Ian

This past weekend we had a 3 day weekend that provided the perfect opportunity to have a ASAP staff training on rock climbing site management and anchor building down in Tres Piedras.  We went over safety and techniques for managing a top-rope (what you would see in gyms) and top-belay (belaying from the top of the climb) as well as how to set up the anchors for each respective method.  Myself and another ASAP employee, Rob, led lessons on knots, gear, gear  placements, anchor theory, and how to safely manage the area when leading trips.  A local badass and longtime professional climbing/mountaineering guide, Mark, was with us and went into detail on all of these systems and proved, as always, an invaluable resource for the training.  I dont know if he will read this but…Mark, you rock.  It was awesome having you with us!   Here are some pics from the trip:

Going over one of the anchors we built.

Cora, working on getting the rope down to the ground from the anchor.

A tricam, in passive mode (just google “tricam”); Dan belaying in the background.

For those of you who may be checking out Adams and are into the outdoors, ASAP will get you where you want to go.  Maybe you want to go hit up the local rock climbing spots on the weekend or  go to Wolf Creek to get your deep powder fix.  Or, maybe you are looking for a sweet (the sweetest?) job on campus that will keep you involved and teach you a tremendous amount of skills across the spectrum of outdoor recreation.  Get outside!

The Adventure Program went out on a mountain bike staff training this past Sunday and it was great on multiple levels.  I have never led a mountain biking trip so this was a good learning experience.  I have a good amount of experience and have logged my fair share of miles on trail but have never actually taught anyone how to ride mountain bikes or manage a group of riders.  It’s amazing how so many of the things you do (proper braking, using the appropriate gear, balance, etc) become second nature and it was good to take a step back and go over what you should teach people who have never gone mountain biking.  Not only did I learn some new teaching skills, but I remembered how fun mountain biking is!  I hadn’t really forgotten but my bike has been out of commission for some time and rock climbing has been my main avenue of interest lately.  So, I am getting my bike fixed.  And just to let you all know, if you have a rental shop membership ($20) you can rent mountain bikes through the Adventure Program for FREE.  So, get out there.