Clarkson Integrator

Issue date: 11/24/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: John Best CUOC members traveled to Chic Chocs, Canada, last spring to get some skiing in before the thaw.

Clarkson's student-run Outing Club (CUOC) has something for everyone. A vast majority of students at Clarkson have gone hiking, camping, or have managed to survive in a canoe, rowboat, or kayak at some point in their lives. These activities are the reason for the variety of activities that the Outing Club engages in. The FAQ section of the CUOC website (clarkson.edu/clubs/cuoc) explains reasons to join. Below is a small exert from that section:

"Q: What if I have no time for CUOC since I have too much work?

A: You have the rest of your life to work. You only have four years for CUOC.

Q: What happens if I lose a piece of CUOC gear?

A: We harvest your organs, sell them on the black market and buy new gear.

Q: Doesn't Clarkson also have an Outdoor Recrea-tion Program?

A: Yes, but CUOC has nearly two-hundred members, while OR has none. Ergo, CUOC is infinitely better than OR."

CUOC is one of the more active clubs on campus, and its activities include snowshoeing, sledding, rock and ice climbing, whitewater and flat water kayaking, canoeing, caving, Nordic and Telemark skiing.

Every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. in the Adirondack Lodge, meetings are primarily filled with stories and movies of trips from previous weekends, along with the trips set to go out the coming weekend. There may be anywhere from 3 to 11 trips going out each weekend. For example, someone might say "I'm going ice climbing in Keene Valley this weekend, who's coming with me?"

Another perk of doing trips with the Outing Club is that if your trip and slide show is voted "trip of the week" then the club will reimburse you for the cost of fuel during the trip. Sending out a small army of outdoor enthusiasts every weekend is only one feature though; over spring break last year, there was a trip that consisted of members skiing out West at Jackson Hole and other places. Another huge event is the annual Chic Chocs skiing trip. Pre-orientation trips are held before the start of the semester, allow first-year students, whom choose to do so, to experience three nights and four days of backpacking and/or canoeing in the High Peaks Wilderness area of the nearby Adirondack Park, the largest state park in the country.

The Outing Club also holds several events during the school year; Canoefest, held on the banks of the Raquette River contains all sorts of crazy competitions. At CUOC's generous climbing facility downtown in Congdon Hall, the Club plays host to an annual climbing competition, which attracts participants from all of the surrounding colleges. Winterfest is another attraction of the Outing Club, held at Clarkson's Seven Springs ski hill at the beginning of February. There is a big air competition, downhill bike race in the snow, sledding with kayaks, a big sled competition and many others. Mudfest, a new event this past year, is essentially a big barbecue held on Cheel lawn with slack-lining, climbing competitions on a Twister board, and volleyball. Each of these events features free food and music provided by 91.1 WTSC the Source. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

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