The 2010 Mount Princeton Weekend

The 2010 Mt. Princeton weekend will take place from February 19 to February 21 at the Hot Springs Resort in beautiful Chalk Creek Cañon, near Buena Vista, CO. This is a joint venture between the Pikes Peak and Denver Groups of the Colorado Mountain Club. Prices will be $ 200.00 for double occupancy and $270.00 for a single room. For non CMC members, the charge will be $210 and $290 respectively. There was a slight increase in meal prices, but the rooms have stayed the same.

This price will include 2 nights' lodging, two drinks (wine, beer or soft drinks) Friday night, two dinners Friday and Saturday, breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday, a wine and cheese party Saturday after dinner, and all the swimming you can get in on any of these three days.

There will be trips scheduled at breakfast for ski, snowshoe and possibly a hike on both Saturday and Sunday for various abilities.

Avalanche Awareness Classes

Session 1: INFORMATIONAL AVALANCE PROGRAM
December 9th, 7-9pm, Foss Auditorium, AMC.
This is an Information Program that is FREE to the public. The CAIC will present a 2 hour lecture on the basics of avalanche awareness. A minimum of 10 participants are required to hold this program. Please sign up through Membership Services at 303/279-3080 Ext 2 or on the CMC website (www.cmc.org) under Programs.

Session 2: AVALANCHE AWARENESS SCHOOL
Jan 12 & 14, 6:30-9pm, (Conf Rooms C & D), AMC
Evening Classroom Lectures presented by the CAIC
Jan 16 & Jan 17 - Field Day Sessions @ Jones Pass (attend 1 day only), presented by CAIC and CMC volunteer members;
Fee is $100 for CMC Members.
Successful completion of the School requires attendance at both classroom lectures and 1 field day.
Sign up available on the CMC website.
For questions regarding the school, contact either Bill Kastner, at 303/434-9594 or Bill.Kastner@comcast.net or, John Bickel, at 303-670-3302 or jhbickel@esrt-llc.com or call the CMC office at 303-279-3080 ext. 2.
You must be a member to take this class. Join here and register here.

Backcountry Bash

Join us at the Backcountry Bash
November 14, 2009
American Mountaineering Center
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Heavy hors d'oeuvres, silent auction, museum tours and beer provided by Avery Brewing Company
8:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Live auction
9 p.m. – Special screening of the new Powderwhore Production film “Flakes”

For 16 years, the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance hosted its annual Backcountry Bash—a celebration of the organization and its advocacy work for human-powered winter recreation and a fundraising event for its programs. When the CMC brought the BSA into its family, we knew we had to keep the tradition alive.

Get tickets here.

The American Mountaineering Center will once again host the Backcountry Bash on November 14, 2009. We hope to see you there.

Click here to See some of our silent auction items

CMC Market Research Survey

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step"
Lao Tzu

In 2012, the Colorado Mountain Club will be celebrating its centennial. We have recently embarked on a quest of self discovery designed to ensure we will remain strong for another 100 years.

We invite you to help lead us down the right path by taking our market research survey. It will only take you a few minutes to complete, but the help you provide us will echo through our organization for years.

You can access our survey by clicking this link:
CMC Survey

We thank you for your help in supporting our efforts.

--Your friends at the Colorado Mountain Club

CMC Member's Car Stolen

CMC Member's Car Stolen
On Saturday, September 26, 2009, a CMC member parked at the 4thand Union Park-n-Ride to meet up for a CMC trip. Upon her return her car had been stolen. It was locked when they left it. Please be careful when leaving your vehicles. Do not leave valuables in your car.

Pictures from Space: the Final Photos from Washburn’s Expedition Camera

Pictures from Space: the Final Photos from Washburn’s Expedition Camera
A Presentation by Astronaut John Grunsfeld, “The Hubble Repairman”

September 30, 2009
American Mountaineering Center
710 10th Street, Golden, CO

VIP Reception:
6:00pm-7:15pm
$35 for AAC members and
Friends of the Library/Museum
$50 for non-members
Includes admission to the presentation, appetizers and drinks
RSVP by September 25 to Dana Richardson
drichardson@americanalpineclub.org
303-384-0110 x10

Sign up here.

Presentation:
7:30pm-9:00pm
$5 for AAC members/$10 for non-members
Seating is first-come, first served

In Ansel Adam’s preface to Mount McKinley: the Conquest of Denali, the great photographer wrote, “Without exaggeration, I fully expect to hear someday that Brad has visited the moon, climbed Copernicus, and photographed the lunar Apennines from a private, orbiting module.”

While Bradford Washburn didn’t make it to space, we’re happy to say that his expedition camera did. Last May, as a crew of NASA astronauts completed the final repairs and enhancements to the Hubble, astronaut John Grunsfeld brought along a much smaller, older camera. Grunsfeld, an avid climber, snapped the final photos that will ever be taken with the late-Washburn’s famous expedition camera, a 1929 Zeiss Maximar B 4x5.

On September 30, Grunsfeld will return the camera to the American Alpine Club, to be displayed in the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum. He will also talk about the mission and present the photographs he took from space, which will be displayed alongside a collection of Washburn’s personal favorites. We suspect that Earth’s mountains will look smaller in the photos from space, but no less spectacular. Come see for yourself!

A limited number of autographed prints are expected to be available, free of charge.

Background information: Washburn was one of the leading American mountaineers in the 1920s through the 1950s, putting up first ascents and new routes on many major Alaskan peaks (often with his wife, Barbara, who attended the shuttle launch). Washburn pioneered the use of aerial photography in the analysis of mountains and in planning mountaineering expeditions. His thousands of striking black-and-white photos, mostly of Alaskan peaks and glaciers, are known for their wealth of informative detail and their artistry. Washburn was responsible for some of the finest maps ever made of mountain regions; his maps of Denali and Mount Everest are perhaps the most notable. He founded and served as Honorary Director of the Boston Museum of Science.

In 2008 the Colorado-based Mountaineering Museum named in his honor opened to the public. The historic building that houses the museum is also home to the American Alpine Club’s library, where Washburn’s signed personal collection of over 150 of his favorite photographs reside on permanent loan. Through November, a select number are displayed in the museum.

Washburn was a long-time member of the American Alpine Club, and so too is Grunsfeld. When the astronaut asked the AAC about bringing something special belonging to the club into space, a staff member, Jason Manke, suggested Washburn’s camera. Executive Director, Phil Powers (who in 1988 made the first ascent Denali’s Washburn Face), thought it to be a fitting recommendation. After all, In 1951 Washburn made the first ascent of Denali’s West Buttress. 53 years later, Grunsfeld reached the summit with a small team of NASA climbers. Taking Washburn’s camera into space for its final shots was an opportunity for Grunsfeld to honor the man whose photos greatly inspired him, guiding his way to the summit of North America’s highest mountain, and beyond. During a pre-mission NPR interview Grunsfeld said, “Brad lived just a tremendous life. He is one of my heroes and during the 1920s did just a fantastic number of tremendous climbs all over. As part of that he started pioneering the use of cameras from airplanes. I definitely plan to take some pictures of Hubble with the Zeiss camera but also of mountains which I know Brad would appreciate.”

October 13, Tuesday – Colorado Earth Quakes* – Vince Matthews, The Colorado Geological Survey

October 13, Tuesday – Colorado Earth Quakes* – Vince Matthews, The Colorado Geological Survey

Do we have earth quakes in Colorado? How many have we had in the past? What about the future – will earth
quake activity impact where I live or my outdoor recreation sites? Come to the Foss Auditorium, 7-8pm to
learn the answers. Reservations may be made the CMC website. Free to all members and the general public.

*This topic was originally scheduled for November but due to speaker availability has been changed to October 13th.
Hiking and Birding in Northern Costa Rica will be presented on November 10th, Tuesday.

December’s program is Winter Skies and will be held at the Chamberlain Observatory.