Students enrolling in this course with The Den will need to watch their step on the stairs at the American Mountaineering Museum, but otherwise it is a safe place to learn about mountains and the history of mountaineering. (Photo by Dan Ham, courtesy American Mountaineering Museum)
The Den U.: In which we fashion teach-yourself-a-thing “classes” from local resources.
Course title: Mountaineering 101 for Non-Climbing-Majors: Experience the mountains without facing your own mortality!
Course description: Learn about mountaineering and mountains without the danger, cold or exertion. Designed for non-climbing majors, this course provides an introduction to mountains of Colorado and the world, mountaineers and expeditions (both failed and successful), plus a history of ascents and the evolution of climbing techniques.
A field trip to the in Golden is required for a passing grade in this course. Field work at the museum includes the study of massive prints of Bradford Washburn’s famed mountain photos and examination of a model of Mount Everest and its surrounding environs — which allows students to observe the 29,029-foot peak from the comfort of an indoor facility at approximately 5,675 feet.
(Climbing majors: This course cannot be used toward credit for your degree. Please enroll in with your local chapter of the for an introduction to mountain travel.)
Prerequisites: Standard-issue Colorado puffy jacket for the drive to Golden for those enrolling in this course during the winter semester; interest in mountain landscapes.
Supplementary course materials: for a history of mountaineering in Colorado; for an unbelievable nonfiction climbing tale that strikes at the heart of the mountaineer’s mindset and moral questions humans face in dangerous situations on high peaks.
Optional extra credit: Attendance at the museum’s , featuring beverages from , which simulates the end-point of a mountaineer’s journey back down the hill to the beer (when applicable).
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