Nonprofit Spotlight: Big City Mountaineers
During the month of August Outdoor Prolink is proud to have Big City Mountaineers as our featured nonprofit during checkout. Every year, Outdoor Prolink partners with nonprofits to give back to organizations we align with. To honor these amazing nonprofits, we’re spotlighting each one and sharing why you should care about their missions too.
Big City Mountaineers (BCM) is on a mission to help youth from historically disinvested communities connect with and discover the power of the great outdoors. The organization provides free, fully outfitted, and professionally led backcountry trips that reduce key barriers to accessing meaningful time outside. We got the chance to chat with Big City Mountaineers and learn more about their history, mission, and impact:
What’s the story behind Big City Mountaineers?
Big City Mountaineers was founded in 1989 on the belief that all youth deserve opportunities to develop a personal relationship with nature and experience the multitude of benefits that relationship can provide. Our founder, Jim Kern, first explored the idea of actively removing barriers to such experiences for young people on a backpacking trip to Montana.
For 35 years, BCM has encouraged young people to harness their own power and connection to nature nation-wide. We operate programs in 6 metropolitan areas currently: Birmingham, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle. Since our inception, we’ve conducted over 1,100 expeditions, served over 12,500 youth, organized 5,000 volunteers, and provided more than 45,000 nights under the stars for youth who might not have otherwise had the opportunity.
What is unique about Big City Mountaineers’ program?
We are proud to partner directly with youth development agencies and schools based in the metro areas we serve. BCM offers scaffolded outdoor experiences to youth in partnership with those agencies and schools, helping them develop confidence and outdoor skills over the course of a three-part trip series. Beginning with a day hike or paddle clinic and working up to a multi-night expedition, youth participants explore some of the beautiful natural areas that are near their home cities, but which they may have never previously explored.
How can the people of the outdoor industry support the work Big City Mountaineers is doing?
There are so many ways to support BCM! As an individual, you can create an adventure campaign that fundraises on behalf of BCM’s work while you enjoy the outdoors yourself. We also have many on and off trail volunteer opportunities.
For brands or corporations, in-kind donations, cash donations, and giveback programs are the best way to support us. Furthermore, we have a great corporate volunteer program that offers teams a meaningful way to give back.
If Big City Mountaineers was a tree, which tree would it be?
Most likely an aspen. We are headquartered in Colorado, where aspens thrive, but more importantly, our organization is an intricate network of community connections. We are able to offer the programs we do in the way that we do because we have so much valuable support from individuals and organizations at both a local and national level.
About the Gear Tester
Kelly Knauf leads the marketing team at Outdoor Prolink. She is a mountain lover, outdoor enthusiast, and professional snack packer. By day she answers emails and writes content, by night she's plotting her next camping trip or snowboarding adventure.
