It all started in 1998 when Pentti Tofferi, Golf Professional at Cordillera, put together a golf trip to Fox Acres at Red Feather Lake CO. Six participants rode their Harleys while a “Van Bitch” drove a van pulling a trailer with clubs and clothes.

The formula was simple: Ride bikes, play golf, enjoy fine wine, food and camaraderie.

In 1999 when the group went to Telluride, Bob Schmidt and Craig Turner met for the first time and decided to form the Cordillera Motorcycle Association. Rules were simple. Anyone who knew what a motorcycle was could join. The Association welcomed men and women from all communities. There would be no rules and no committees. That mantra still holds true today.

The Association evolved to include weekly summer rides, overnight rides to nearby places of interest, rides in exotic locations such as South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy, Austria, Patagonia, Turkey,  Greece and Croatia.

It then dawned on Bob & Craig that members wanted to join who did not ride but just liked to be around “bikers” or, liked to play golf, to travel, to enjoy good food, good wine, camaraderie and the finer things in life. The Association was expanded to include a Jeeping Activity, Skiing Activities, weekly golfing events, and Extensive Traveling opportunities.

An exciting evolution of the Association started after a boy’s golfing trip to Telluride in 2003. Participants, particularly the winners of the event, were challenged to give 10% of their winnings to the Vail Valley Junior Golf League. As it turned out, everyone gave all his prize money and even those who did not win participated. Bob and Craig looked at each other and thought “Wow that was easy, why don’t we start our own foundation”. That thought resulted in what is now the Cordillera Motorcycle Foundation. The philanthropic mission of the Cordillera Motorcycle Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for Vail Valley residents. The Foundation funds other charities through a grant making process. Helping the children and less fortunate residents of the Valley is the focus.

An annual fund-raising event is held to raise money for the foundation. The event revolves around a golf tournament for Cordillera Motorcycle Association Members and their guests. It is aptly named “The RIDER Cup for Charity”.  The event includes opening and closing parties that feature silent and live auctions along with entertainment. “The more fun we have, the more money we raise” has become a reality. Over $800,000 has been raised for Vail Valley charities.

What started off as a bunch of guys with second homes in the Valley who enjoyed golfing and riding motorcycles soon mushroomed into 172 men and women, committed to having fun. Of the members, 26% are female, 61% are bikers, 26% are Jeepers, 71% are Golfers, 41% are Cordillera members and an amazing 23% do not own homes in the valley. The average age of a member is 57.

CMA members are either traveling, riding, driving, golfing, skiing, eating or drinking, but most importantly, making life a little better for their less fortunate neighbors.