Watch: Why there is a giant ‘M’ on the mountain above Golden
Colorado School of Mines explains its M Climb, the tradition in which new students carry 10-pound rocks from home up Mount Zion to whitewash the ‘M’ every Front Range driver has seen.
Anyone who has driven into Golden on U.S. 6 has seen the giant white M on Mount Zion. This short video from Colorado School of Mines explains the tradition behind it: since the early 1900s, incoming students have hauled 10-pound rocks from their hometowns up the mountain, added them to the M and whitewashed it, hard hats and all. The 2026 climb took place Aug. 21, per the Mines newsroom.
Details verified with the source on September 24, 2026. See something wrong? Send a correction.
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