Homecoming celebrations at most colleges involve football games, parades and maybe a bonfire. At Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado, the festivities include setting a massive letter on the side of a mountain on fire using cotton soaked in diesel fuel.
Known as the “Lighting of the W” the tradition involves students from the university’s Mountain Rescue Team climbing Tenderfoot Mountain and igniting hundreds of pieces of fuel-soaked cotton arranged along the outline of a giant “W.” The result is a fiery display visible from the town of Gunnison below.
The university continued the tradition during its 2026 Homecoming and Family Weekend as part of celebrations marking the institution’s 125th anniversary.
How Do You Set A Giant Mountainside Letter On Fire?
According to Western Colorado University’s official description, preparation for the event begins well before the flames are lit. Members of the student-run Mountain Rescue Team work with university facilities personnel to organize the materials and prepare the mountainside display.
In a detailed account published in its alumni magazine, the university explains that the process involves placing cotton soaked in diesel fuel around the perimeter of the W. When darkness falls, team members use torches to ignite the cotton while coordinating their movements over radios.
The lighting begins after the team receives a familiar radio message from Western’s longtime dean of students, Gary Pierson: “The eagle has landed!”
Rescue team members then move up the mountain, lighting the cotton in sequence until the giant letter is illuminated. Despite the unusual use of fire on a mountainside, this isn’t an unsanctioned student stunt. Western says the organizers coordinate with the Gunnison fire marshal for approval and that experienced rescue team members remain prepared to respond if an emergency occurs.
The Western Mountain Rescue Team is an active search and rescue organization whose volunteers respond to emergencies throughout Gunnison County. According to the university, the team averages approximately 40 to 60 calls annually, giving students hands-on experience in mountain rescue operations.
The Giant W Has Been On The Mountain For More Than 100 Years
The enormous white letter overlooking Gunnison predates the fire-lighting tradition by several decades.
Students originally constructed the W on Tenderfoot Mountain in 1923 when the institution became Western State College. Measuring approximately 420 feet across, it remains one of the largest collegiate letters in the country.
The university says the annual lighting tradition has been part of Homecoming celebrations for nearly 80 years, bringing students, alumni and residents together to watch the mountainside glow.
For 2026, Western also offered members of the public a chance to participate directly. As part of a fundraiser for the Mountain Rescue Team, the university sold $20 entries for a drawing that would allow four winners to join the rescuers during the lighting.
The event has become such an established part of the university’s identity that its annual Homecoming celebration includes a dedicated viewing party, complete with live music and festivities on campus.
While universities across the country have their own unusual school traditions, there aren’t many that involve climbing a mountain and lighting a 420-foot letter on fire with diesel-soaked cotton.
