Outdoor Action Newsletter |
February - March 2001 |
| Activities | Training | Resources |
The Outdoor Action Program (OA) is Princeton University's outdoor experiential education program. We offer trips and courses throughout the academic year to Princeton undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff in many different outdoor activities. All OA trips are led by students who have gone through an extensive Leader Training Program. If you are interested in becoming an OA Leader, see the back of the newsletter for details and schedules.
Sign-ups for trips and courses are on the OA TripStore on the web. Payment is due in advance and will be charged to your University account. If you have any questions, please call the OA Office.
An Eskimo Roll is the act of righting a kayak if you flip. Winter is an excellent time to learn to Eskimo Roll in a warm pool. Beginners will learn the Roll and basic kayaking strokes. There will be two beginners classes, one from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. and the other from 9:00 - 10:30 p.m. on Sunday nights. Only sign up if you can attend all the classes. Participants should arrive 30 minutes early to the first class to watch an Eskimo Roll Video. Meet in the Dillon Gym library (to the right as you enter the lobby). Course fee: students $45, faculty/staff $60
Section 1: 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Section 2: 9:00 - 10:30 p.m.
Dates: 2/18, 2/25, 3/4, and 3/11
Free your heels and learn the art of the Telemark turn. This type of skiing allows you to downhill ski on cross-country skis. Join us for a day of instruction at a downhill ski area. Outdoor Action will provide skis, poles, and boots. Please bring your own lunch. Trip fee: students $15, faculty/staff $20 plus the cost of the lift ticket (~$35). ($5 discount with your own equipment. Please note that you must have cross-country or Telemark skis with metal edges; regular touring skis will not suffice).
Day Trip 1: Friday, 2/23, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Day Trip 2: Friday, 3/9, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Even in the midst of winter, life carries on. This free guided walk through the Institute Woods, led by experienced naturalists, will explore the diversity of plant and animal life signs during the winter. Please wear warm clothing. A van will be leaving from the Dillon Gym parking lot promptly at 10:15 a.m. or participants can meet at the Institute for Advanced Study parking lot at 10:30 a.m. Cancelled if raining.
Saturday, 2/24, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
If you are interested in learning to rock climb, this
2-week course will teach you all the essential techniques of
climbing, including tying in, belaying and specific climbing
techniques like weight shifting, stemming, and laybacks.
The course will meet at OA's indoor Climbing Wall in the
Armory. The last class will meet on a Friday afternoon for a
trip
to the Philly Rock Gym. Course fee: Students $65,
faculty/staff $90.
Tuesday, 2/27, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, 3/1, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/6, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, 3/8, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Philly Rock Gym: Friday, 3/9, 3:30 - 9:30 p.m.
The Climbing Wall is an indoor rock climbing practice facility located in the Armory next to Jadwin Gym. Climbers of all abilities are welcome. Experienced instructors are on hand to teach skills and assist in solving particular climbing routes. The Climbing Wall is open only to students, faculty, and staff of Princeton University. PUID required. Children of members of the University community may climb with a parent present. The Climbing Wall is open throughout the academic year except during breaks and final exams.
Open Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00 - 10:00 pm
Passes can be purchased at the Climbing Wall with a University ID or on the OA TripStore.
New Climbers can climb free for the first visit! Climbers of all abilities are welcome. Only individuals who have passed the belaying course are eligible to belay at the Wall. OA offers free belaying classes for new climbers to give you instruction on how to properly tie-in and belay. Classes are offered during all regular Wall hours.
If you want a fun group building activity for your organization or group, schedule a night at the Wall. Contact the OA Office for details (8-3552).
Free the Heel, Free the Mind! If you're interested in learning to Telemark ski (downhill skiing on cross-country skis), this is a great introductory film that combines instruction with incredible Telemark skiing footage. Filmed in some of the most exciting ski areas in the country, including Tuckerman's Ravine of New Hampshire and Mt. Hood, Oregon, you will be inspired to head to the mountains and free your heels.
1st Showing: Thursday, 2/22, 7:30 p.m., McCosh 66
2nd Showing: Thursday, 3/8, 7:30 p.m., Frist 304
Many people who enjoy the outdoors look for ways that they can integrate the outdoors into their careers. Outdoor and environmental careers can include leading trips for Outward Bound or NOLS, working in environmental advocacy, as an attorney, in public policy, doing environmental engineering, teaching, outdoor education, etc. This workshop will provide information on the broad range of careers available, resources for finding jobs, and the skills required.
Thursday, 3/1, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
Robertson Hall Bowl 6
The Everest IMAX film astounded people with the beauty and harshness of this remote and dangerous mountain. Follow an international team of climbers as they scale the tallest Himalayan peak through skin-blistering cold, angry blizzards, and dizzying altitudes with little or no oxygen. Filmed during the infamous 1996 storm which claimed eight lives, Everest shows images of the inspiring yet deadly vistas of Mt. Everest. Following the film we will show a video interview with climber Lily Leonard, who summited Everest in May 2000 on an environmental clean-up climb.
Tuesday, 3/6, 7:30 p.m.
Frist Campus Center, Room 302
Spring camping can be cold and even snowy, so it's important to know how to stay warm and comfortable in these conditions. This free OA Workshop will teach you the fundamentals of safe travel in cold and winter-like conditions. We will cover how to prepare for a cold weather trip—personal clothing, group equipment, food planning, travel and camping in snow, minimal impact camping, and staying warm. We will also discuss how to recognize and treat the major cold-related injuries: hypothermia and frostbite.
Thursday, 3/8, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
Frist Campus Center, Room 309
For twenty five years The Banff Mountain Film Festival has been celebrating the spirit of adventure and the mountain environment. Each November, the world's best films on mountain themes draw an international audience to the town of Banff, Canada. The festival now attracts audiences of 8000 plus with over 130 films submitted from 25 countries. A selection of the best films from the festival go on tour through the winter and spring. The films span a wide range of topics, including mountain culture, climbing, extreme skiing, kayaking, and more. Outdoor Action is sponsoring the best of this year's festival with Blue Ridge Mountain Sports (The Nickel). Great door prizes will be given away at the intermission. Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 at the door ($8 for students). Proceeds support summer camp scholarships for inner city youth at the Princeton Blairstown Center. Tickets may be purchased on the OA TripStore and picked up at the OA Office, or purchased at the OA Office. Tickets will be on sale at the door starting at 6:30 PM.
Wednesday, 3/14, 7:00 - 10:30 p.m.
McCosh 10
OA is offering an American Red Cross Adult CPR refresher course this spring for anyone who needs to update certification. Course fee: $16.
Monday, 3/5, 7:30 - 10 p.m.
East Pyne 219
The views from the summits of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia are spectacular. Outdoor Action is offering two 5-day backpacking trips to the mountains of Virginia during Spring Break. Discover the excitement of living in the woods and hiking along beautiful ridges and beside winding streams. The sensation of carrying everything you need on your back can be incredibly satisfying, particularly when you can share the experience with a group of friends. Each trip will cover 4-8 miles each day and basic wilderness and minimal impact camping skills will be taught. Equipment, transportation, and food will be provided by OA. Trips fill quickly so sign up early.
This trip is open to all members of the Princeton University community: students, faculty and staff. Sign-up deadline: Friday, March 2. Participants receive a 50% refund for cancellations after March 2. Trip fee: Students $105, Faculty/Staff $125.
Pre-trip preparation: Saturday, 3/17
Trip: Sunday, 3/18 - Thursday, 3/22
This is trip is an opportunity for Graduate Students to get to know one another and spend some time in the outdoors. Sign-up deadline: Friday, March 2. Participants receive a 50% refund for cancellations after March 2. Trip Fee: $105.
Pre-trip preparation: Saturday, 3/17
Trip: Sunday, 3/18 - Thursday, 3/22
Outdoor Action's Equipment Room (ER) is located on the bottom floor of 48 University Place, facing the Foulke Hall quad. The ER is open two evenings a week while classes are in session. Any member of the campus community may rent equipment. Rental costs are minimal. Please come and visit! Call with any questions, 8-6417.
Tuesdays, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Thursdays, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Begin your training now! OA's Leader Training Program is considered one of the most comprehensive in the nation and has been used as a model by numerous schools across the country. In the Leader Training Program participants develop skills in leadership, group facilitation, safety, and first aid, as well as valuable wilderness travel skills. Upon completion of the program, participants are eligible to apply to lead OA trips.
The five components of Leader Training are listed below. The first four must be completed before participating in the Leader Training Course (LTC). The first four components can be taken at any time; some participants prefer to take all of them at once (in Fast Track format) and some prefer to spread it out over a few semesters. The LTC is offered during Fall Break, Spring Break and Dead Week each year. See the Spring Leader Training Schedule (right) to find out when each component will next be offered.
HEART (Health Education and Rescue Training) Wilderness First Aid is an intensive course that covers patient examination and evaluation, body systems and anatomy, wound care, splinting, environmental emergencies, and backcountry medicine. Hands-on simulations provide first-hand training in treating patients. This is an excellent course taught by experienced Wilderness First Responders and Emergency Medical Technicians and is highly recommended to all wilderness travelers. Adult CPR certification by American Red Cross Instructors is included. This class fulfills the First Aid requirement for OA Leader Training. Course fee: $89 leaders-in-training, $100 students, $120 faculty/staff.
Facilitating positive group interaction and teamwork requires excellent listening and observation skills and a set of activities and techniques to guide people through personal growth and development. This workshop will train OA leaders and others who work with groups in specific techniques for effective group facilitation. This is a hands-on, experiential workshop. Be prepared to have fun!
One of the greatest challenges of being a group leader is learning how to lead and motivate a group, and how to use group experiences to promote self-exploration and learning. This workshop is designed to teach OA leaders and others how to effectively lead groups. This is a hands-on, experiential based workshop so be prepared to be active. You must have completed the Facilitators Workshop previously in order to attend.
This seminar is designed to make all wilderness travelers familiar with the causes of accidents in the wilderness, how to prevent accidents through effective pre-trip planning, how to identify risks in the field, and how to increase your margin of safety.
Leading a group on a backcountry trip requires extensive training in wilderness camping skills. The Leader Training Course (LTC) is designed to teach all the wilderness skills necessary to lead multi-day backpacking trips, including route planning, equipment preparation, wilderness travel techniques, map and compass, outdoor cooking, and minimal impact camping. The course includes 10 hours of pre-trip classes and preparation, and a 6-day trip. Trip participants will plan all aspects of the trip, including route, food, and equipment, and each participant is required to research and teach a class on a particular wilderness topic. Participants are required to attend all meetings and classes. The text for the course will be the Backpacker's Field Manual, written by Outdoor Action. Most of the trips we offer are backpacking trips, therefore, most leaders-in-training participate in a Backpacking LTC. We also offer a Backpacking & Canoeing Leader Training Course in the spring which provides training in both skill areas (see below).
1. Backpacking Leader Training Course
This Spring the Backpacking LTC is being offered in Fast Track format during Spring Break and in regular format after final exams in May. To take part in Fast Track participants must have already completed first aid and CPR. The Fast Track program during break will include all other workshops required for leader training and the 6-day trip. Regular format trips will schedule pre-trip meetings during the weeks leading up to the trip. To take part in a regular format LTC, participants must have completed all other leader training requirements before hand. Course fee: $95 students, $120 faculty/staff.
2. Backpacking & Canoeing Leader Training Course
This course covers the same skills taught in the Backpacking Leader Training Course, plus the skills necessary to lead a multi-day canoeing trip. This 7-day trip will spend 3½ days backpacking and 3½ days canoeing, so participants will gain experience in both skill areas. This is a requirement for anyone interested in leading a canoeing Frosh Trip. Course fee: $115, faculty/staff $145.
OA Leaders are strongly encouraged to become authorized van drivers. You must complete an online course and quiz on driving 15-passenger vans. Drivers must also complete a 30-minute road test. To gain access to the online course and schedule a road test contact the Fleet Safety Road Test Instructor, Avery Waddell, at awaddell@princeton.edu. See the Public Safety Office website for more information.
Spring I: February - MarchHEART Wilderness First Aid & CPR: *Section B (Tuesday and Thursday
class): Spring Break Fast Track Leader Training: Saturday, 3/17 Sunday, 3/18 Leadership & Group Dynamics Workshop, 12 - 7 p.m. Monday, 3/19 Leader Training Trip Preparation, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Tuesday, 3/20 - Sunday, 3/25 Leader Training Trip
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Spring II: April - MayFacilitator's Workshop: Sunday, 4/1, 12 - 7 p.m. HEART Wilderness First Aid & CPR: *Section A (Monday and Wednesday class): *Section B (Tuesday and Thursday
class): Leadership and Group Dynamics Workshop: Sunday, 4/22, 12 - 7 p.m. Safety Management Workshop: Tuesday, 4/24, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m., location TBA Backpacking Leader Training Course: Pre-trip Classes: Mon., 5/7 and Tues., 5/8, times TBA Backpacking and Canoeing Leader Training Course: Pre-trip Classes: To be scheduled by group
during weeks leading up to the trip.
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It takes a lot of preparation to send over 750 people backpacking for the Frosh Trip each September. OA is looking to hire two leaders to work full-time next summer to coordinate the trips. In addition, in mid-July you will help lead a trip to climb Mt. Princeton (14,197') in Colorado. Qualifications: You must have completed all of the leader training requirements, have lead at least one multi-day OA trip and become an authorized van driver. To apply go to Frosh Trip Applications
Salary: $3,000 for the summer plus an $800 housing allowance
The Princeton Blairstown Center has openings for summer staff in its summer camp program. Each summer PBC offers an outdoor adventure program for urban youth ages 10 - 17. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work in the outdoors. Persons interested should contact the Blairstown Office at 908-362-6765. Additional information is available on the PBC website ( http://webware.princeton.edu/PBCenter).
All online information at the Outdoor Action Web Site is protected by copyright laws. You may set up links to material found at the Outdoor Action Web Site. Printed versions of the material may be distributed for nonprofit educational use as long as no fees are charged for the material, attributions are made to the author, and no content changes are made. Commercial use of this material either in electronic or printed form is prohibited without express written permission from the author. Copyright © 1995 - 2004, all rights reserved, Rick Curtis, Outdoor Action Program, Princeton University. Send your comments and suggestions on the OA Web Site to Outdoor Action