Students Brave the Cold for DOC Winter Weekend

For many Dartmouth students, Winter term means spending time inside, and this January’s brutal temperature drops have been further encouragement to avoid the great outdoors.

That hibernation tendency is precisely why the Dartmouth Outing Club hosts its annual Winter Weekend, DOC President Alice Bradley ’11 told The Dartmouth.

“It’s about getting as many people outside as possible,” said Bradley and based on student response to the offering of weekend programs, the DOC is accomplishing their goal.

Sam Streeter ’13, of Saratoga, Wyo., was one of the students who filled busses out to the Dartmouth Skiway on Saturday for Winter Weekend programming.

“This was my first time at the Skiway,” Streeter, who is an avid kayaker and an active member of Ledyard Canoe Club, said. “I couldn’t believe how convenient it was. This was my first time skiing in the East and it showed me a whole new side of what kinds of fun winter in New England can hold.”

Streeter’s class, taught by Mike Wood ’10, was an introduction to Telemark style, or “Tele,” skiing, which uses bindings similar to those found on cross-country skis.

“I signed up with four of my friends,” Streeter said. “It was so much fun. When I had to turn in my skis at noon, I really wanted to keep going.”

The price for Streeter’s experience?

“Ten bucks,” he said. “That’s everything included. Rentals, transportation, and lesson. You really can’t beat that.”

Skiway manager Doug Holler said he was very pleased with the turnout this weekend.

“I think it’s a great thing”, he said. “We had a lot of smiling faces out there and our fair share of never-evers,” he said, referring to skiers who had “never ever” been to the Skiway.

“Winters can be cold, dark and nasty up here,” Holler said, adding that events like the DOC Winter Weekend “really take the nasty out of it.”

Other programs offered by the DOC this weekend included ice climbing, cross-country skiing and a trip to the Second College Grant for winter camping, dog sled trekking and snowshoeing. With the wide variety of programs offered, Winter Weekend programs have become an incredibly popular way for snowbound Dartmouth students to break up the monotony of the winter term.

“We really had an overwhelming response,” Bradley said. “Sign-ups opened at 2 p.m., and by 2:30 all the spots were gone.”

When asked if there was anything to be done about the shortage of spots on Winter Weekend trips, Bradley replied, “this is simply the biggest we can get with the resources we have at our disposal.”

Winter Weekend creates logistical challenges that make it a difficult balancing act for the DOC to pull off. Aside from the need for good weather conditions, the number of trips offered combined with DOC’s extensive coordination with both the P.E. department and the Dartmouth Skiway requires high levels of management.

“In most cases, we are able to rely on our own organization, student administrators and resources to get things done, but with this weekend we have to make sure many more people sign off on programming and equipment usage,” she said.

Permission is needed from the administrators of the Dartmouth Skiway, which is under independent management, as well as the Dartmouth College Athletic Department.

Bradley offered condolences to anyone unable to secure a spot on a trip by emphasizing that the DOC offers programming throughout the school year, including the winter months.