With free Ikon passes, discounted trips and access to ski gear, the University of Denver’s Alpine Club (DUAC) is changing how students experience Colorado’s outdoor culture.
Founded in 1928, the Alpine Club’s mission is to make the outdoors more accessible and affordable for DU students. The club also aims to foster a community of students who are looking to take advantage of these experiences and build connections.
“People that come to DU are excited to go play in the mountains, try new things and be a part of our community. DUAC serves that demand that students desire.” said President Xander Weiser.
Throughout the year, DUAC offers many different day trips or weekend-long excursions. In the fall quarter, students in the club could travel to the Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain National Park and many other outdoor adventures.
Also during the fall quarter, DUAC built up excitement for the 2026 ski season with their Ikon Pass giveaways and hosting on-campus events.
“We were able to give away over 45 passes, including passes for student engagement, giveaways and need-based Ikon passes,” said Ikon Pass Manager Libby Neubauer.
The need-based Ikon passes are a new and recent addition to the club.
“We recognized that skiing is an extremely expensive sport that is not accessible to a large part of our students and club members which is why we created this program,” said Neubauer.
In a commitment to further fulfill the club’s mission of affordability, students filled out an application explaining why they were a good candidate for the pass. The program proved to be a success and one that Alpine Club intends to continue in the following years.
The club is able to give away this staggering number of passes due to their partnership with Ikon.
“Based on the number of Ikon pass sales we receive, we are able to issue one comped pass in exchange for a certain number of sales. Sales this year amounted to over a million dollars, surpassing previous years,” said Neubauer
While the club is no longer offering passes for the 2026 season, DUAC is continuing to give away pairs of skis this winter quarter, in partnership with Alterra Mountain Company.
Winter quarter has been busy for DUAC’s on-campus engagement along with their weekend trips. In an Instagram post, shared on Nov. 26, 2025, the club showcased their upcoming winter excursions. Almost all of these trips appeared to be discounted significantly due to a grant from Alterra.
“The ‘discounting’ nomenclature is our marketing to show students how much more affordable the experiences we provide are compared to doing it on your own. This marketing is to demonstrate how much money you can save going with the club,” said Weiser.
An example includes DUAC’s trip to Ellington which costs $50 for members. Students who end up doing something similar would end up paying much more, as they would have to pay for rental equipment, transportation and lessons.
“We are able to discount trips due to fundraising efforts, club funds and school funding support on top of student fees for trips,” said Weiser.
While DUAC’s partnership with Alterra helped make these discounted prices for the winter quarter, the club intends to make trips more affordable for all future experiences and seasons.
DUAC is currently developing a new trip to Moab/Utah Desert, which will be made available for students next fall or spring.
The club is continuously evolving and open to improvement and suggestions.
“I think a constant challenge is listening and responding to what students want while being safe and following our club mission. In recent years we have sought to make trips more inviting to all students and offer on campus community building. It’s a work in progress and we have challenged ourselves to become safer, smarter and more responsible when executing our club duties,” said Wieser.
The changes that have been made to Alpine Club have enriched the student experience and have truly satisfied the club’s core mission: making the outdoors more accessible for DU students.
With the recent opening of Base Camp, a student-run gear garage, bike and ski shop and expanding partnership with name brands, the club’s possibilities are only getting bigger.
Students can register for DUAC on CrimsonConnect and sign-up for membership online to begin experiencing all the trips and connections that the club has to offer.
