Member Bio

Member #: 85
Member Year: 2003
Donald Sanborn

Bio Summary
Community Activity Summary
Mr. Sanborn has had membership and leadership positions in numerous community organizations. He has also given many historical presentations mostly on topics related to the history of Pikes Peak.
Occupation Summary
Mr. Sanborn served as Chief Software Architect for SWIIM System, Ltd. He lead software development and integration at SWIIM. With over thirty years of commercial engineering and mapping application development, as a consultant to a myriad of companies, and with a degree in Agricultural Engineering, Mr. Sanborn brought a unique skill set to SWIIM Systems, ideally suited to the SWIIM problem space.
AdAmAn Service
President 2010-2018 Certified Fireworks Shooter 2007-2025 Created and maintains the adaman.org website, including automating the guest application experience, guest selection, and the member bio data collection form
Hobbies
Running, mountain climbing, skiing, back packing, travel, and reading.
Climbing Experience Summary
Mr. Sanborn has climbed 44 of Colorado's Fourteeners, many of them multiple times. In addition, he has climbed a number of Colorado's Thirteeners. He has also climbed peaks internationally including El Pico de Orizaba (the 3rd highest peak in North America), Kilimanjaro, and a number of peaks in Switzerland, Slovenia, Scotland and Mexico.

Bio Detail

Community Activity Detail

Community Activities

Member, Pikes Peak Hill Climb Historical Association, 2005-Present
President, Pikes Peak Hill Climb Historical Association, 2018-Present
Member, Pikes Peak Hill Climb Hall of Fame Selection Committee, 2020-Present
KRDO Radio Commentary, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, 2013-2014, 2016-Present
Member, Penrose Heritage Museum Hill Climb Committee, 2014 - Present
Chairman, Barr Camp Board of Directors, 2010-2012
Member, Barr Camp Board of Directors, 2005-2018
Chairman, Barr Camp 2016 Project Committee, Barr Camp Board of Directors
Vice President, Pikes Peak Hill Climb Historical Association, 2007-2018
Member, Advocates for the Pikes Peak Summit House, 2014-2019
Member, Colorado Springs Executives Association, 1999-2012
Livestream Broadcast Commentary, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, 2014
Volunteer, Information Management Officer, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb, 2007-2009
Commissioner, Telecommunications Policy Advisory Commission, City of Colorado Springs, 1997-1999
Track Ambassador, Pikes Peak International Raceway, 1999, 2002-2005
Commissioner, Pikes Peak Highway Advisory Commission, City of Colorado Springs, 1993-1998
Director, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum, 1993-1998
Treasurer, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum, 1995-1996
Chairman, Fundraising Committee, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum, 1998
Chairman, Educational Committee, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum, 1994-1995
Timing Director, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb, 1991-1992, 2009
Volunteer, Press Staff, Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb, 2002, 2004, 2019-2020
Aid Station Lead, Race Committee, Pikes Peak Marathon, 2005-2007, 2009-11, 2013, 2015-16, 2019
Volunteer, Garden of the Gods Run, 1996
Volunteer, Walk for Children, 1996
Member, School District 12 Technology Bond Funds Advisory Committee, 1996

Other Activities

Rookie of the Year, Stock Car Division, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, 2000
Promoter and Manager of Legacy Motorsports Electric Division record run by Jeri Unser, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, 2003
Ambassador, Rocky Mountain Concourse d’ Elegance, 2008
Participant, Pikes Peak Ascent Half Marathon, 1999-2002, 2004-2006, 2012, 2017-18
Participant, Pikes Peak Marathon, 2008, 2014
Participant, Ring of Steall 29K, Scotland, 2019
Participant, Imogene Pass Run, 2021
Participant, Cheyenne Mountain 25K, 2021
Guest Climber, AdAmAn Club New Year’s Eve Climb and Fireworks on Pikes Peak, 1996-2002
Inducted as Member, AdAmAn Club, 2003
Climbed as AdAmAn Member, 2003-2017
President, AdAmAn Club, 2010-2018
Chairman, AdAmAn Club 100^th Anniversary Documentary Committee, 2019-2025
Co-Chair, AdAmAn Club 100^th Anniversary Finance Committee, 2019-2022
Member, AdAmAn Club 100^th Anniversary Art Committee, 2020-2022
Member, AdAmAn Club 100^th Anniversary Book Committee, 2020-2022
Chairman, AdAmAn Club 100^th Anniversary Fireworks Committee, 2019-2022
Volunteer, Colorado Division of Wildlife Pikes Peak Big Horn Sheep Count, 2004-2006
Fireworks, AdAmAn Club, December 31, 1996-Present
Fireworks Shooter Cheyenne Mountain Conference Center and Resort, July 4, 2010-2011, 2014-2019, 2021-2022, September 28, 2014, July 14 & 28, 2018
Fireworks Shooter Flying Horse Golf Course, July 4 Show, 2007, 2009
Fireworks Shooter Steamboat Springs Ski Area, February 14, 2009, February 4, 2013, January 25, 2014
Fireworks assistant Broadmoor Golf Club July 4 Show, 2004-2006
Fireworks Shooter Doherty High School Home Coming, 2006-2008
Fireworks Shooter Cheyenne Mountain High School Home Coming, 2006, 2007

Presentations, Productions and Publications

“Pikes Peak Speed Week 2003”, 2003 Colorado Springs Executive Association
“Top Ten AdAmAn Myths, Legends and Factoids”, 2004 AdAmAn Annual Dinner
“Pikes Peak Highway Paving Issue In Retrospect”, 2004 Colorado Springs School
“On the Mountain with AdAmAn, The History of the AdAmAn Club”, 2007 Old Colorado City Historical Society
“Kilimanjaro and Beyond”, 2011 Colorado Springs School Fifth Grade Class
“Five Generations on Pikes Peak, An Exploration of the Carle Family Heritage”, 2009 AdAmAn Annual Dinner
“A History of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, 2011 Old Colorado City Historical Society
“On the Mountain with AdAmAn, The History of the AdAmAn Club”, 2011 Colorado Mountain Club
“A History of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, 2012 Manitou Springs Kiwanis Club
“Events on Pikes Peak”, 2012 Cheyenne, Wyoming Kiwanis Club
“Volunteering in the Pikes Peak Region”, 2012 Manitou Springs High School All Class Reunion
“On the Mountain with AdAmAn, The History of the AdAmAn Club”, 2012 Ute Pass Historical Society
“A History of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, 2013 Studebaker Club
“A History of the AdAmAn Club”, 2013 Manitou Springs Heritage Center
“A History of the AdAmAn Club”, 2013 Palmer Lake Kiwanis Club
“Jim Bates – AdAmAn Photographer and Historian”, The Don Gang (Don Ellis, Don Kallaus and Don Sanborn), West Word, Old Colorado City Historical Society, December 2013
“A History of the AdAmAn Club”, 2014 Pikes Peak Hospice
“A History of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, 2014 Palmer Lake Kiwanis Club
“The History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, The Don Gang (Don Sanborn, Don Kallaus and Don Ellis), an unpublished article.
“Skiing on Pikes Peak before World War II”, The Don Gang (Don Sanborn, Don Kallaus and Don Ellis), West Word, Old Colorado City Historical Society, March 2014
“Skiing on Pikes Peak during and after World War II”, The Don Gang (Don Sanborn, Don Kallaus and Don Ellis), West Word, Old Colorado City Historical Society, April 2014
“A History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, 2014 Friends of the Peak Annual Dinner
“A History of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, 2015 Veteran Motor Car Club
“Helen W. Stewart, Colorado’s High-Altitude Hostess, 1893 - 1979”, The Don Gang (Don Kallaus, Don Sanborn and Don Ellis), West Word, Old Colorado City Historical Society, April 2014
Acceptance speech, AdAmAn Club induction into Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame, 2015
“AdAmAn Behind the Scenes”, 2016 El Paso County Pioneers Association
“100^th Anniversary of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb” documentary, March 2016, Associate Producer
“A History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, 2017, Pioneers Museum
“AdAmAn Behind the Scenes”, 2017 CSHS Palmer Alumni Association, Garden of the Gods Visitor Center
“The Changing Façades of the Pikes Peak Summit” historical paper, Eric Swab and Don Sanborn, Pikes Peak Library District, July 2017
“The Changing Façades of the Pikes Peak Summit” presentation, 2017, Pikes Peak Library District Symposium
“100^th Anniversary of the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, 2018, Garden of the Gods Visitor Center, Pioneers Museum, Broadmoor Rotary Club
“The Changing Façades of the Pikes Peak Summit” presentation, 2018, Garden of the Gods Visitor Center
Acceptance speech, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb awarded J.C. Agajanian Award from Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame, 2018
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, October 2018, Broadmoor Rotary Club
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, December 2018, UCCS Heller Center for Arts & Humanities
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, January 2019, Kiwanis Club
“A History of the AdAmAn Club”, January 2019, Rotary Club
“A History of the AdAmAn Club”, March 2019, Pikes Peak Sertoma Club
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, April 2019, Mercedes Club
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, April 2019, Veteran Motor Car Club of America
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, April 2019, Manitou Springs Heritage Center
“A History of the AdAmAn Club”, May 2019, Pillar Class
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, May 2019, Pillar Class
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, May 2019, Pikes Peak Sertoma Club
“A Look Back at the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb”, June 2019, Manitou Springs Heritage Center
“A History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, October 2019, Colorado Springs Executives Association
“Pikes Peak Hill Climb Museum Hall of Fame 2020”, August 2020, Manitou Springs Heritage Center (Zoom)
“The Myth vs Reality of the AdAmAn Club”, January 2021, Pioneers Museum (Zoom)
“The Myth vs Reality of the AdAmAn Club”, April 2021, Vintage Car Club
“The Myth vs Reality of the AdAmAn Club”, June 2021, Manitou Springs Kiwanis
“The Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb, An Expedition Through History”, February 2022, Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning
“A History of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb”, June 2022, Manitou Springs Heritage Center
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, December 2022, Manitou Springs Heritage Center
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, December 2022, Posse of the Westerners
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, February 2023, Douglas Valley Elementary, 3^rd – 5^th graders
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, February 2023, Colorado Springs Camera Club
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, March 2023, Colorado College Retired Professors
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, April 2023, Mountain Chalet
“100^th Anniversary AdAmAn History”, May 2023, Pillar Class
“Pikes Peak History (through stories)”, June 2024, Golden Rotary Club
“A History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, February and March 2025, Manitou Springs Heritage Museum
“A History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, March 2025, Manitou Springs Kiwanis Club
“A History of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb”, March 2025, Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Kiwanis Club (combined) and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Board of Directors
“A History of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb”, June 2025, Manitou Springs Heritage Museum
Docent, Marigreen Pines Tours, July 2025, Cascade, CO
“A History of Skiing on Pikes Peak”, November 2025, American Association of University Women

Interview, “My Mountain” Pikes Peak Summit House Fund Raiser, Colorado Springs Vimeo Video, viewable on interactive screens in Summit House.
Interviewee, “The Pikes Peak AdAmAn Club - The Climb”, December 2020, Jamey Hastings YouTube Video
Interviewee, “The Pikes Peak AdAmAn Club - The Year the Club Had to Turn Back”, December 2020, Jamey Hastings YouTube Video
Interviewee, “Donald Sanborn - Pikes Peak AdAmAn Club: Fireworks”, December 2020, Jamey Hastings YouTube Video

Book, “AdAmAn, One Hundred Years of Ice, Wind, and Fire”, December 2022, Coauthor/Coeditor
“AdAmAn – A Century on Pikes Peak” documentary, September 2025, Executive Producer

Occupation Detail

Chief Software Architect - 08/2016 － 12/2025

SWIIM System, Ltd., Denver, CO

· Responsible for SWIIM field data collection software and backend systems for the collection of irrigation delivery, return flow, and consumptive use data for the production of water balances.

· Integrate, test and field new hardware solutions as needed to meet SWIIM’s data collection needs.

· Implement backend services for consumption/use in the OnFarm frontend.

· Manage and give direction to others in the development and implementation of new backend processes for QA/QC, field unit/data collection monitoring and surface energy balance-based evapotranspiration (ET) collection.

· Document SWIIM operating procedures and help/educate personnel in implementing best practices.

President - 01/1988 － 08/2016

Unique Solutions, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO

Responsible for production and marketing of custom software development services, software maintenance, and commercial hardware/software installation, customization, and training. Clients included Rain Bird Manufacturing, Autodesk, the US Air Force Academy, Aqua Engineering, Inc., SAIC, and the Oklahoma Department of Health, to name a few. Unique Solutions fielded several successful commercial products for its clients.

Adjunct Professor - 08/1999 － 05/2000

United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO

Responsible for teaching E410 - Senior Engineering Design (the cadets designed and built a new fireworks trailer for the Club) and CE215 - Computer Software for Civil Engineers (Fall 1999) and CE215 - Computer Software for Civil Engineers (Spring 2000). Provided key role in modifying curriculum to teach Cadets AutoCAD.

Climbing Experience Detail

Colorado/California/New Mexico

Description	Accents	Description	Accents
Pikes Peak (Summer)	23	Mount Yale	3
Pikes Peak (Winter)	23	Mount Princeton	2
Longs Peak	2	Mount Antero	2
Longs Peak (Winter attempts)	3	Mount Shavano	5
Mount Evans	2	Tabeguache Mountain	2
Mount Bierstadt	1	Snowmass Mountain	1
Grays Peak (Summer)	5	Humboldt Peak	1
Grays Peak (Winter)	1	Blanca Peak	1
Torreys Peak	3	Ellingwood Peak	1
Quandary Peak	3	Little Bear Peak	1
Mount Lincoln	1	Mount Lindsey	1
Mount Democrat	1	Uncompahgre Peak	1
Mount Bross	1	Sunshine Peak	1
Mount Sherman	6	Redcloud Peak	1
Mount of the Holy Cross	2	Handies Peak	1
Mount Massive	2	San Louis Peak	1
Mount Elbert	5	Mount Sneffels	1
La Plata Peak	2	Windom Peak	1
Mount Oxford	2	Sunlight Peak	1
Mount Belford	3	Mount Eolus	2
Missouri Mountain	2	Crestone Needle	1
Huron Peak	2	Castle Peak	1
Mount Harvard	3
Mount Columbia	1	Mount Shasta (California)	1
North Maroon Bell	1	Mount Wheeler (New Mexico)	1

Switzerland

Description	Accents	Description	Accents
Rimpfischhorn	1	Castor	1
Oberrothorn	1	Balmenhorn	1
Unterrothorn	1	Vincentpyramide	1
Platzhorn	2	Schwarzhorn	1
Mettlehorn	1	Ludwigshöhe	1
Breithorn Occidental	2	Parrotspitze	1
Breithorn Central	1	Signalkuppe	1
Pollux	1	Zumsteinspitze	1

Mexico

Description	Accents	Description	Accents
La Malinche	1	Iztaccihuatl	1
El Pico de Orizaba	1

Tanzania

Description	Accents	Description	Accents
Kilimanjaro	1

Scotland

Description	Accents	Description	Accents
Ben Nevis	1	An Gearanach	1
Ben Lomand	1	Stob Coire a’ Chairn	1
Stob Bàn	1	Am Bodach	1
Sgorr an lubhair	1	Bruach na Frìthe	1
Sgurr a’ Mhaim	1	Meall a'Ghiubhais	1

Memories
Memories From First Climb
I remember thinking I couldn't believe I was getting to hang out with such a wonderful group of people and participate in such an amazing and unique tradition. It was almost magical, and I couldn't wait to do it again.
Memories From First Member Year
I remember standing on the tongue of the fireworks trailer watching fireworks being loaded into their mortars and thinking I must have some kind of mental defect. I've just signed up to climb Pikes Peak every year under some of the worst conditions for mountain climbing and then top it off by risking life and limb to shoot fireworks from over 14,000' elevation. But I'm still happy to be doing it! That probably shows how sick I really am.
Memories of Family
My Grandfather Don Lawrie was the last member to be added who never climbed as a guest prior to being selected as a member. He was also President of the Club in the 1940s. The AdAmAn Club was just barely on my radar as a child. Growing up in Cascade, we couldn't see the mountain nor the fireworks. As a young child we spent the night at my Grandparents house a few times and our Grandmother woke us up to watch the fireworks. I had just a very vague understanding that my Grandfather was with the club but we never participated in the annual dinner, send off breakfast or any other AdAmAn activities.
Favorite Memories from Climbing Fourteeners
Add some granddad stories here...
Memories from Favorite Mountain Climb
It's hard to narrow all the mountains I've climbed down to one favorite mountain. There have been a few harrowing experiences that would require more room than is available here to recount. Probably the most pivotal climb was my second ascent of Mount Harvard, where I asked my wife, Sharon, to marry me.
Memories of Favorite Gear
It's hard to say what my favorite gear is. There are so many cool things now and they all have pretty nice features. I'm certainly glad we don't have to do the climb in the same gear the original members used!
Memories of Worst Gear Failure
None