Rob Jones has been the director of Outdoor Adventures for over 50 years. Throughout his tenure, he’s helped expand the program to provide students and the general public opportunities to experience the outdoors and build community together.
Outdoor Adventures is located in the Eccles Student Life Center. On top of offering rental gear, the program organizes day and overnight trips and oversees The Summit, the campus climbing gym.
Spencer Herkelman, the assistant director for Outdoor Adventures, explained the significance of this department and the role Jones played in expanding this program at the U. He said the fact that OA even has three separate departments is thanks to Jones’ work.
“It’s had a lot of growth, and I feel like we can continue to grow with who we’re trying to reach and be able to have impacts on, whether they be campus members or community members,” Herkelman said.
Ashley Fox, the program manager of Outdoor Adventures, talked about the role OA plays at the U, providing access to and guidance on Utah’s unique outdoor recreation opportunities.
“We really feel like a special niche within the university for what we can offer our students,” Fox said. “We not only teach people the skills, but we give them the confidence to try it for the first time outside with a group of people they’ve never met before. And most of the time that becomes a really supportive, awesome community for them to feel safe in, for them to challenge themselves and grow.”
Fox said the U also offers programs like U-Explore, where students can take for-credit classes to explore Utah and it’s surrounding areas. At Outdoor Adventures, trips range from backpacking, ski trips and camping, giving students and the public a variety of options to experience.
“The biggest thing that people [say] in the reviews when they come back from a trip, they all talk to the community that they’ve developed and the friends they’ve made. A lot of times, the students who sign up for our trips are students who are living in the dorms and they haven’t really found their group yet and they may not be super into the outdoors, but they’re willing to try it,” Fox said. “That’s definitely a sign that we’re succeeding in our mission because when students have that community that they can rely on at school, they’re going to be more invested in their time here.”
Outdoor Adventures is also looking to expand into hosting international trips. Fox said they’re looking at partnering with Global-U to realize this while still providing unique experiences for students.
“U-Explore does international stuff and U-Global does international stuff and we’ve been looking at what niche we fill and how we’re different,” Fox said.
Longer trips in more diverse locations are also things Outdoor Adventures hopes to implement more of. For example, this August, Outdoor Adventures is hosting The Wilderness Welcome trip to Moab for incoming students. This six day trip will give students the opportunity to explore several sports, like rock climbing, rafting and canyoneering.
“There’s something extra special about being with someone for an entire week, especially if someone gives up their spring break or their fall break. That’s a crucial time for students to go home and rest before they come back for the rest of the semester,” Fox said. “So, when students give us that time, we take it very seriously and I don’t think there’s any better way for a student who, if they don’t know what they’re doing yet for a break, to spend it with us, because they’re going to get so much out of it.”
