Upcoming Backcountry Events in Colorado

Upcoming Events

The Wooden Ski Rendezvous is a great party, ski race and education weekend, all rolled into one! It’s coming up this year on February 26-28. Call Leslie at 970-879-8710 for more info. Watch a 12-minute video of a past Rendezvous on the CMC page or on Facebook.

FORB Group’s Weekend Visioning Retreat February 6 in Columbine at the Tanglewood cabin. The purpose, to create a new advisory board of directors, goals for the next year, 5 years and 10 years. Interested participants should be willing to commit for at least one year. There are beds for 3 couples, 4 singles and then another space for 1 couple and one single at our house next door. This would be similar to a hut trip, where we bring our sleeping bags, coop food and clean up before we leave. Please call Friends of the Routt Backcountry Group Chair Leslie Lovejoy at 970-879-8710 to talk about this.

Thursday, January 21 at 7 p.m.

Ski Touring in Norway presented by Gary Neptune
Gary Neptune will share slides and stories from years of ski touring in Norway including Jotunheimen Mountains, Trollheimen Mountains, Rondane National Park and Hardangervidda. Click here for more info.

Snowshoe Race Prep Clinic Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010 @ 7:15 pm

Fleet Feet Sports: Snowshoe Race Prep Clinic

Where: Boulder, Colo.

Details: To help you have a great snowshoe racing seaon, Fleet Feet sponsored athletes Laurie Mizener and Lisa Goldsmith will discuss: How to dress, what gear you will need, what to eat before, during and after; race strategy; cross-training benefits; helpful training tips. For more info, call 303-939-8000.

Upcoming CMC Snow Trips and Schools

Upcoming Trips

We have 31 snowshoe trips and 24 ski trips coming up in JANUARY ALONE. To sign up, go to www.cmc.org and click on Activity Schedule on the left side of the page.

Upcoming Schools

Take your skiing to the summit. The 2010 Ski Mountaineering School consists of three lectures and five field trips that cover the preparation and techniques of climbing peaks, followed by the thrills of skiing down. For more information visit http://sms.cmcschools.org/ or contact Chris at 303-883-7680.

Other January schools are still booking participants.

Sign up at www.cmc.org or by calling our office at 303-279-3080.

· Boulder Tele/AT Backcountry Ski Clinic ( Lecture #1 ) 1/27 first night

· Pikes Peak Group X-C Ski Clinic ( Field Session )

· Denver Telemark Ski School

· Technical Ice Climbing School

· Denver Ski Mountaineering School

· Winter Camping School

Volunteers Needed and Spotlighted

Volunteer Leaders Needed

Ft Collins Group is looking for more leaders for its schools and snow-based trips. Please contact John Raich at 970-491-1382 or jraich@lamar.colostate.edu to see what you can do.

White River National Forest is asking volunteers to carry GPS units to help track lynx. If you would like more info or would like to get involved, please call Jay at 303-996-2759 or emailbsi@cmc.org.

Volunteer Spotlight

Denver Group members Linda Lawson, Beth Dwyer (pictured) and Sarah Thompson and Shining Mountains Group members Marilyn Breithart and Jim Wilkerson helped table at two Winter Trails Day events, speaking with scores of potential CMC members. The new snowshoers attending the events expressed interest in the human-powered winter recreation advocacy advanced by CMC's new Backcountry Snowsports Initiative. Many also signed an open letter of support for CMC's Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign to protect lands in central Colorado. If you would like to volunteer with CMC's Conservation Department at similar events, emailbsi@cmc.org.

New BSI Blog Up

The merger between CMC and BSA continues to bear fruit. Members from both organizations across the state are beginning to compare notes and get to work on advocacy issues from Red Mountain to Rabbit Ears Pass. I have compiled some action alerts, volunteer requests and other info below. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions (303-996-2759) or to get involved. We can always use more help!

Wishing you soft snow, quiet landscapes and fresh tracks,

Jay Heeter
Backcountry Snowsports Initiative Coordinator

Great turnout Denver, Breckenridge, and Leadville!

So, we're through our run of Front Range shows with the folks from Sweetgrass Productions. Their new film, Hand Cut is amazing, with great cinematography, a groovy, original soundtrack, and some awe-inspiring lines!

Thanks to everyone that came out for the shows! We've had a great turnout so far, with big crowds in Denver, Breckenridge, and Leadville.

Thanks also to Nick Waggoner and the whole Sweetgrass crew for teaming up with BSA for this great fundraising opportunity!

Look for more from the Backcountry Film Series in southwest Colorado with Hand Cut and on the Front Range with Golden and Boulder screenings of The Pact from Powderwhore Productions.

Brian