Upcoming Events - June

The summer brings great things to the museum. But first, we have to get through a snowy spring season.

Next week we will host Coleman Outdoors as they promote the 50 States in 50 Days Adventure of their sponsored athlete, Mike Haugen.

50 States in 50 Days Adventure

What: Adventure Launch. Mike Haugen -- in an effort to bring awareness to the problems of childhood obesity, and to encourage kids to get outdoors -- will attempt to reach the highest point in every state, in 50 days. He'll begin with Alaska's Mount McKinley (Denali) in June.

When: Tuesday, May 20, 10 a.m.

Where: At the Museum


We have partnered with The Alpine Rescue Team to present a series on backcountry safety. The first in the series begins next week.

Keep Your Good Days From Going Bad

What: The basics of outdoor survival in the mountains of Colorado

When: May 22, 7 p.m.

Where: At the American Mountaineering Center


Which brings us to June, when two new exhibits will be featured at the museum.

June 2 - August 2
Views of the Himalaya - A photography exhibit brought to us by Mountain to Mountain, and benefiting the dZi Foundation to revitalize villages in Nepal.

June 11 - December 27
Mountain Gifts - On display will be items from the deep and diverse collections of the American Alpine Club and Colorado Mountain Club. They include climbing equipment from the early-1900s, Sherpa cultural garments, and a selection of lithographs, maps, engravings, and wood block prints from Europe and Asia.

As always, see our website for more information.

Touched by Angels

In conjunction with its annual meeting, volunteer conservators from The American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (known as Angels) spent the day working with the collections at the American Alpine Club Library and American Mountaineering Museum.

The purpose of the project is to preserve rare books and archival documents, such as the Colorado Peak Registers. These collections are used by scholars and enthusiasts to explore and protect mountain environments. The project was organized by Beth Heller, Preservation Librarian for the American Alpine Club.

Says Heller, “This project allows conservators to join conservationists in a mission to protect fragile resources – whether they are in the library or on a mountain top. Conservators from across the United States will be volunteering their highly specialized skills, and the host sites are grateful for this opportunity.”

Jonathan Waterman: Arctic Warming

April 24, 2008

7 p.m.

Imagine the awe-inspiring Arctic National Wildlife Refuge turning balmy, losing wildlife, and bristling with oil derricks. In 2006, the National Geographic sent Jon Waterman north to investigate, along with several college students and the legendary field biologist, George Schaller (his 1956 study created the original wildlife range). Last summer, while conferring with Alaskan scientists studying climate change and oil development, the expedition discovered melting permafrost, unnatural predation of nesting birds, brushed-over tundra, disappearing glaciers, and dying forests.

Jon is a renowned adventurer and author of nine books: his Where Mountains Are Nameless: Passion and Politics in the Arctic Refuge, won the 2006 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award.

The hour-long "Arctic Warming" story-presentation explains global warming with objectivity and scientific credibility, as well as sharing Jon's soul-stirring journey: trekking, rafting, and solo kayaking through the Arctic Refuge. He meets bears, Inupiat hunters, and caribou–shown with artful photography and a preview of his film that premiered on national TV in September 2007.

Finally, with great hope for the region's salvation, he illuminates the ongoing political controversy and how interested audience members can take action to neutralize global warming and Arctic oil drilling.

Virtual Tour

Thanks to our friend Shawn Steigner and his company Photo Surveyor, we are now able to offer a virtual tour of the museum.

See the virtual tour here.

Best of the Best

Best Mountaineering Without the Bottled Oxygen? That's us, at least according to the Westword's annual "Denver - Best of the Best" issue.

In their words:
It might have taken a while to get it, but the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, which opened in Golden in February, was worth the wait. This is no mere exhibition hall; the cutting-edge, 3,000-square-foot facility, a joint venture of the Colorado Mountain Club, the American Alpine Club and the National Geographic Society, is the Smithsonian of mountaineering and a Disneyland for adrenaline junkies all rolled into one. Massive scale model of Mount Everest? Check. Legendary artifacts like the Schoening ice ax, used on K2 in 1953 to save five climbers from tumbling to their deaths? Check. Uber-realistic prefabricated rock crevasse on which visitors can finesse their technique? Check. Everything's here but the vertigo.

See the other "Best of the Best" entries.

By the Numbers: Some statistics on your Museum

If you've received your copy of this season's Trail & Timberline, you've probably seen some of the statistics on the museum. And, you're probably waiting anxiously to hear just how many contour steps there are on the Mt. Everest model.

Well, there are so many, and it's making so many people cross-eyed trying to count them that the numbers aren't in yet. In the mean time, try to guess how many there are on our poll, found on the upper right hand side of the blog.


Are you as stumped as this guy? Try to guess the number of contour steps on Mt. Everest in our poll, on the upper right.

Here are some other interesting facts about the museum--by the numbers:

~7500
Number of tons of structures, interactives kiosks, and graphic panels in the museum (not including the rock formations)

~1700
Number of man-hours (over 5 weeks) to complete installation

246
Number of light bulbs, most of which are metal halide lamps, lowering electricity consumption by approximately 65%

2
Number of tractor trailer trucks it took to haul all of the materials and displays from Quatrefoil Associates headquarters in Laurel, Maryland

1.4
Number of dollars, in millions, budgeted for the design and build of the museum

Upcoming Events

Meet the Sherpas: The True Heroes of Everest:

A former trek leader to the Everest Base Camp and a founder of the first hut system in Nepal, Linda LeBlanc is the first to fictionalize the lives of the Sherpas. The story and characters are based on Sherpas she has known, actual events, and extensive research.

Linda will be presenting on her life’s passion, the Sherpa people and the Everest region. Artifacts from the culture will be on display. Linda will also be available after her presentation for a book signing.

Check out the museum website for more details and ticket information.




Keep Climbing - A fundraising event for the CancerClimber Association

Come to the new Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum to help support the CancerClimber Association. Hear speakers Sean Swarner, the first cancer survivor to summit Mt. Everest, an, member of the expedition that discovered the body of legendary Everest-pioneer George Mallory.

The CancerClimber Association is a not-for-profit dedicated to motivating those living with cancer. Funds from this event will be used to produce a “portable camp” that will make visits to children’s hospitals in twenty-four cities across the country. Each stop will offer a three-day camp for children impacted by cancer.

Hors d’oeuvres • Drinks • Silent Auction with some fantastic climbing and sports equipment!

Check out the museum website for more details and ticket information.