American Mountaineering Center

The AMC is my favorite discovery of the year thus far! It is located in beautiful Golden, Colorado and is home to three owning organizations (the American Alpine Club, Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) and Outward Bound School), as well as the Colorado Trail Foundation. As stated on the AMC’s website, the AMC came to life after a $ 4.3 million dollar renovation to what used to be the Golden High School. The AMC is the nation’s première facility for research, education, and information about the mountain environment. Support for the project has come from club members, the outdoor industry, and local foundations, including the Golden Civic Foundation, and the Golden Urban Renewal Authority. The 47,000 square-​foot Center houses the world-​renowned American Alpine Club Library, the state of the art American Mountaineering Museum, an interactive student laboratory for educating students and other visitors, meeting space for conferences and symposia and an indoor climbing wall. The AMC is a focal point for mountaineering-​related issues in the United States. Already the Center has hosted a meeting of the International Mountain Protection Commission, an international conference on managing human waste in the wild, a ground-​breaking panel discussion on high altitude guiding, a symposium on adventure photography by Bill Hatcher, Ace Kvale, and Kevin Powell, the best of the Mountain film in Telluride as well as lectures and slide shows by many world-​renowned climbers.
As a member of the Colorado Mountain Club, I have commuted to the AMC for Wilderness Trekking courses led by CMC volunteers experienced in mountain safety. The auditorium has been a perfect location for our lectures — the sound is great and the presentations are visible and intimate (although the auditorium sits 350). There is a ton of information available at the AMC for those looking for mountaineering outings and educational opportunities. You’ll find it as soon as you walk in the door — on the tables, on the walls, in the meeting spaces. It’s great! The AMC is located within walking distance to downtown Golden which makes it very easy to grab dinner or a cup of coffee before visiting, for example, the AMC’s American Alpine Library and/​or Museum. The commute from Colorado Springs takes less than 90 minutes. Oh hai … the Coors Brewery is nearby too. What’s not to love? Check out their informative website for more information.