wicklow Way have in common, besides their great names? They are all part of the club's adventure Travel program. Wander the world with the CmC. By Valerie Miller, Janet Martel, and Linda Ditchkus

42 CMC Adventure Travel

Want to get away? Wander the world with your friends at the CmC on these classic trips.

brand and managing costs by using up certain materials with the old logo. The impact on the CmC’s finances will be minimal, since we applied for and are receiving a generous grant to help fund the development of more contemporary marketing materials for our club.

Delivering an Improved Member Experience

a brand is much more than a logo or tagline-it’s the sum total of user impressions and experiences. For the CmC, the most frequent and powerful expression of our brand is the experience our members have during trips and schools. ensuring our leaders deliver a consistently positive experience is among the most important things we can do to improve member recruitment and retention.

The State Safety and leadership Committee, comprised of volunteers with school and trip leader experience from across the state, has begun work on a trip leader standards and training program. The program is directly aimed at giving our much-loved volunteers-who truly are the frontline for the club-the tools and skills needed to deliver a consistently great experience during their outdoor quests, including safety, group dynamics, communications skills, and leader expectations. at the July board meeting, the board and guests gave the State Safety and leadership Committee a charge to come up with some basic leadership standards that all leaders will have. There is no timeline set for these standards to be developed. as you’ve already seen, we’ve asked for your input. and your perspectives, experience, and knowledge will continue to be sought. This will ensure that we remain true to our mission of providing a safe experience in the backcountry. many of our leaders already possess these skills. Our intent is to raise our game to a consistently high level across the state, ensuring our members have a memorable and impactful experience with us, so that they not only stay as part of our family but tell all of their friends to join as well.

Your Support and Involvement Are Important

We invite and encourage you to be a part of the solution. How can you get involved? • Talk with people you know about the CmC, share your positive experiences, and encourage them to check us out. • invite non‐member friends to attend our events, like mountain Fest, backcountry bash, or group open houses. • if you’re part of social networking sites like Facebook, post photos from your CmC trips on your Facebook page-and/or upload them to the CmC Facebook page. • Share your ideas for getting the word out about the CmCcontact your group council, your staff liaison, rachel, or Katie. • Volunteer to help with marketing and membership outreach, either for your group or at the state level. • encourage fellow members to stay involved in club activities by going on trips, signing up for schools, or enjoying the fun social opportunities of the CmC-because members who are involved are much less likely to drop out. Thank you for your continued support of the Colorado mountain Club. See you on the trail.

Trail &

Timberline

The official publication of the Colorado Mountain Club since 1918.

editor, director oF pHotograpHy & design Chris Case editor@cmc.org

adVertising sales Robin Commons advertising@cmc.org

tHe colorado Mountain cluB 710 10th Street, Suite 200 Golden, Colorado 80401

The CMC is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.

www.cmc.org

The Colorado mountain Club is organized to

▶ unite the energy, interest, and knowledge of the students, explorers, and lovers of the mountains of Colorado;

▶ collect and disseminate information regarding the Rocky Mountains on behalf of science, literature, art, and recreation;

▶ stimulate public interest in our mountain areas;

▶ encourage the preservation of forests, flowers, fauna, and natural scenery; and

▶ render readily accessible the alpine attractions of this region.

© 2010 colorado Mountain cluB all rights reserved

Trail & Timberline (iSSn 0041-0756) is published quarterly by the Colorado mountain Club located at 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, Colorado 80401. Periodicals postage paid at Golden, Colorado, and additional offices. Subscriptions are $20 per year; single copies are $5. POSTmaSTer: Please send address changes to Trail & Timberline, 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, Colorado 80401. advertisements in Trail & Timberline do not constitute an endorsement by the Colorado mountain Club.

Please recycle this magazine. Printed on 10% post-consumer waste recycled paper.

member benefits

→ Join us on over 3,000 annual trips, hikes, and activities in the state’s premiere mountain-adventure organization. → expand your knowledge and learn new skills with our schools, seminars, and events. → Support our award-winning youth education Program for mountain leadership. → Protect Colorado’s wild lands and backcountry recreation experiences. → Enjoy exclusive discounts to the American Mountaineering Museum. → Travel the world with your friends through CMC Adventure Travel. → Receive a 20% discount on all CMC Press purchases and start your next adventure today. → It pays to be a member. Enjoy discounts of up to 25% from retailers and corporate partners. See www.cmc.org/benefits for details.

opportunities to get more involved

Charitable Donations

Join our select donors who give back to the club every month by using electronic funds transfer (EFT). It is easy and convenient, you can discontinue anytime, and you’ll provide support for critical programs. Sign up at www.cmc.org/support.

By naming the Colorado Mountain Club in your will, you will be able to count yourself among the proud members of the 21st Century

Circle. Read more at www.cmc.org/legacy. Please consult your financial advisor about gift language.

If you have any questions about donations, please contact Sarah Gorecki, Development Director, at 303.996.2752 or sarahgorecki@cmc.org. Volunteer Efforts

If you want to share your time and expertise, give back to the club by volunteering on a variety of projects, from trail restoration to stuffing envelopes. Visit www.cmc.org/volunteer for a complete listing. Contact Us

Our Membership Services team can answer general questions every weekday at 303.279.3080, or by email at cmcoffice@cmc.org.

SCFD

The Colorado Mountain Club thanks the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District and its citizens for their continuing support. www.scfd.org The Colorado Mountain Club is a proud member of Community Shares of Colorado.

SCFDit SCFD pays to be a member!

SCFD

▶ 50% off admission at the American Mountaineering Museum ▶ 25% off titles from The Mountaineers Books ▶ 10% at Neptune Mountaineering, Boulder ▶ 10% at Bent Gate Mountaineering, Golden ▶ 10% at Wilderness Exchange Unlimited, Denver ▶ 10% at Mountain Chalet, Colorado Springs not a member? visit www.cmc.org/join ▶ 10% at The Trailhead, Buena Vista ▶ 10% at Rock'n and Jam'n, Thornton