UO Outdoor Program: Excellent Resource
by Tim Jordan
For many people in Eugene
winter recreation is hindered by
either inexperience or the prohibi
tive costs of gear and transpor
tation. If you are one of these peo
ple, pay close attention. There's a
program in town that challenges
you to come up with a good rea
son not to be outward bound this
winter season. That is the Uni
versity of Oregon's Outdoor Pro
gram. All you need to supply is
some initiative and the time; they
will do their utmost to supply all
the rest.
The Outdoor Program (O.P.),
not to be confused with the Phys
ical Education Department’s Out
door Pursuits Program, has
served as a prototype for similar
programs nationwide. It is still the
largest cooperative of its kind and
is available for students, staff,
alumni and community members
of all skill levels.
There are no user fees. Instead,
where costs are incurred in plan
ning a trip, they are split among
the participants equally. The O.P.
is not a guide service, so trips are
not led, but initiated by a person
or persons interested in a parti
cular outdoor recreation experi
ence. It is designed to help people
cultivate new outdoor skills and/
or hone those skills they already
have in a cooperative atmosphere
that stresses experiential learning.
The Outdoor Program typical
ly appeals to enthusiasts who de
sire a voice in their wilderness ex
periences and who desire to learn
life-long wilderness travel skills in
a non-authoritarian, non-sexist at
mosphere," states Director Bruce
Mason in the O.P.'s annual news
letter, The Free Country Times.
"Wilderness preservation and con
servation are stressed, ■ and
a
heightened environmental
con
sciousness is the natural result."
To exclude the community
would be to exclude valuable re
sources," says work-study out
door enthusiast Matt Smith.
Photograph by Keith Nelson, UO Outdoor Program.
“Community members are gen
erally more familiar with the re
gional terrain than their student
counterparts.”
To get out to the "great beyond"
you merely need to go to the O.P.
Office located in the UO/EMU
building's west side. The main en
trance is by the loading dock off
13th St. If you bear left and head
towards the facing wall, you will
find the trip board. In your mind
you know you'd like to do some
cross-country skiing, so you scan
the board to see if someone else
has a trip planned. No? O.K. Re
main calm. Corner an O.P. volun
teer to give you a hand posting a
trip sheet on this board.
Not sure where cross-country
ski trails are located in this neck of
the woods? The resource library
has a wide range of information to
help you design your trip, wheth
er it's to Willamette Pass or Nepal.
All right, so you post your trip;
now you can kick back and wait
while other like-minded people
wander through the O.P. resource
room and sign up. Details are dis
cussed beforehand, if necessary;
then it's time to have fun. To help
facilitate and insure a good time,
use those resources: the maps,
outdoor equipment co-op, vari
ous libraries, and especially the
volunteers.
The O.P. also presents a wide
range of outdoor adventure moti
vational films and presentations
throughout each season. The win
ter schedule will include a square
dance, fly fishing seminar, a ski
conditioning seminar and a begin
ners winter snow camping semi
nar followed by trips for snow
camping. Call 686-4365 for more
information. Or write the pro
gram, EMU, University of
Oregon, Eugene 97403. Even bet
ter, just stop in and get ac
quainted. The folks there are
eager to make the outdoors avail
able to everyone, regardless of ex
perience. You've got no excuse not
to participate!
Special Occasion
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