COVID-19 & Colorado Mountain Club Programming

The health and well-being of our Colorado Mountain Comunity is our highest priority. As the new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, we wanted to share some actions we are taking to protect our CMC community.

We are continually monitoring expert sources, such as the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which covers the situation in Colorado, specifically. Please refer to these sources to stay up to date. 

As many of our Club events and outings involve groups of people coming together, it is our top priority to help mitigate the risks we may face in those settings. Here are several basic actions that we can all do right now to help protect ourselves and others:

• Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds regularly, especially after using the bathroom. We understand that soap and water is not available on the trail, so at a minimum, please use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with tissues and throw them away (or put in a ziplock bag to dispose after you get off the trail). If no tissue is available, use your elbow/arm and wash your hands. 
• Avoid touching your face, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• With respect to our fellow Club members, if you are feeling sick, stay home – do not lead a trip, go on a trip, or attend any courses or events.
• Limit carpooling with people that you do not interact with regularly. While this goes against our conservation ethos, the immediate public health benefits are more important at this time.  
• While we are all into sharing the stoke, let’s limit the high-fives to air high-fives or fist bumps, and avoid shaking hands. Elbow bumps, hip bumps, or even foot-fives are all good to go!
• Wipe down commonly and frequently used items/areas with disinfecting spray or wipes (see below for safety protocols being implemented at the American Mountaineering Center).

All of us at the Colorado Mountain Club understand the concern and anxiety that this issue is causing, and our deepest sympathies go out to those that have been affected. If you are uncomfortable about attending an upcoming event or course with the Colorado Mountain Club, we will offer full refunds on those courses, events, and activities that we can. 

For Trip Leaders, School Directors, and School Instructors around the state, we suggest using this protocol to decide whether to run their courses or trips. Members, please contact your Trip Leader or School Director for more information. Webpage with all resources is here: https://www.cmc.org/COVID-19andCMCProgramming.aspx

Again, your safety is our priority. Know that we will continue to stay up-to-date with the situation from expert sources and share those with our membership. Our decisions moving forward will be with the health and well-being of our members and staff top of mind. 

If you have any questions, please do not hestitate to call our office at 303-279-3080, or email us at office@cmc.org. 

Guidance for Trip Leaders & School Directors

At this time, the Colorado Mountain Club State office defers to Trip Leaders and School Directors on whether they would like to proceed with their trip or course. We ask you to use this rubric to help guide that decision. This document also has other resources you may need for rescheduling your event. Please take a look and let us know how we can help. You can also view it as a webpage here: https://www.cmc.org/COVID-19andCMCProgramming.aspx

Updated Safety Protocols at American Mountaineering Center in Golden

As a public building, the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) is taking COVID-19 very seriously and the Facilities Team has taken the following preventative measures around the building in order to protect our tenants and guests:

• Common areas are being wiped down and disinfected multiple times a day (including handrails, door handles, armrests on chairs, etc.)
• Hands-free, stand alone hand sanitizer stations have been ordered and will be installed at every building entrance early this week
• Wellness reminders will be posted throughout the building
• Prevention Guide Packets have been given to every office
• Outside events are being made aware and to be mindful
• The AMC office has the following supplies available to the building for use: anti-bacterial wipes, Simple Green spray bottles, other disinfectant spray bottles, and rubber gloves

As the situation develops, we will continue to update this page on our website: https://www.cmc.org/COVID-19andCMCProgramming.aspx. Please check it regularly for any news impacting our programming.