Continuing its effort to make weekend mornings as exciting as nights by encouraging greater student participation in outdoor activities, the Dartmouth Outing Club is sponsoring its annual Winter Weekend on Saturday.
Winter Weekend will offer free classes in snowboarding, skiing and telemark skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway throughout the day. For those taking classes, the DOC will also provide free equipment rental and transportation to the Skiway.
At the DOC House on Occom Pond, the club has organized free classes in snowshoeing and cross country skiing, complete with free rentals for both. For those not taking a skiing or snowshoeing class, free ice skate rentals will also be provided from 1 to 4 p.m.
The Dartmouth Mountaineering Club has also organized a free beginner ice-climbing lesson in conjunction with Winter Weekend.
"The goal of this is to get as many people outside as possible, learning new things," DOC president Jeff Woodward '06 said. "That's why we do it; that's why we make it free."
A new tradition debuting at this year's Winter Weekend is dinner and dancing at the Skiway's McLane Lodge, from 7 to 11 p.m., featuring the live music of the Gordon Stone Band. Buses for the event leave at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. from the north side of the green.
"It should be a lot of fun, we're going to have good food out there. The band is really great, and the location is really beautiful and one we don't use enough," DOC vice president Alex Kehl '07 said.
Woodward and Kehl also hope an introductory experience with winter activities this weekend will inspire continued involvement with the DOC. Their goal is to rouse students from their dorm rooms and get them to enjoy the season.
"People face the winter with dread and think that they have to sit inside until it gets warm," Kehl said. "The reason we give lessons and don't just do activities is that we want people to go out there and get involved."
Many students are excited about this free opportunity to experience more of the activities offered by the DOC.
"It was the pond I always wanted when I was a kid -- big and picturesque, with people of all ages and colors of the rainbow skating and playing hockey and having good winter fun," Adam Goldfarb '08 said as he recalled his first experience on the pond. "I'm hella psyched to have the chance to skate there for free this weekend."
However, the torpor that comes with the recent frigid weather might require too much motivation for some to participate.
"I have my own skis, and snowshoeing seems kind of fun, but I honestly don't see myself going because I'm lazy," said Caleb Ballou '08.
While some have also questioned the reasoning behind having the Winter Weekend so close to Winter Carnival, but not during it, Woodward insisted the date was very deliberately chosen. Winter Weekend has traditionally taken place a few weeks before Winter Carnival because were it during Carnival, it might get lost amid the other festivities, Woodward said. Given the other activities that take place at the Skiway during Winter Carnival, he also noted that having Winter Weekend then might overcrowd the facility.
Winter Weekend is part of a larger tradition, in which the DOC hosts a day or entire weekend each term when it allows students to experience the seasonal activities for free. This year's Winter Weekend is co-sponsored by the Programming Board, the X-Fund and the four Class Councils.
