Schools & Classes

Whether you want to learn alongside others on your first day snowshoeing or get trained to instruct a rock climbing class, the Colorado Mountain Club is an unparalleled platform for building confidence—and community—in the mountains. 

Inspired by recreating responsibly and progressing in the outdoors, the CMC schools and classes are driven by passionate trained volunteers who are united in a culture of learning through leading.

Join the CMC community and classmates on your first backcountry experience or find an activity-based school for following a passion. From beginner to advanced, our programming will meet you where you’re at.

The Colorado Mountain Club offers courses, schools, and trainings year-round to teach you skills and get you further. Whether you’re looking for an introductory course or an intensive course, our instructional programs can help you get outside. With eleven Groups across Colorado, we’ll teach you outdoor skills close to enjoy Colorado and beyond.

Plan ahead using our course calendar. It may take a few months for planning, scheduling, conditioning, and registration. Enrollment usually opens two or three months before your first session.

Already have the skills? Many of our courses offer a waiver or equivalency process for demonstrating that you have the requisite skills required. To find out where you might already qualify, click on the outdoor skill above to find brief overviews of our primary offerings and the badges you earn by participating. We are working on growing and defining our process to gain badge equivalency that will allow you to test out of courses. If you have reviewed the skills outlined in a badge/course, and feel like you have the prerequisite set of skills, please email office@cmc.org with an overview of your experience and we will help you navigate the process for obtaining equivalency.