Get Outside With Outdoor Pursuits

10/20/2015 

Thinking of planning a caving, canoeing or mountain climbing trip? At SUNY Cortland, the new Outdoor Pursuits center housed in the Student Life Center has students covered on just about any kind of fun outdoor activity they can think of.

And this semester has brought greater vitality to one of the newest components of Recreational Sports.

The program opened last semester on a limited basis. This semester, the popularity of its fully developed programs has created a buzz around campus.

On average 62 campus community members visit the Outdoor Pursuits space daily to achieve the group’s first goal, which is to get students outside.

Participants can learn how to cook in the outdoors or repair a bicycle. They might train for actual mountain climbing or kayaking without ever leaving campus. Less experienced individuals might join a completely planned adventure organized by trained staff and seasoned student assistants. More intrepid students might rent the necessary equipment to take their own weekend escape.

“It’s a really nice program and it’s a great way of getting outside,” said freshman physical education major Casey Robibero of Mahwah, N.J.

“I loved discovering the mountains. It was fun and inclusive,” said Camille Nolosset, a first-year exchange student from France.

Outdoor Pursuits essentially gathered existing recreational programs that were scattered around campus and now houses them under one roof, with the goal of greatly expanding on the offerings.

“We had 60 students go on trips within the month of September and this semester has already greatly exceeded our expectations,” said Jason Harcum, who joined the College this year in the newly created position of assistant director of outdoor pursuits. “We hope to continue to inspire students to enjoy the outdoors and help direct that inspiration beyond our trips and into the daily lives of the students.”

Outdoor Pursuits is built upon the principles of health, craftsmanship, ethical and environment sustainability, growth and family, according to the office’s newsletter.

Outdoor Pursuits consists of the following six main components that fulfill an array of recreational development needs:

• The tripping program has 19 student volunteers leading an average of eight trips per month. These advertised trips consist of various outdoor activities including white water rafting, rock climbing and camping.
• The trip-planning area— not to be confused with the tripping program — has maps and staff to help students plan their own trips and answer questions.
• The workshop series educates students about new activities every week free of charge. Informational workshops take place at 5 p.m. every Monday. Bike workshops take place at 4:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Educational topics range from camp cooking to climbing techniques.
• The outdoor gear rental center allows for students and faculty to rent out items varying from backpacks to cross country skis and kayaks.
• The climbing wall, which measures 42 feet tall, allows for climbers to utilize top climbing, lead climbing and an auto belay system. The program also offers a 13-foot bouldering wall for rope free climbing.
• The community bike program offers more than 100 bicycles that are free to check out and 34 mountain bikes that can be rented out for a small fee. The community bikes were all checked out within two days upon opening this semester. This popular program also will participate in a bike parade on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Students leaving Outdoor Pursuits facilities appeared highly satisfied.

“It’s a great way to meet people with similar interest and it’s an amazing price for the equipment you get and the experience you take away,” said Robibero.

Stay current with the Outdoor Pursuits center by following @Cortland_op on Instagram and liking its Facebook pages: SUNY Cortland Outdoor Pursuits, SUNY Cortland Climbing Wall and the SUNY Cortland Community Bike Project.

Prepared by public relations intern Jenel Colon