When it’s cold outside most students at BYU-Idaho prefer a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate rather than braving the 20-degree temperatures. And although they might not think so, they miss out on all that Rexburg and surrounding areas have to offer.
Just ask Maria Khoobyar a junior from Sterling, Va., who went with a group of her roommates up to Henry’s Fork in November and had a great time in a wall tent erected on the property.
“If you have a wall tent that’s heated, it’s something you can still do in winter,” Khoobyar said.
A wood burning stove, tables, and chairs are all included in a wall tent, which is made of “regular canvas,” Khoobyar said.
The activities consisted of a night hike to the site, a dinner of chili, broccoli, cheese and onion soup in bread bowls with hot chocolate and watching a movie with a generator the group brought.
Now, that’s great for all of those who have connections, as Khoobyar does, but what about everyone else who doesn’t have access to a heated wall tent?
This is where the Outdoor Recreation Center comes in handy.
Khoobyar rented headlamps from the ORC for the night hike, which was worth the money she spent renting them.
“They have everything —backpacks, tents, sleeping bags [and] cooking utensils for camping. And they’re located right under the stadium,” she said.
Ruth Matthews a junior from Pleasant Grove, Utah started working there this summer as a volunteer and obtained a paying position this fall semester.
It’s a fun change,” Matthews said, referring to winter recreation versus summer recreation, “There are so many fun things to do [in the wintertime].”
Business for the ORC really picks up with the arrival of cold weather and snow.
“The weather isn’t cold enough to do snow things,” Matthews said, “Once we get snow we get really busy.”
There are many trips students can take through the ORC, including skiing, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trips.
Upcoming events can be found by looking at a large calendar in the Center that shows upcoming events or on a posted list online under the activities section of the BYU-Idaho Web site.
The Web site also shows equipment that can be rented out and the prices on that equipment.
If students need to know what to bring for any winter recreation trip, there are several Web sites that are helpful in this respect, including rei.com, which supplied essentials list for snow camping.
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