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                                                                    Exhibit 5.01

                           LETTERHEAD OF RMI.NET, INC.

                                January 21, 2000

RMI.NET, Inc.
999 Eighteenth Street, Suite 2201
Denver, Colorado 80202

Re:      Registration of Common Stock; Registration Statement on Form S-3

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         I have acted as counsel to RMI.NET, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, pursuant to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-3
(the "Registration Statement"), of a public offering of up to 3,773,089 shares
of common stock, $0.001 par value (the "Shares"), of the Company. All of the
Shares are being sold by the Selling Security Holders identified in the "Selling
Security Holders" section of the Registration Statement (the "Selling Security
Holders").

         In this capacity, I have examined the Registration Statement (including
all amendments thereto), the Company's Certificate of Incorporation and
originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of
such corporate records, agreements, documents, and other instruments of the
Company relating to the authorization and issuance of the Shares to be sold by
the Selling Security Holders and other matters as we have deemed relevant and
necessary as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth.

         In conducting our examination I have assumed the genuineness of all
signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all
documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of
all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies, and the
authenticity of the originals of such documents.

         Based upon the foregoing, and in reliance thereon, we are of the
opinion that the Shares, when issued and delivered against payment therefor,
will be legally and validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable.

         I hereby consent to the incorporation of this opinion into the
Registration Statement as Exhibit 5.1 thereto and to the reference to our firm
under the heading "Legal Matters" in the prospectus constituting a part of the
Registration Statement.



                                           Very truly yours,


                                           /s/ CHRISTOPHER J. MELCHER