Events
The Museum hosts a variety of events, lecture series, and changing exhibits. Traveling and changing exhibits are included in the price of admission to the Museum. Please check back often to find out what’s happening in upcoming weeks.
ONGOING EVENTS
sPEAKers Series
First Wednesday of every month (or so), 7:00 PM - 5:30: Museum reception prior to each scheduled program.
Please join us at the American Mountaineering Museum for our sPEAKers Series, held on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. All Speakers Series events are $3 for AAC/CMC Members & Students, $5 for non-members, free to Friends of The Museum and AAC Library and open to the public. Donations to the Museum are greatly appreciated.
The Museum will stay open until 6:30PM, and is included with your admission to the event.
We encourage you to arrive early, hang out in the museum, and mingle with fellow visitors prior to the event!
Please visit our Lectures section for information on upcoming Speakers Series events, or join the American Mountaineering Museum Facebook Group for immediate updates!
Thirsty 3RD Thursdays
3RD THURSDAY of every month @ 5:30PM The Mountaineering Museum will host a happy hour with music, prizes and local brew!
NEW EVENTS
Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Gala
April 10th, 2010
Save the date!
Tickets go on sale February 15th!
More details here.
Vital Outdoors Special Event
February 18th 2010
@ Vital Outdoors 1224 Washington St, Golden
Special Presentation by Jake Norton
From the summit of Everest to the jungles of Borneo, Jake Norton has guided and photographed expeditions around the world since 1993. In this presentation, Jake will share his three most memorable expeditions:
Everest 1999: As a part of the historic 1999 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition, Jake was a part of the discovery of George Mallory's remains high on Everest's North Face. In making the discovery, his team added more clues to one of the greatest mysteries of exploration.
South Georgia 2004: In 1914-1917, Ernest Shackleton led his teammates through one of the greatest survival feats in exploration, culminating in the crossing of South Georgia to the whaling village of Stromness. In 2004, Jake co-led a crossing of the island, following Shackleton's footsteps from 77 years before.
Gurla Mandhata 2006: Far off in remote western Tibet, Gurla Mandhata rises to 25,500 feet from the sacred lakes of Mansarovar and Raksas Tal. A stunning peak, it has been largely overlooked by the countless climbers who venture to the Himalaya each year. In 2006, Jake organized and led an expedition to the peak and made the 13th ascent on record.
Ticketrs are $3 and all proceeds benefit the museum!
Museum 2nd Anniversary!
February 19th 2010 @ 5:30PM
Thirsty 3RD Thursday on FRIDAY!
In celebration of the museum's 2nd anniversary, please join us for an exciting night when the museum comes alive and we recognize and thank our biggest supporters who made the museum possible.
Bring the kids to meet and hear stories from volunteers acting as some of the distinguished climbers highlighted in our museum exhibits!
$2 drinks, prizes and music as always!
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Rob Roach
a presentation on the Altitude Research Center
March 3rd 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Join Rob Roach as he presents on the research work performed at the Altitude Research Center.
A continuous supply of oxygen is essential for proper physical and mental functioning. If this supply is compromised for any reason, a condition called hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen, results. Everyone who travels to high altitude experiences some degree of hypoxia before their body adapts to the lower oxygen levels, and they know the feeling well. Simple physical tasks become much more difficult and mental deficits begin to appear. But altitude isn't the only factor causing hypoxia: millions of people experience chronic hypoxia and these same symptoms every day at sea level due to common cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Despite this significant impact on quality of life, large gaps still exist in our understanding of how the body is impacted by hypoxia. There is little to no research exploring how altitude affects vulnerable populations, such as aging populations with underlying cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic diseases. The pressing need to understand such basic problems becomes even clearer when the economic impact of hypoxia is considered. The Altitude Research Center exists to address these problems using the full array of modern medical research tools.
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Phil Powers
Life lessons from K2 and other big mountains
April 7th 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Powers is author of Wilderness Mountaineering and Climbing: Expedition Planning. His essay, "The Importance of Pace", was aired on NPR's "This I Believe" in 2006. Powers has led dozens of expeditions to South America, Alaska and Pakistan's Karakoram Range, including ascents of K2 and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen. He made the first ascent of the Washburn Face on Denali, naming it in recognition of the impact longtime AAC member Bradford Washburn's photos had in the planning and route research of many Alaska climbs. Powers also made the first ascent of Lukpilla Brakk's Western Edge in Pakistan, and the first winter traverse of the Tetons' Cathedral Peaks.
Phil Powers joined the American Alpine Club as executive director in May of 2005. His previous experience in the non-profit world includes service as vice president for institutional advancement at Naropa University and seventeen years with the National Outdoor Leadership School as chief mountaineering instructor and development/partnerships director. He remains an owner of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Mountain 2 Mountain
Breaking Barriers on Two Wheels in Afghanistan
May 5th 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Shannon Galpin has travelled to Afghanistan five times in the past two years on behalf of her fledging non profit, Mountain 2 Mountain. Established to strike at the heart of gender inequity and human rights, Mountain 2 Mountain looks at girls education as the entry point to the full cycle of support needed to create lasting change for Afghanistan.
Working within the women's prisons, building schools in rural mountain communities, and establishing computers labs in Kabul, are the first steps in their charge to create educational and trade opportunities and to provide the follow through to microfinance and small business start up.
Shannon became the first woman to mountain bike in the country, and has used that unique experience to bring her closer in communication with the men and women she encounters and to highlight the rugged beauty of this land often lost in the battle of war.
"Education for women and girls is the first step towards empowerment. When these girls are given the tools not just to read and write, but to critically think, to understand political and social issues that affect them, then have the ability to be heard, to be respected, and to become the catalysts for change within their own country. This will do more for women's rights, violence against women and children, and economic growth than anything else we can do." Shannon Galpin
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum and LOWA presents:
"You Want to Go Where?"
February 3rd 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Lowa Boots presents Jeff Blumenfeld’s talk, “You Want to Go Where?” based upon his new book from Skyhorse Publishing that covers some of the world’s most historic expeditions and adventures with an eye towards how people can gain funding for their own travels.
The talk includes illustrations of such noteworthy adventures as:
Norman Vaughan - climbed Antarctic mountain named after himself
Will Steger - first confirmed dog sled trek to the North Pole
Reid Stowe - currently engaged in his quest to be at sea for 1,000 days
Mike Haugen - climbed tallest U.S. peaks in record time
Paul Schurke – dogsled expedition across the Bering Strait
Barbara Hillary - went to the North Pole; now wants to go to the South at 77
Andre Tolme – adventure golf? Yes indeed. He hit a golf ball across Mongolia
Blumenfeld then explains that companies are not there to pay for your vacation. However, if you have a project that is bigger than yourself - a trip with a purpose - it is possible to generate cash or in-kind (gear) support. His talk is illustrated with over 40 photographs taken all over the world.
Jeff Blumenfeld is editor of Expedition News, a 16-year-old monthly newsletter that covers the adventure marketing world. A resident of New Canaan, Conn., he is a member of The Explorers Club, the American Alpine Club, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Sponsored by: LOWA Boots
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum and the Colorado Mountain Club presents:
Serac Adventure Film School
Feb 1st 2010 @ 7:00PM
Admission: Free!
Boulder-based Serac Adventure Film School (founded by Emmy-award winner, Michael Brown) will host a free screening of freshly-made films from their 2010 Colorado Backcountry Film School on Monday, February 1st at the American Mountaineering Center in Foss Auditorium. Recently featured in Skiing Magazine ("How To Make Your Own Adventure Ski Film" ), Serac teaches artistic aspects of outdoor filmmaking as well as avalanche safety, backcountry skills and how to keep the camera (and filmmaker fingers) from freezing. For the first time, Serac is opening up their student "graduation" film festivals to the public.
The Mountaineering Museum and the American Alpine Club presents:
North Face feature film premiere!
January 29th 2010 @ 6:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:00)
Admission: Free!
Based on a true story, NORTH FACE is a gripping adventure drama about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. In July of 1936 - less than a year after the most recent and fatal attempt, two top German mountaineers, Toni Kurz (BENNO FÜRMANN) and Andi Hinterstoisser (FLORIAN LUKAS), take up the challenge to become the first to scale the infamous rock face, the so-called Murder Wall.
View the trailer here!
Opens in area theaters:
Feb 5th Esquire Theater - Denver
Feb 12th Wheeler Opera House - Aspen
Feb 18th CU - Boulder
The Mountaineering Museum and Colorado Mountain School presents:
Avalanche Awareness Clinic (make-up)
January 27th 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Welcome back to the new year with an avalanche awareness clinic presented by the Colorado Mountain School!
Every year, avalanches are one of the leading causes of death among backcountry enthusiasts. Our home turf, Colorado, consistently leads the nation in avalanche fatalities.
If you plan on spending time in high, snowy country, be prepared.
In this one hour clinic our expert guides give an introduction to how avalanches happen, what they look like, and how to avoid them.
Our guides are American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) trained to teach avalanche courses, and they also spend some 300 days a year in the field-they know snow from an academic and practical perspective, and they share their knowledge with you.
Topics covered include:
Types of avalanches
Avalanche terrain
Snowpack analysis
Weather considerations
Avalanche decision-making
Trip planning and preparation
Travel techniques
Sponsored by: KEEN Footwear, and The Colorado Mountain School
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
Opening Reception for THIN AIR: An Exhibit on Altitude and Oxygen
December 3rd, 2009, 6:00PM
7:00PM George Mallory Expedition presentation by Jake Norton.
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 non-members, Free for Friends of the Museum and AAC Library
RSVP here!
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Secrets of Shangrila with Brot Coburn
November 11th, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
 |
|---|
Since the fifth century, when a Chinese poet wrote of a hidden utopia for faithful Buddhists, people have fantasized about those magical places where people live long lives in health and harmony—and adventurers have sought to find them.
In 2007 Brot Coburn, Harvard grad and author and editor of seven books (2 national best sellers), is the premiere authority on the culture and environment of the Himalaya. Two of his books became national best sellers and he has lived and worked in the Himalaya for two of the past 3 decades. Coburn joined forces with fellow climber Peter Athans to explore a series of caves in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Mustang, an area that had previously been off-limits to outsiders.
In a subterranean chamber, 14,000 feet up, they found a gigantic 55-panel mural from the 13th century depicting important Buddhist sages and 11th century Tibetan manuscripts, suggesting a gathering place for a large religious community—perhaps the sort of meditative, self-sufficient community that inspired the myth of Shangri-la.
Cobrun and Athans returned in 2008 with a multidisciplinary team to properly document, study, and begin to preserve the treasures. Join us as Coburn shares images, stories and video from this remarkable Tibetan site that is shedding light on the spread of Buddhism through the Himalaya.
Sponsored by: KEEN Footwear, and The Golden Hotel
Bradford Washburn Photographs : From the Favorites
June 8th – October 26th, 2009
Second round of prints scheduled to be open August 18th.
A selection of Bradford Washburn's photographic prints from his collection of personal favorites will open at the American Mountaineering Museum on June 8th. The show is scheduled to run through October 26th, 2009.
Denali North Face - (c) Bradford Washburn, courtesy Panopticon gallery, Boston, MA
There will be two rounds of 18-20 prints hung in the museum. The first round (June to mid-August) will be a selection of Denali and Alaska-focused prints selected by Gene, Ken and Laura Karstens, the family of Harry Karstens, the namesake of Karstens' Ridge from the first ascent of the South Summit of Denali in 1913.
The second round will run mid-August through October 26th and will include 18-20 additional selected prints from this incredible collection.
The collection is on permanent loan to the American Alpine Club from Cody Smith. Click here to learn more about the American Alpine Club Library.
Bradford Washburn was not only known for his alpine ascents, but for his incredible mountain photography and pioneering aerial photography. To read more about Bradford Washburn click here.
The Mountaineering Museum, American Alpine Club Library and Sherpa House present:
YETI NIGHT @ the Museum!
October 15th, 2009 5:30-9pm
 |
|---|
Join us for the first annual YETI night in the Museum! This is a fun event for YETIs of all ages and includes storytelling for the little YETIs and $1 drinks and live music for the over 21 YETIs!
Come get your YETI on, dress up for the costume contest, and win prizes!
Children and adult Yeti storytelling!
See a Yeti footprint!
Bring a children's book for the Magic Yeti children's Library in Nepal!
After you get your YETI on at the museum, join us at Sherpa's (15th and Washington) for buy one - get one drinks, discounted dinner and free chai!
This event is supported by: American Mountaineering Museum, Vibram, YETI Coolers, American Alpine Club Library, Sherpa House, Colorado Mountain Club Youth Education Program and the SCFD.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Best Snow Climbs and Scrambles with Dave Cooper
October 7th, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
 |
|---|
Join us for a night with Dave Cooper discussing his popular guidebooks to the best Snow Climbs and Scrambles in Colorado!
"Colorado Snow Climbs" is organized by season, and ranges from routes requiring little more than an ice ax and the requisite skills, to technical climbs involving sections of serious ice and mixed climbing.
By including "classics" as well as a sampling of lesser-known high quality routes, plus detailed maps and route descriptions, Dave continues the tradition started in his best-selling "Colorado Scrambles".
"Colorado Scrambles" includes more than 50 scrambling routes in the major mountain ranges of Colorado. Author Dave Cooper ("Colorado Snow Climbs") climbed each of these high-quality routes, selecting them based on challenge, rock quality, location and interesting route finding.
Born in Yorkshire, England, Dave Cooper has spent the last 25 years exploring the Colorado Mountains and has climbed extensively in many of the world's great ranges, including the Andes, Himalayas, Canadian Rockies and Alaska Range.
Join Dave Cooper for a presentation about the best Snow Climbs and Scrambles in Colorado!
Copies of Colroado Snow Climbs and Colorado Scrambles will be available for sale and Dave Cooper will be on hand to sign copies upon request.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Fun Climbs in Colorado: Best Family Climbs in Colorado
Author: Sibylle Hechtel presents
September 2nd, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
 |
|---|
Fun Climbs Colorado: Best Family Climbing Vacations is the first vacation travel guide written specifically for climbers. It is a comprehensive guide to climbing vacations for traveling climbers and their families.
It describes camping, other lodging, restaurants, rest day activities including horseback riding, white water rafting, mountain biking, nearby hikes, fishing, mini golf, and other activities. The 10 climbing areas have routes that are suitable for beginners, provide easy access for older climbers, a safe base area for kids, good quality rock, and an easy descent.
Sibylle Hechtel and Beverly Johnson did the first all-female ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. She wrote the iconic story “Walls Without Balls”, which has been reprinted in Steve Roper’s Ordeal by Piton and the controversy about its title was featured in the movie Vertical Frontier.
Join Sibylle Hechtel for a presentation about climbing in Colorado, plus City of Rocks, Tuolumne Meadows, and Squamish Chief.
Copies of Fun Climbs Colorado will be available for sale and Sibylle will be on hand to sign copies upon request.
On High: Cartography of Topography
January 23 – May 31, 2009
A remarkable exhibition of rare maps devoted to mountains and mountain regions of the world will open at the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum on January 23, 2009. The show is scheduled to run through May 31, 2009.
The exhibition will explore the ways in which topography has been viewed and mapped throughout history.
Though not a comprehensive history of mountain cartography, On High offers a fascinating glimpse at the ways in which cartographers from different periods and places have chosen to depict places of terrain.
This exhibition will include some of the more important maps in the history of world cartography, as well as
maps from the exploration of the western United States. Highlights of the exhibit include a map from the
Lewis and Clark Expedition, world maps from the 15th-18th centuries, Zebulon Pike’s map of the
exploration of the Southwest, and many more. The exhibition will draw from the collection of Wesley A.
Brown, a prominent map collector from Denver, and from the Henry S. Hall, Jr. American Alpine Club
Library and Colorado Mountain Club Collection.
The historic map is that unique artifact that combines art, culture, history, science, and style, and so attracts
people on a multitude of levels. Some will gaze at a map for the sake of possibility: how do I get from here to
there, and where will I pass through? Indeed, it is a passion for exploration—whether in the field or in the
mind—that attracts so many people to maps. This exhibit will both educate visitors to the complexities and
intricacies of cartography, and inspire us all to explore the mountains out our doors.
Opening Reception - On High: Cartography of Topography
Join us at the museum for a special opening event with prominent map collector Wes Brown, whose maps form the basis for this important and exclusive exhibit.
The historic map is that unique artifact that combines art, culture, history, science, and style, and so attracts people on a multitude of levels. Some will gaze at a map for the sake of possibility: how do I get from here to there, and where will I pass through?
Indeed, it is a passion for exploration—whether in the field or in the mind—that attracts so many people to maps.