December 23, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The AdAmAn Club Preparing for 93rd Climb

Colorado Springs, Colorado December 23, 2014----------

Preparations for the 93rd climb of the AdAmAn Club are in full swing. Since 1922, the AdAmAn club has made its annual winter trek to the summit of Pikes Peak to fire a midnight blast of fireworks to help the Pikes Peak Region ring in the New Year. The club started when Fred Barr (who built Barr Trail) and four of his adventurous friends (Fred Morath, Ed Morath, Willis Magee and Harry Standley) made a New Year’s Eve trek to the summit. That night they set fire to some of the Cog Railway’s surplus railroad ties. Upon their return to the Springs, they discovered that many had seen their fire.

The resulting buzz inspired them to start what has become a long standing tradition for the Pikes Peak region.

After deciding to add only one member a year, the “Frozen Five” named their group the “AdAmAn Club” (Ad - A - mAn with the A's capitalized to depict mountains). Following that tradition, the club is proud to announce it has selected Mark Copelin as its 97th member. Mark, a well known and respected local businessman was born in Oklahoma and raised in Boulder. Mark graduated from Fort Lewis College with a degree in Geological Sciences. After a stint as a geologist working in the Canyon Lands, he and his wife, Marty, settled on the west side of Colorado Springs to raise their family. Mark has worked for OfficeScapes for 32 years, has been Scoutmaster of Manitou Springs Troop 18, is active in his church and has climbed most of Colorado's fourteeners.

Mark has climbed with The AdAmAn Club seven times as a guest.  For a more detailed bio see:

http://www.adaman.org/Members/markcopelin.aspx

This year's climb is dedicated in honor of the 10th Mountain Division and in memory of AdAmAn Ed Kirches who passed away July 7, 2014 and was a member of the 10th Mountain Division.

It should be noted that December 22nd marked the 70th anniversary of the 10th Mountain Division's arrival in Naples, Italy. February 16th will mark the 70th anniversary of their first combat near the town of Cutigliano.

The club will leave the Barr trailhead at 9:00 am on December 30 with Mark breaking trail. The team of climbers will spend the night at Barr Camp and then summit the peak the next afternoon. As part of a long tradition, they will exchange mirror flashes with Colorado Springs from timberline. The flashing will start around 10:30 am.

In honor of the Frozen Five, the club will shoot off five fireworks at 9:00 pm. Then, at the stroke of midnight, and weather permitting, the club will greet the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display from the 14,115-foot summit.

Those interested can learn more about the club, including its history and a list of its members, on the web at http://www.adaman.org. The club's archives are held by the Pioneer Museum.