A Brief History

The University of Denver Alpine Club has been “DUin’ it in the mountains since 1928.”  Originally formed as the Ski Club in 1928, the Alpine Club came into its present day form in 1965 when it merged with the Hiking Club to bring the outdoors in any shape to students at DU. 

While today the campus hosts competitive club skiing and mountain biking teams, the Alpine Club remains the backbone for recreational outdoors activities at DU, providing accessibility to the Rocky Mountains and surrounding are as for all skill levels of hikers, rock climbers, skiers, and countless other outdoor enthusiasts. The club is currently the largest club on campus and is highly dedicated to being considered among the best.

Since the founding of the club in 1928, the Alpine Club has experienced great variability in its role on campus. Recently, the club reached its peak in the late seventies and early eighties, exemplified by a phenomenal budget, strong leadership, and high membership levels.  Unfortunately, in the early nineties the club’s success declined due to poor risk management and leadership.  Since the late nineties we have returned to well-managed successes that characterize much of the club’s history.   Since 1997 the club has grown rapidly; we are now one of the largest and most visible organizations on-campus.  The generous budget provided by the AUSA Senate over the past several years, along with a strong leadership,  has allowed the club to reach even more students and more effectively serve the needs of the DU student body than ever before. We continue to use this leadership to bring the Alpine Club to a level that has not been seen before and to secure our position not only as the best provider of outdoor recreation on-campus, but becoming a nationally renowned collegiate outdoor recreation organization.

1976- Rafting the Rio Grande

1972- Spelunking in Glen Canyon

1970's- Cross Country Skiing