CMC_ImpactReport2025 (US Letter) by Colorado Mountain Club

2025 Impact Report

From the Trailhead

DearColoradoMountainClubcommunity,

2025marked(another)bigyearofchangeforCMC.Theconclusionof Fiscal Year 2024 marked the beginning of a bold new chapter for the club as we sold our old building in downtown Golden and purchased our new CMC Basecamp three miles away, setting the stage for a dynamic periodofgrowth

The momentum has been incredible While a move of this scale always brings unique challenges, our team met every moment with grit and grace. Between the holidays last year and the end of Q1, we successfully settled into our new home By January 2025, we were welcoming members through our doors, and by May, the building was once again buzzing with the energy of courses and events. We utilized this transition as a catalyst to modernize long- standing systems From HRandaccountingtoactivitystandardsandStateCounciloperations,we are moving forward the best way we can by building the sustainable, streamlinedroutinesthatwillsupportCMCfordecadestocome

Our membership numbers and class offerings continued to grow We were also able to raise more than $35,000 by the end of December throughColoradoGivesDayandotherendofyeargivingcampaigns.We are truly thankful for the unwavering support of members, supporters, andmembersofthecommunity.

Chief Executive Officer

Through it all, one thing is incredibly clear: the new CMC Basecamp is exactly where we are meant to be. This progress is a testament to our incredible staff and volunteers The synergy has been inspiring One achievement we’re especially proud of this year is the stability of our team. For the first time in over six years, we have seen zero unplanned turnover among our full-time staff This level of retention is an indicator thatweareonapathoftruesustainability

I am so proud of the work we have accomplished in this last year and so excited to see what we can keep doing toward our 3-year strategic alignment highlighting financial streamlining; volunteer and staff support; andriskmanagementcoordinationacrosstheorganization

Thank you all for your part in building and rebuilding CMC and supporting the ongoing efforts to make the Colorado Mountain Club the bestitcanbe.

Happyexploring!

Bella Biondini

Year in Review

Nonprofits across Colorado are navigating one of the most challenging periods in recent memory. Shifts in federal funding, rising operational costs, and increased demand for services have placed extraordinary pressure on organizations of every size and mission.

At the same time, competition for philanthropic dollars and qualified staff has intensified, forcing leaders to make difficult choices about how to sustain impact while supporting their teams.

Colorado Mountain Club is no exception, but we've been able to keep moving forward thanks to our dedicated volunteers, staff, board members, and anyone who has ever attended a class, come out to an event, or made a donation Thank you

2026 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Held the first ever outdoor film festival screening at CMC Basecamp

Launched new Outdoor Unidos with Vive Wellness to make the outdoor more accessible

Successfully funded the CMC Snow Rangers program thanks to community partnerships

Increased the number of Backcountry Film Festival screenings

Alpine Climbing School Jeni Zernick

Bella Biondini

Riley Hanlon

Assets start of FY2025: $5,443,971

Assets end of FY2025: $5,250,281

Communications & Marketing

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS AT-A-GLANCE

25K Followers

16.7K Followers

1.9K Followers

The Explorer (members only) 5.5K

56K 1,715

The Communications and Marketing team played a key role in helping Colorado Mountain Club navigate a period of major organizational change.

Our team worked behind the scenes to keep members and volunteers as informed as possible about the sale of the American Mountaineering Center and the move into our new building. Our work aimed to maintain trust throughout the transition, reinforcing CMC’s commitment to transparency and community during a year of important shifts

We released another Course Catalog and Annual Impact Report, continuing to build consistency and routine around these key publications.

The Rucksack (general public)

The Lead (volunteers)

CMC Out and About

Colorado Mountain Club maintained and expanded partnerships with local media outlets such as 5280, 303 Magazine, Colorado Public Radio’s The Lookout and Denverite, Colorado Parent, and Foothills Living.

We also worked closely with The Colorado Sun during major events, including Reel Rock and Banff Mountain Film Festival, as our nonprofit media partner.

CMC also focused on expanding our efforts to table and spread awareness of the organization at community events. We had spots at Outside Festival, Golden Summer Jam, and the Golden Farmers Market.

RIMS Article on Colorado Tourism Office’s Website

Tabling at ISCC

Outside Festival at Denver's Civic Center Park

Membership Services

With the move to our new facility, much of our focus at the start of the year was centered on reestablishing the lobby as the primary space to welcome and serve members. During this time, the Membership team demonstrated incredible dedication and adaptability, ensuring that member support and services continued seamlessly despite the challenges of relocation and change. Establishing a functional and inviting space for our team and our members was a critical step forward, and the steadiness and commitment of the Membership Team.

New Members

In October 2025 we asked for feedback from all members in a Membership Survey. We plan to use these results to improve the membership experience for existing members and recruit new members Check out the results here!

Bella Biondin

Overall Membership

The membership team saw the retirement of a long-time staff member and welcomed a new Membership Services Manager mid-year; our first team member in several years dedicated solely to membership.

Learn more about Kelsie here.

Programs

2025 Snapshot

Adult Programs

Our Adult Education Program continued to offer a wide variety of class offerings ranging from free Basic Snowshoeing to the small technical courses for advanced climbers. More of an effort was made to make outdoor spaces more inclusive through the introduction

Despite the challenges that a new building brought, Adult Education successfully adapted to remote operations mid-year, maintained program quality despite facility challenges, and secured new corporate funding.

176 Courses 977 Course Participants &

1,683 Trips 9,453 Trip Participants & 21,396 Volunteer Hours

2,339 Events & Activites from $35,000 WFA Scholarships Awarded 125 Leaders & Instructors to

CMC introduced a new program called Outdoor Unidos, in partnership with ViVe Wellness. Outdoor Unidos is an initiative created through a partnership between ViVe Wellness and the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC), supported by The Denver Foundation's Belonging Colorado grant.

Wilderness First Responder Recertification Sheryl Lampert

Outdoor Unidos Hiking Trip

Youth Programs

CMC's Youth Education Program continued to grow in 2025withnew camp offerings, continued scholarships and financial support, birthday party offerings, and new school programming.

Conservation

It was a challenging year for our Conservation team, but despite staffing challenges, the loss of federal funding, and the increasing number of threats to Colorado conservation, our team was able to persevere and continue to do good work around the state.

Trail Stewardship

2025 Season Snapshot

1,840+ hours on 3 USFS system trails - Stewardship Trail Crew

400+ hours on 2 USFS system trails - Volunteer Stewardship Crews

6+ miles of encroaching brush cleared

28 drainage structures constructed

3 retaining walls constructed

31 drainage structures improved

9+ miles of trail maintained

Snow Rangers

The Snow Rangers program completed its sixth season despite funding shortfalls and expiring federal funds from an existing 10-year agreement with the USFS. One Snow Ranger operated a successful season in support of the USFS - Grand Mesa Uncompahgre Gunnison (GMUG) collecting visitor use data with RIMS, providing Wilderness Patrols, supporting events, monitoring trailheads, educating backcountry recreationists and more

360 total field hours by 1 CMC Snow Ranger

155 RIMS assessments

3 field days on Red Mountain Pass (Ouray Ranger District)

Red Mountain Pass/ Uncompahgre Plateau

3 backcountry ski tour patrols with USFS Rangers / San Juan Mountain Association

2 Uncompahgre Nordic Association full moon ski events supported

2 UNA events/meetings attended

Grand Mesa

1 “Friends of Youth & Nature” youth & family education event

3 snowmobile patrol days with USFS

4 nordic ski races supported

7 trailheads (approximately 12 days) Shoveled snow from facilities & restrooms

7 trailheads (approximately 15 days) Restocked toilet paper in restroom facilities

3 instances of vehicles stuck after illegal driving

CMC Snow Ranger Education

Red Mountain Pass)

CMC Press

CMC Press partnered with The Mountaineers Books in 2025 to help reprint and manage our top selling titles.

We spent part of the year cleaning our list of titles, focusing on top sellers while maintaining our mark and the history and value of CMC Press. We want to figure out which books to reprint in the coming years. The reprint process gives us a chance to update and correct the guides with new information, more robust disclaimers and safety info, and sometimes even bonus material like new photos and charts, author forewords, and historical or geological context.

As a nonprofit, it's important that our guidebooks are as financially self-sustaining as possible. They are core to the CMC's mission yet also shouldn't detract from the funding of that mission. With economies of scale, the more books we sell, the less expensive they are for CMC to produce.