ORC helps students stay safe and well equipped over the summer
The Outdoor Recreation Center isn’t used anywhere near its capacity, says Jake Collett, a senior in parks and recreation and a rental shop employee.
“It is high quality, affordable equipment that [students] should be using,” Collett said. “People just don’t know about it.”
With summer on its way, now is the time to look into what the ORC has to offer.
There is a lot of information available at the ORC. Paul Bowman, who is in charge of rentals, said they have guidebooks to the Cache Valley area and there are several other resources there as well.
John Louviere, program administrator at the ORC, said they are providing “a common adventure trip resource.” He said if anyone is interested in going on a trip this summer, he will provide all of the expertise to plan it and he will work with Bowman to get the equipment needed. Also, he said he will facilitate to find other people to go with.
There won’t be any trips offered by the ORC this summer. The university “yanked all of the vehicles, so it gets more difficult,” Bowman said. Trips should be back in the fall, though.
Louviere said he is “re-evaluating risk management procedures and the transportation expenses.” He said transportation is the most dangerous thing involved with outdoor recreation.
“It’s much safer to take them boating, kayaking or skiing than it is to drive them there,” Louviere said.
He said he is going to stop everything that is happening now and revamp for the fall.
“Instead of organizing the trips, we are here to help it happen,” Louviere said.
When doing outdoor activities, it is important to be safe and use common sense.
The ORC provides PFDs (personal floatation devices) to rent as well for $1-$5. Bowman said wearing a PFD is important in water safety, but it is also important for the person to know what they are doing, and they should be comfortable in the water. If not, they should go with someone who is.
To be safe with the tubes, finding a safe place is important.
“There are a lot of inviting spots, but they aren’t the safest,” Bowman said.
Always wear a life jacket, Bowman said, and maybe take a stick to stay away from any walls.
He said it is always good to go with people who have been before when doing outdoor activities that are more difficult.
There are a few common-sense outdoor safety tips that Bowman gave. Wearing sunscreen, a life jacket and leaving a shirt and hat on are some of them. Also, Bowman said people going out on adventures should let someone know where they are going and when they will be back.
“Just in case,” Bowman said. “There are things that could happen that are bad news.”
He also said to think about the conditions and dress and pack appropriately.
“If you don’t know what you are doing, ask,” Collett said. “Most equipment in here is not difficult to use, but if you don’t know how and you try to use it, it can mess you up.”
For college students who want to do outdoor activities, but don’t have the money to buy the equipment, Collett said the ORC can be a great resource.
There is a large selection to choose from and Bowman said they are getting more things in. For any adventure, the center has equipment to rent, he said.
For camping, there are sleeping bags, pads and tents available. There are also backpacks for hikes or camping. Sleeping gear, including tents, sleeping bags and pads, will cost anywhere from $1-$12 for one day and $2-$19 for a weekend.
There are rock climbing shoes and helmets available, Bowman said. That equipment will cost in the range of $2-$6 for each item, depending on the amount of time it is loaned out.
There is a large selection of bikes, including mountain bikes and one tandem bike, with another on the way. Bowman said they are even going to put baskets on the tandem bikes to carry the food for a picnic. A mountain bike package will cost $12 for a half day, $15 for a full day and $30 for the weekend.
They now offer kites for kiteboarding also and Bowman said they will hopefully be getting some mountain boards soon. They are trying to get some classes together for the kite boarding and he said anyone interested can contact the ORC.
They have several boats, kayaks and canoes to choose from that will range in price from $9-$120, depending on length of time and the size and type of boat.
Everything from canoes to duckies – or inflatable kayaks – are available. There are canoe trailers available for free, Bowman said.
This year, the ORC has more tubes for rent and they will be getting more soon. They come complete with cup holders and are great for floating down a river, Bowman said. Tubes cost $4 for a half day, $6 for a full day and $10 for a weekend.
They now sell disk golf disks, too. The reason they don’t rent them is because they get beat up easily, but Bowman said they are pretty cheap to buy.
Dutch ovens are available for $4 for a day and $6 for a weekend. Other cookware is about the same price.
All prices on rentals depend on the amount of time the item is gone. A half-day means the item will be back before they close that day. A full day is a 24-hour period and a weekend is a 72-hour period, with additional days at an extra cost.
For information about the ORC, rentals or how to get help planning an outdoor adventure, call 797-3264.
-hollyadams@cc.usu.edu
The ORC has many different kinds of outdoor equipment, such as canoes and bikes for rent over the summer. (Scott Erickson)