News Release: New Backcountry Incident Review Conference Scheduled

Contacts:              Ryan Ross

303-832-6296

mtnry@aol.com

Rachel Scott

303-996-2746

rachelscott@cmc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- FEBRUARY 2, 2011

NEW CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON CASE STUDIES OF BACKCOUNTRY INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS

GOLDEN, Colo.— The first statewide Backcountry Incident Review Conference, focusing on the lessons learned from trips that posed difficult challenges, is set for Saturday, April 23 at the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden.

The day-long conference will feature the leaders of trips on which things did not go according to plan discussing what happened and how they responded, so that they can share the lessons learned with anyone who leads trips or spends time in the backcountry.

“This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from trip leaders who struggled with difficult decisions about how they responded when something went wrong,” says Katie Blackett, CEO of the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC), who is sponsoring the conference. “By sharing their experiences, we can promote backcountry safety for everyone who spends time in the backcountry.”

Trips to be discussed will include one of which several participants had to be evacuated by helicopter, another when a trip participant became separated from the group and was found several canyons away, and one when a climber died while on a difficult glacial traverse.

  Chris Barnes of the High Mountain Institute in Leadville will be the keynote speaker.  The Institute, founded by Barnes, leads teenagers on semester-long expeditions in the backcountry. He’ll discuss why risk-taking is important and how to manage it.

There will also be a first-aid refresher, and lunch will be served.

Seating is limited and early registration is encouraged. The fee of $10 covers CMC’s costs in staging the conference and the cost of lunch. For online registration, visit www.cmc.org/BIRC.

About the Colorado Mountain Club

The Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to adventure, education and preservation in Colorado. Established in 1912 by mountaineering enthusiasts, CMC now has more than 8,000 members statewide who explore and protect the wild areas of Colorado. CMC offers hundreds of events and classes for all ages and abilities. Throughout its history, the club has been instrumental in landmark achievements such as the designation of Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, and the passage of the Wilderness Act. To become a member, visit www.cmc.org.

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Rescue Report: Canyoneering in Zion National Park

Bob Lewis, who contributed this month’s story in the Boulder Group Newsletter-the Compass-about his rescue during a canyoneering adventure. His story is a good reminder that even the safest outdoor adventures can turn risky if the weather changes what was once familiar terrain. If you have a story about a near-epic you would like to share, please contact Compass Editor, Donna Marino at compass@cmcboulder.org.

Pine Creek Adventure
- contributed by Bob Lewis
Every year, several friends and I travel to different locations in and near Colorado to do some technical canyoneering. In September 2006, several of us headed to Zion National Park. One of the canyons we decided to do was Pine Creek. I had done this canyon twice before and it had been a lot of fun. So we decided to do it again. We started out at 9 a.m. on September 29. There were 4 of us -- Jerry Allen, Gary Schmidt, Alan LaGow, and I. In the interest of moving quickly, we split into two teams....Read the rest of the story here and see what else is going on in the Boulder Group in February's edition of the eCompass.

Mark your Calendars: BANFF, MF2011, and Golden Gate Dirty 30

Mark your calendars for several events coming up, from film festival world tours to a CMC open house complete with live music and free happy hour to epic trail running races!

 

 

Banff Mountain

Film Festival

Tickets are now on sale for the 2011 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour! Hosted by REI, the showings will be at the Paramount Theatre on March 3-4, 2011. Tickets are $15 and proceeds benefit the CMC. A unique selection of films will be shown each of the two evenings. Tickets are available at REI locations, at the CMC office, or online. If you’d like to volunteer one or both nights, please email juliebethpelletier@cmc.org.

 

 

 

Mountain Fest 2011

 

Get your adventure on at the 9th annual Mountain Fest. The Fest, billed as CMC’s annual “Open House,” begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 19, 2011 at the American Mountaineer Center in Golden. Whether you’re an experienced mountaineer, ready to climb your first 14er, or new to the Rockies, Mountain Fest will help prepare you to enjoy Colorado’s great outdoors.

Mountain Fest will feature a climbing competition, membership discounts, skills clinics from our popular outdoor schools, free happy hour from Upslope and live music from Racecar Spelled Backwards. Bring family, friends, or yourself to this fun and free event!

 

 

Golden Gate Dirty Thirty

Registration is Open!

Registration is now open for the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty! This year's 7-mile, 12-mile, and 50k trail races will be held on Saturday, June 4th, in Golden Gate State Park. Proceeds benefit the CMC's Youth Education Program. The event is expected to fill up very soon! Register at goldengatedirtythirty.org. We will need many volunteers for this event. Please email Brenda at brendaporter@cmc.org to volunteer.

 

 

How to Recycle Small Propane Canisters

Do you have propane canisters piled up in your garage or storage shed? Bet you’re wondering if or where you can refill or recycle them. Recycle, yes; refill, no.

• Here are a few places that recycle small propane canisters for scrap metal. 

• Metro Gas: 790 W. 64th Ave., Denver, CO (303) 428-3036

• Rooney Road Recycling Center: 151 S. Rooney Rd., Jefferson County, CO (303) 316-6262

• Weld County Household Hazardous Waste: 1311 N. 17th Ave., Greeley, CO (720) 652-4200 x2233

• Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste Facility: 5880 Butte Mill Rd., Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 441-4800

Be sure to call or check on line before taking propane canisters, or any recyclables, to one of these sites. Some are drop off sites, have limited hours, or have a minimal charge. All limit use to residents of the county or municipality they serve. For example, for Jefferson County residents the Rooney Rd. site will take canisters on Wednesday and Saturday between 8:00-2:00 by appointment only. There is a $5 charge.

Why aren’t these small canisters refillable? According to Collin at Metro Gas, the small canisters are too dangerous to refill because of the light weight of the metal from which they are made. They can however refill 5 pound and larger canisters. Staff at Metro Gas can build hoses to connect to camp stoves and grills to accommodate 5 pound canisters. This could be useful for car campers, but unhelpful to backpackers.

Nathan Hamm of Cascade Design explained that, “canisters cannot legally be refilled. It’s physically possible to refill canisters, but it’s not safe to do so. The canisters are not designed to be sturdy enough to handle repeated use. The canisters also lack an overflow prevention mechanism, which is required for refillable canisters.”

REI did a pilot program to see if they could offer a recycling service for canisters. Due to the complexity of recycling potentially dangerous canisters, they decided they couldn’t provide this service.

Here are two all around good web links for general recycling:
Colorado Recycles: http//www.colorado-recycles.org/main.html

Earth 911: http://www.earth911.org/master.asp

To search for a canister recycler in your area look under “Metal (scrap)” and select your appropriate county or municipality.

Bottom line, we each need to take responsibility for our own canister recycling using the limited resources out there.

Carol Ordemann
Denver CMC Conservation Committee Member
Pine Beetles Information: Mountain Pine Beetles

Pikes Peak, Boulder and Denver Winter Schools-OH MY!

It is time for our winter classes with the Denver, Boulder and Pikes Peak groups!  For more information or to sign up go to http://www.cmc.org/events/schools.aspx. 

Upcoming Boulder Classes:

01/06 Ice Climbing School

01/11 Advanced Mountaineering School

01/12 Winter Camping

01/19 Tele/AT Backcountry Ski School

Upcoming Denver Classes:

01/04 Telemark Ski School

01/11 Avalanche Awareness School

01/15 Navigation School

01/18 Trip Leader School

01/19 High Altitude Mountaineering School

01/25 Winter Camping School

02/22 Avalanche Awareness School

03/08 Ski Mountaineering School

03/08 Group Trip Leader School

03/14 Basic Mountaineering School

Upcoming Pikes Peak Classes:

01/11 Basic Mountaineering School - Colorado Ice Climbing

02/03 Telemark Ski Class

02/17 Introduction to Avalanche

03/10 Basic Mountaineering School