Info On Colorado Mountain Club

[ChrisG]

Hello, everyone....

I'm interested in learning more about the Colorado Mountain Club (https://www.cmc.org/), & would appreciate hearing the opinions of as many people as I can as to whether or not I should join.

I went to their website, & noticed that the cost of joining the Club are between $75 - 110 / year, depending on which Club I want to join. I could probably afford that...but what other costs are involved? I noticed that the Appalachian Mountain Club charges $2,450 for a 10-day Teton hike !!!

I can't just pay the fee & become a member...I have to be allowed in, do I not?

Are any of my fellow 14er.com readers members of the CMC, & is it worth it for lowlanders & newbies like me (I noticed that they have an Over The Hill Gang, IIRC, for people who are over 50, & that includes me)?

Would my joining this Club be a good way to meet other hikers & climbers, or are there even better ways to enjoy the beauty of Colorado that you can think of?

Please give me your your opinions & whatever advice you may have before I go any further in the application process. THANK YOU very much!

Chris
Little Rock, AR

[Carl]

If you use the search function and type in the words "mountain" and "club" and search by thread title only you'll find dozens of responses to this question. A good place to start... http://14ers.com/forum/search.php

[BillMiddlebrook]

Been discussed quite a bit in the past...

http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31327
http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22780
http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12704
http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11693

[Urban Snowshoer]

Hello, everyone....

I'm interested in learning more about the Colorado Mountain Club (https://www.cmc.org/), & would appreciate hearing the opinions of as many people as I can as to whether or not I should join.

I went to their website, & noticed that the cost of joining the Club are between $75 - 110 / year, depending on which Club I want to join.

Please give me your your opinions & whatever advice you may have before I go any further in the application process. THANK YOU very much!

Chris
Little Rock, AR

I am currently a CMC member, and can tell you that have to pay the basic dues in order to become a member. However, joining section group (e.g. Over the Hill Gang) is completely optional. The demographics of the CMC skew somewhat on the older side: the majority of members are at over 40, with a fair number of members in their 50's and 60's.

The CMC rates their hikes A-D, with A being the easiest and D being the hardest. Fourteeners tend to fall in the C-D category. To go on C and D hikes and climbs you generally have to have a C or D rating. You can get a C rating by completing Wilderness Trekking School, a D by completing Basic Mountaineering School, and you can also opt to try to waive these requirements.

You register for most trips electronically, and if you don't have the requisite rating the system won't let you register. Trip leaders can override the system, so if you don't have the rating, you'll need to to talk to the trip leaders to get their approval to go on the trip.

In response to your question about costs, I'd say the costs are pretty reasonable. The CMC tries to carpool as much as possible on trips, and you're expected to chip in for gas (if you're not driving) but that's pretty much it. If you decide to enroll in one of the training courses (e.g. Wilderness Trekking School), you'll have to pay money, but I'd say the costs are far lower than most commercial climbing schools.

[d_baker]

If you live in Arkansas full time, I don't see the benefits of joining unless you get to CO a lot. I'm not sure what threads are linked above, but I also bet you'll get plenty of opinions throughout those as well.

I can't just pay the fee & become a member...I have to be allowed in, do I not?

They don't review an app or anything. You pay = you're a member.

[jsdratm]

I bought a life membership last year and so far I have been really enjoying it. Sure, you may find some egos, but I have seen a lot of giant egos on this website too, it is an inherent part of the climbing community.

The nice thing about the CMC is that when you sign up for a hike you can be reasonably sure that people will know what they are doing and be prepared for the hike. In 2012 I was leading some hikes outside of the CMC and had people showing up in jeans and tennis shoes for winter hikes in deep snow. I am working on becoming a trip leader and to do so I have to become certified in Wilderness First Aid and take several other classes like avalanche terrain avoidance. Trips are generally free, although if you are carpooling to the trailhead you will usually compensate the driver for gasoline. The club offers adventure travel trips as well and I am going on a Bolivia Trek next month that was organized through the club.

The CMC does not just organize hikes, it also works with government entities and private landowners to open up access to hiking areas and construct trails. I signed up for my first trail work project this year and am looking forward to it.

If you are interested in learning how to climb, backpack, fly fish, etc. they offer a huge variety of classes. I took Wilderness Trekking School this year and practiced things like self-arrest, constructing an emergency shelter, and navigating around with a map and compass. Since I don't know much about climbing I am planning to take basic mountaineering school as well.