CSU Outdoor Program gives students outdoor experiences

So you are a student at CSU and you really want to try snowshoeing, but you don't have the equipment, don't know where to go and don't really know what you are doing. So what do you do? Check out the CSU Outdoor Program; it gives students the ability to affordably and easily try and learn new outdoor activities with the help of trained instructors and guides.

The goal of the Outdoor Program is not just to give students an experience in the outdoors, but to teach them how to replicate that experience on their own.

"Our focus is on teaching skills," said Milo Gomez, an Outdoor Program Trip Leader. "We are not just guides, we are instructors more — the goal of our trips is to take you on these trips and give you the skills to go do it again by yourself; you don’t need to go with us a second time. 

This program is for both the beginner and the advanced. Although the program mainly works to help beginners, it does have programs that cater to further advancing existing skills. Regardless of your experience level, the program aims to increase your skill level and knowledge in outdoor activities.

"The outdoor program gives students the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals," said Claire Tortorelli, an Outdoor Program Trip Leader. "Skills that the Outdoor Program provides to Colorado State's students, such as rock climbing, backpacking and backcountry skiing, allow students to push their boundaries and do things they may otherwise never had the opportunity to try."

All of the trips are subsidized, making it affordable to participate in Outdoor Program activities. 

"Some of [the programs] you have to pay for, some of them you do not, but they are all subsidized so even those classes that you have to pay for are generally much cheaper than what you would find through any other similar organization," Gomez said. 

So what kind of trips and classes are available? Rock climbing, backpacking, skiing, hiking, zen climbing (yoga and climbing combined), mountain biking and yes, snowshoeing too, are the types of activities the programs available. A list of upcoming programs is available online. 

Scheduled for December is a sea kayaking trip to the Everglades. According to the event details page, this trip will cost $395 and will be a week long trip to the Everglades in Florida to learn how to sea kayak.

If you are interested in a class or trip, you can find event details by clicking on the link on the programs list page or by stopping by the Outdoor Program desk at the CSU Rec Center near the climbing wall.  

So if you want to give that snowshoeing a try, your best bet is to check out the CSU Outdoor Program, providing you with a lifelong skill you can take with you long after the class is over.