The Colorado Mountain School, under various names, has been guiding continuously in Colorado since 1877, and has been Rocky Mountain National Park’s exclusive technical climbing concessionaire since the Park’s creation in 1915. Mike Donahue purchased the company in 1981 and gave it its present name.

Today, CMS is the largest guide service in Colorado and has more AMGA and International Federation of Mountain Guides Association certified guides than any other guide service in the state. We remain the exclusive climbing concessionaire for Rocky Mountain National Park and have developed the most complete outdoor climbing curriculum in the United States. Our offerings range from one-day courses such as Intro Rock Climbing and Big Wall Clinic, to multi-day courses such as our 2 and a half day Level 1 avalanche course and our seven-day Intermediate Technique Seminar. In addition to our myriad courses, we guide rock, ice and mountaineering throughout the Colorado Front Range and internationally.