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In 1993 The American Alpine Club and the
Colorado Mountain Club jointly purchased the
historic Golden High School building in Golden,
Colorado. The clubs are in the process of
conducting a $4.2 million renovation of the
building that will transform it into the
American Mountaineering Center -- the nation's
premiere 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.
Nestled in the foothills of Colorado's Rocky
Mountains, the 37,000 square-foot American
Mountaineering Center houses the world-renowned
American
Alpine Club Library, the American
Mountaineering Museum, an interactive student
laboratory for educating students and other
visitors, meeting space for conferences and
symposia (including a 375-seat auditorium), and
an indoor climbing wall. The American
Mountaineering Center is home to the AAC, the
CMC,
Outward Bound West, the
American Mountain Guides Association, the
Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, and
Climbing For Life, a group that uses
climbing to teach at-risk youth about overcoming
obstacles.
The American Mountaineering Center will be a
focal point for mountaineering-related issues in
the United States. Already the Center has hosted
a meeting of the International Mountain
Protection Commission, 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
Mountainfilm in Telluride as well as
lectures and slide shows by many world-renowned
climbers.
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