What's This? A mountain stronghold.
The facts: Introduced in Challengers of the Unknown #12 (March 1960), the Colorado headquarters of the Challengers of the Unknown was designed and built by Prof, Red and June (Ace and Rocky apparently didn't have a say) and has served the team of adventurers in good stead ever since. The Who's Who entry is actually pulled from Challengers of the Unknown #87 (see below).
How you could have heard of it: If you've heard of the Challs, you probably know about the mountain. Its most recent appearances where during the Dark Metal event(s).
Example story: Challengers of the Unknown #83-87 (October 1977 - July 1978) by Carla and Gerry Conway, Keith Giffen, and John Celardo
This storyline - an odd team-up with Swamp Thing at the end of the series (it ends in a rushed caption) - was chosen because a lot of it takes place inside the Mountain which, for globe-trotting heroes, wasn't a frequent occurrence. So I really want to concentrate on the HQ more than the story. But essentially, it's a sequel to Swamp Thing #8, with the cult of the "Cancer God" M'nagalah holding some Challs hostage and forcing the others to help them complete a ritual even as Prof is turning to goop because of a crazy fungus in Alec Holland's old home town. Biochemist Holland is called to action by would-be Challenger Gaylord Clayburne (millionaire playboy also living on borrowed time who has tried to force himself on the team several times), though he hasn't told anyone his cure is failing and he's turning into the Swamp Thing again. All caught up? Ok, let's proceed.
First, a look at the computer room:
Giant-ass screen, a lot of blinky computer banks, same old frustrations with the spinning ball of death. Check! What about fancy labs?
A whole section is devoted to weird medicine, as you'd expect. Which doesn't ensure results. Unable to help Prof, the Challs go and get Holland, now Swamp Thing again, and promise to try and find a cure for his condition if he helps them. Well ok, but what's next on our tour? How about slightly surreal spaces built out of the rock for no better purpose than to fight amongst themselves?
Check! Note that June is currently Prof's girlfriend, but she's shown interest in Rocky, and Red may or may not be defending Prof's honor... Guys, cast your lines outside your workplace, you'll be happier. You should be fighting weird monsters, not each other. Speaking of which, what do you do with those monsters when you've caught them?
Well, this critter who attacked Toronto looks snug as a bug in the Challs' containment unit. Turns out, the beast is from another time, so the Challs call in Rip Hunter (and Deadman's been hanging around, so Gerry Conway is playing with all the abandoned toys). When Red returns from his tantrum, the team is off on a time travel mission and is alone to deal with an intruder alert. As he looks at the security monitors, Keith Giffen presents the above diagram of the Mountain, and Red spots a time monster attacking the convalescing Prof! It's a big place, so Red's OFF TO THE MINICYCLES!
I really wanted to see more of that. Red gets rid of the monsters by raising the temperature in the lap, hoping against all hope that Prof's spacesuit will protect him. It does. (But you can wonder if that's a safe feature to have.) The end.
Places we didn't go but wish we had? VIP quarters, to see what kind of mess Swamp Thing made in there. Challengers Mountain is one of the great comic book HQs, just not associated with a high-profile a property as Batman, Superman or the Justice League. Top 5 in the DCU?
Who's Next? Heroes living on borrowed time.
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