The 100 Club is a little-known secret here in the Valley, and perhaps that’s because you must have a trained ear to catch wind of it. It’s a boys and girls adventure club, but only those with enough life experience are allowed.
That’s right, to be eligible an individual must be over 50. A couple, on the other hand, can have a combined age of 100; so, 60+40 and they’re golden.
It all started back in 1989, according to Gerry Roehm, the club’s hiking liaison, when Tom and Olly Sherman were looking for friends to go skiing with. Both of those adventurers have since passed on, but their legacy remains.
“I didn’t know Tom, but I knew Olly and she was quite a character,” Roehm told The Sopris Sun.
Later, “They recruited a feller by the name of Hal Sundin, and he pretty much became the living heartbeat of the 100 Club. I think he was largely responsible for it morphing into the many facets that it occupies now.” Sundin hung up his hiking boots at 91, added Roehm, but will always be a part of the club.
In 2012, after about two decades of coordinating hiking trips, Sundin passed the torch to Roehm.
In the summer, there are nonstop opportunities to be active together with hiking trips, tennis outings and bicycling scheduled regularly. In the winter months, skiing and Bridge continue to bring members together. Year round, the club breaks bread together at monthly dinners.
There are 169 members on the hiking list, and typically a fluctuating 25 to 40 show up for any given hike. “I don’t think we’ve ever had an occasion where somebody showed up and nobody else did,” Roehm assured.
In addition, the organizers will generally plan three out-of-town trips a year: in the summer, fall and spring.
“Typically, in spring and fall we like Utah because it’s warmer and there’s less snow,” said Roehm. He added that there are a few campers in their mist, but many prefer the luxury of “glamping” or a comfy hotel or VRBO.
There is a steering committee which handles the light administrative duties that come up. The hiking committee meets once or twice a year to set that schedule, including the overnight trips.
The skiing schedule can be a bit more up in the air, albeit with some consistency. “We meet every Wednesday at Sunlight, and most Saturdays at Snowmass,” said Roehm. “Then, it’s adhoc depending on where the powder is … and when.”
Kathy Kline and Joan Herbst, of the “self-ascribed ‘Skinny Ski Divas’” cohort, organize overnight and single day Nordic ski trips and outings.
“The relationships engendered within the club extend beyond the club, including both domestic and international travel,” said Roehm, “as well as socializing outside the context of scheduled club activities.”
“I see other members of the 100 Club all of the time,” he continued. “I meet a lot of other people by virtue of this expanded network of friends, of friends, of friends. It’s been a good thing for me … There are quite a few of us who are single and for whom the club is … it’s kind of a lifeline.”
The 280 plus club members are sprinkled throughout the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, from Aspen to Rifle, with most residing between Carbondale and New Castle.
For more information about the 100 Club, visit www.100clubcolorado.us