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Get ready! Freehub PRESENTS mountain biking film festival comes to Colorado Mountain Club’s Basecamp on Thursday, September 4th! We've got all the details to make sure you're geared up for an epic night. 

What is Freehub PRESENTS? 

Freehub Magazine, a leading voice in the mountain biking world, curates this annual film festival to showcase the best of the best in mountain biking films. Expect a diverse collection of short films that capture the essence of the sport: breathtaking landscapes, incredible feats of athleticism, heartwarming stories, and the pure joy of two wheels on dirt. 

When and Where? 

We'll be gathering at Colorado Mountain Basecamp (15605 W 32nd Ave, Golden, CO 80401) on Thursday, September 4th. This is an outdoor event, so bring a blanket and chairs to sit on during the screening of the films.  

Doors open at 4PM with the screening beginning after sunset at 7PM. The event will be finished by 9PM. Arrive early to grab your spot, check out the vendor village, enter giveaways, and mingle with fellow biking enthusiasts! 

How Should I Get There? 

Given the popularity of this event, we anticipate that parking will be limited. However, we've got you covered. Parking attendants will help direct you to park in the field just West of our lot. 

For those planning to ride their bikes to the festival (and we encourage you to!), we'll have a secure bike storage area on-site, so you can enjoy the films without worrying about your ride. Here is a suggested route from the City of Golden: 

What should I bring? 

Bring your tickets (you should have received them via email), seating and layers (we’ll be outside for the event), and a good attitude! This is an outdoor event in the field next to CMC's Basecamp. It's more of a natural landscape (not soft green grass you can find at city parks), so we HIGHLY RECOMMEND bringing a camp chair, Crazy Creeks, or a heavy blanket to sit on. 

Can I sign up for the clinics? 

Both the Golden Bike Shop and Commencal Clinics are full, but you can sign up for the waitlist! If someone cancels, you might be able to participate.  

What Kind of Films Can I Expect? 

Each year's lineup is a carefully selected mix, but you can generally anticipate: 

• Adrenaline-Pumping Action: Watch riders push the limits on gnarly descents, send massive jumps, and navigate technical terrain. 

• Epic Expeditions: Be transported to remote corners of the globe as riders embark on awe-inspiring journeys. 

• Deep Dives into Culture: Explore the communities, passions, and unique stories that make mountain biking so special. 

• Stunning Cinematography: These aren't just home videos! Professional filmmakers bring their A-game to capture every moment in stunning detail. 

Can I bring my own food and drink? 

Water bottles are allowed, but please support our food trucks by purchasing any other beverages and food from them directly. No outside food is allowed. 

What if I need accessible accommodations? 

Email office@cmc.org as soon as possible so that we can make sure that you’re able to enjoy the festival.  

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Whether you're a seasoned rider or new to the sport, these films will ignite your passion and make you want to hit the trails immediately. Meet other CMC members and local mountain biking enthusiasts, share stories, make new friends, and celebrate our shared love for the outdoors. 

It’s an evening you won’t want to miss! Still need tickets? Get yours here! 

Director of Conservation Brian Bergeler recently went to the Winter Wildlands Alliance Grassroots Advocacy Conference in Eatonville, Washington as a representative of Colorado Mountain Club. Set against the backdrop of Mount Rainier at the University of Washington Pack Forest, the conference drew a diverse mix of voices from conservation advocates based all around the country.

The theme was "From the Ground Up: Rebuilding the Future of America's Public Lands,” and the conference featured an impressive roster of speakers, including conservation directors, local tribal representatives, professional ski guides, and even Colorado's own Director of Natural Resources Dan Gibbs.

“We had panel discussions and breakout sessions every day about topics that affected public lands,” says Brian. “There was a heavy focus on winter, but it extended into all seasons.” One session that stood out for Brian was on avalanche forecasting. It illustrated the critical, often under-resourced work behind winter safety. “They emphasized the impacts of federal cuts on these essential services, noting how critical these roles are to public safety in areas where avalanches are a risk," says Brian. “We’re fortunate because the Colorado Avalanche Information Center is state-run. Other regions rely on nonprofit partnerships with the Forest Service, and they’ve had limitations caused by layoffs and short staffing. That can lead to dicey situations.”

One of the most impactful sessions for Brian was the final panel: Advocacy Outside Our Comfort Zones – New Strategies for Success. “It was a personal one,” he says. “You could tell how important this work is to everyone there. It’s in their DNA, and everything going on politically has resulted in feelings of grief and loss that can be challenging to process. A lot of conservation work lately has felt like a never-ending battle, and people are feeling the fatigue of always having to fight for things instead of being able to just do the work. I’ve felt that way, too. It’s taking a toll on everyone.”

Despite the weighty topics, the overall atmosphere of the conference was one of camaraderie and connection. Breaks in the days were filled with short hikes, trail runs, and bike rides in the nearby forest. Attendees stayed on-site in cabins, with evenings that included spontaneous jam sessions from some of the talented fiddle and guitar players from Winter Wildlands, which helped everyone decompress from the day's serious discussions.

The conference ultimately served as a vital recharge and an invaluable networking opportunity for people who really care about protecting our wild spaces. “It was really good to see Colorado represented there,” says Brian. “And there were a lot of everyday people who weren’t affiliated with organizations. The conference is open to public, and it was encouraging to see so many passionate people coming together for the future of public lands.”

To hear conversations from this year and previous year’s conferences, visit https://winterwildlands.org/trail-break-radio. 

At Colorado Mountain Club, fostering community is just as important as hitting the trails. Membership Services Manager Kelsie Turner is one of the people who makes sure that CMC continues to be an organization that supports its members every step of their journey, whether they’re trying to learn new things, improve their skills, or simply have an appreciation for the outdoors in Colorado.

Before moving to the state, Kelsie was focused on community building as the director of membership and engagement at her local chamber of commerce in southeast Missouri. "I fell in love with the community where I went to college," shares Kelsie. “Working for the chamber was a great opportunity to make an impact in the place I lived and cared for. My role allowed me to get hands-on with the community and help build and offer opportunities like the Young Professionals Group that helped retain local young talent and supported our next generation of leaders."

While she loved her job, a different type of scenery caught her attention. "The Colorado mountains were calling my name,” says Kelsie. “I had traveled to Colorado many times and loved the amazing views and endless hiking trails. My partner and I decided to make the move, and Colorado has been our home for two years."

With her passion for the outdoors and a strong background in engagement, joining CMC was a natural fit. "I took the membership services manager role because I wanted to help build a stronger community around the outdoors," says Kelsie. "It felt like a perfect fit to use my background and skills to connect people and support a group that’s all about getting people outside and protecting Colorado’s mountains."

As the membership services manager, Kelsie oversees all aspects of member operations, which includes developing and implementing strategies for attracting, retaining, and engaging members; managing the member database and handling day-to-day inquiries; and collaborating with staff and volunteers on events and programming.

But her favorite part of the job is working with people. "I’m lucky to be surrounded by incredibly talented and dedicated members," says Kelsie. "They volunteer to lead trips, teach courses, and promote our organization, sharing their passion for the outdoors and the CMC community. Their energy is contagious! They are the true heart of the club, inspiring me and teaching me something new every day!"

Kelsie has already been part of a significant milestone for the club. "I joined the team just as we were preparing to open our doors to members at our new location," says Kelsie. "Our members have been reserving rooms for classes, and we've started our monthly CMC Info Nights back up. Our community is doing great things and getting folks connected, and I cannot wait to see what else is in store."

Looking forward, Kelsie is focused on listening to the membership to determine next steps. "We are launching a membership survey to better understand member needs, what members value most about being part of CMC, and how we can better support our member’s outdoor goals and sense of connection within the club,” explains Kelsie. “Over the next year, we’ll turn your feedback into action—working to enhance your experience, strengthen engagement, and prioritize the areas that are most important to you."

If you have questions about your membership, want to get more involved, or just want to share a cool story from your latest adventure, Kelsie is eager to connect. "Feel free to send me an email or schedule a time to chat!"

Hi there! My name is Joey Lancia, and I’m the Conservation Coordinator at Colorado Mountain Club. I’ve been in this role since this past April but originally came to CMC as a member of the Stewardship Trail Crew in 2024. I am now tasked with operating that crew and our winter Snow Rangers, working with volunteers, and managing the CMC RIMS app.  

Over in the Conservation Department, we are looking back on our Stewardship Trail Crew’s summer season. We worked on some amazing projects earlier this year and accomplished a lot of great things that I am very proud of. 

Our first project of the year was a complete overhaul of the Lamborn Trail, a 2.5-mile section of scrub-oak covered trail outside of Paonia leading to Mount Lamborn, the highest point in Delta County. Working closely with our partners at the US Forest Service Paonia Ranger District, the crew spent eight weeks in the Western Slope heat clearing brush, digging trails, and building a rock retaining wall. Lamborn, a sparsely used trail, had fallen into disrepair after years without significant maintenance. The two months of work made a drastic difference on the trail, with one user saying to a crew member that it looked “the best it had in over 40 years.” Our crew members expressed how much they enjoyed working on a project on one trail over a long period of time where they could truly see the change from start to finish.  

In the second half of the season, our crew pivoted to another set of projects that were started in 2024. The Curecanti Trail sits in the heart of the West Elks north of Curecanti National Recreation Area. Like the Lamborn Trail, it does not see significant use or regular maintenance. Our crew spent four weeks on Curecanti working on specific areas to address erosion mitigation, tread maintenance, and establishing a re-route for a section of trail. Additionally, the first week of September sent our crew, as well as CMC Conservation Director Brian Bergeler and myself, to the La Garita Mountains outside of Creede on the Continental Divide Trail/Colorado Trail. Staying at and above 12,000 feet for the entire week, we completed essential erosion mitigation and trail improvements with the goal of keeping through-hikers on the trail and off the delicate alpine tundra. 

Overall, our season went extremely well at a time where optimism in the realm of conservation and stewardship has not seemed high. Since the start of the summer, we’ve seen countless attacks on public lands, including the attempted selloffs of lands and the intent to rescind the decades-old Roadless Rule. In February, over 6,000 federal public lands management employees across the country were fired, including 10% of the Forest Service whose workforce was already 30% smaller than it was 30 years ago. And currently, the government is shut down, leaving tens of thousands of federal employees across all government agencies in Colorado furloughed and without pay.

Despite all of this, the people have given us a reason to be optimistic about the future of conservation and stewardship. We successfully protected our public lands from being sold, and we will continue to stand up to further protect them. Organizations, including CMC, have stepped in to help where federal agencies could not this year and have done great work to assist in managing lands. Our crew’s work this summer was an essential help to the Forest Service, who had no capacity to do the work we did. As long as we all continue to enthusiastically stand up for public lands, there is optimism to be had. And here at CMC, we are taking that optimism directly into the winter. 

We are extremely excited to begin our Snow Rangers season, which is an essential program that keeps winter recreation users safe in backcountry environments. With the rise in backcountry winter recreation, Snow Rangers become more important each year. Unfortunately, federal funds were exhausted last season despite an ongoing ten year partnership agreement with the US Forest Service in western Colorado. To help support continuing operations this season, we are hosting five screenings of the Backcountry Film Festival in the coming months as direct fundraisers for the program. We hope to see you there! 

Looking further into the future, CMC Conservation is planning an increased number of volunteer opportunities for the next summer season. If you are looking to get your hands dirty while contributing to our state’s incredible trails, be on the lookout for events next year! 

We are very excited for what is coming next for CMC Conservation and proud of what we accomplished this summer. Be on the lookout for updates throughout the winter! 

Colorado is known for incredible mountains and the backcountry adventures they provide, but what happens when crowds flock to quiet snow-covered trails, sometimes unprepared? The answer lies with the Colorado Mountain Club’s Snow Ranger Program, a non-profit and government collaboration that serves as a backcountry snow ambassador program for our state's vast winter wilderness.  

"The program was created in 2019 to help steward our backcountry snowscapes and augment the limited resources of the U.S. Forest Service," says Brian Bergeler, CMC Conservation Director. “2019 was right on the cusp of COVID, and during 2020 we saw backcountry use explode. As the ski resorts shut down in the middle of March that year, recreationists really flocked to the backcountry.”   

Unfortunately, many areas weren’t prepared for the massive usage increase, and many visitors weren’t prepared for the reality of backcountry travel. “It was a bit like the Wild West, so to speak," says Brian. This surge forced CMC to accelerate its mission: creating a visible, educated presence at the trailheads and in the backcountry to manage the influx and support overworked federal partners.  

While the title "Snow Ranger" sounds straightforward, the on-the-ground duties vary, depending on the need and availability of personnel. One day they might be restocking toilet paper and shoveling out vault toilets and sidewalks after a snowstorm, but another day they might be helping unprepared visitors realize that they should come back another time with the right equipment, preventing the need for a search and rescue operation from another strained system. “They’re a big help with the mitigation of user conflicts and educating people at the trailhead,” explains Brian. “Sometimes people aren’t aware that there are limitations on how and where they can recreate, and the Snow Rangers can prevent them from making that mistake and impacting delicate ecosystems.”  

A major focus of the Snow Rangers is collecting visitor use data using the CMC's RIMS app. The app tracks areas where people are recreating and can highlight issues and areas that need immediate attention. Another big focus is ensuring that snowplows can safely navigate on the roads, which is sometimes impacted by people parking where they aren’t supposed to. “If the snowplows reach an area where they need to turn around and there’s a vehicle there, the plow can get stuck. They might not even attempt to plow that section to avoid the possibility, which can be very dangerous for drivers who expect the road to be safe to travel,” says Brian.   

Like many other outdoor nonprofits, CMC saw a big loss in federal funding and a tightening of funding from grants and other sources this year, which has put the program at risk. And that loss of a safety net puts public safety at risk, too.   

“The Snow Rangers have helped avert several near-accidents,” Brian explains. “Thanks to them, people have been deterred from making poor backcountry decisions, and there have even been instances where vehicles illegally drove onto groomed Nordic ski tracks, getting stuck and blocking access for everyone else. The Snow Rangers helped them get out safely.”  

Backcountry use in the summer is straightforward for a lot of Coloradans and people visiting from out-of-state. “In the winter, it's a different ball game,” says Brian. “There are more dangers and negative impacts that recreationists can have on these areas, so as people try to get away from crowded ski resorts and seek solace in the backcountry, there is a steeper learning curve that many aren’t prepared for. The backcountry is much less forgiving than resort terrain. The Snow Ranger program is vital to ensuring safety for recreationists, for protecting the natural environment, and for respecting the wintering wildlife patterns.”  

CMC Snow Rangers are some of the stewards who keep our snowscapes wild, safe, and respected, and we need your help to bring them back to the backcountry. Please donate today to keep this program running.  

DONATE TO CMC SNOW RANGERS