Colorado Mountain College’s Free First Ascent Youth Leadership Program Opens Enrollment

Alejandro Jaquez-Caro is on the other end of the line. If you want into Colorado Mountain College’s First Ascent Youth Leadership program, you call him. Or you email him. Or you hit the website. But you have to move fast.

The deadline is May 1.

The program is free. That’s the hook. But free doesn’t mean easy. It means competitive. Enrollment is capped at 35 students. You’re competing against kids from Pitkin, Garfield, Summit, Lake, Chaffee, Eagle, and Routt counties. You must be entering eighth or ninth grade this fall. You need to live in the district.

If you make the cut, you spend five days in Leadville. June 21 through 26. You sleep in the college’s residential hall. You eat. You learn. You climb.

The pitch from the college is straightforward: leadership skills. Problem-solving. Communication. Confidence. Personal growth. They’re selling a summer that doubles as a career exploration session. It’s a way to peek at post-secondary options without the tuition bill.

The activities are the real draw. Rock climbing at Camp Hale. Rafting on the Arkansas River. Hiking Mount Elbert. Yes, that Mount Elbert. The highest peak in Colorado. It’s not just sitting in a classroom. It’s getting wet. It’s getting tired. It’s getting up a mountain.

But here is what the press release isn’t shouting: this is a privilege for a specific slice of the Western Slope. It’s not for everyone. It’s for kids who already fit the geographic and grade-level criteria. It’s for families who can handle the logistics of sending a kid to Leadville for a week, even if the tuition is zero.

The program is located at the college’s Leadville campus. That’s a specific choice. It’s not in Glenwood Springs. It’s not in Vail. It’s in the high country. It forces the students out of their immediate comfort zones. It puts them in an environment where the air is thinner and the stakes feel higher.

The college says the course helps students develop leadership skills. That’s a nice phrase. It’s vague. It’s safe. It’s what you put in a brochure. The reality is that it’s a five-day immersion. You can’t fake leadership when you’re rappelling down a cliff face or navigating a raft through whitewater. You either lead, or you follow. You either solve the problem, or you get stuck.

The application process is simple. Visit ColoradoMtn.edu/FirstAscent. Or call 970-989-3552. Jaquez-Caro is the gatekeeper. He’s the one checking if you’re in-district. He’s the one seeing if you’re in the right grade. He’s the one deciding if you’re one of the lucky 35.

Make no mistake. This is a resource. A valuable one. Free education, free housing, free food, free activities. For five days. It’s a lot of value for zero dollars. But it’s limited. Once those 35 spots are gone, they’re gone.

The college isn’t saying they’ll run it again next year. They aren’t saying it will expand. They’re just saying it’s happening now. For this summer. For these counties. For these grades.

If you’re a parent in Eagle County, you’re watching. If you’re a kid in Summit, you’re wondering if you’re tough enough for Mount Elbert. If you’re in Garfield, you’re calculating the drive to Leadville.

The short version: apply early. The deadline is hard. The spots are finite. The program is real.

Jaquez-Caro is waiting for your call.