JSC Outing club has numerous adventures, competitions and fundraisers in the works for the entire campus to enjoy. I was able to sit down with Outing Club President and JSC senior Caroline Hassan for an overview of the club and what they have planned over the next few months.

 
For the first few weeks of this school year, Outing Club was not recognized as a club, but Hassan says, “It is now. The paperwork is in and we got voted on, and now we are officially recognized by SGA.”

 
One of the many factors that go into running a club is having interest and participation. The Outing Club currently has between 10 and 15 members at each meeting and around 25 on each outing. Hassan hopes to boost attendance throughout the year as the club has more events.

 
The Outing Club’s next event is the NRO (Northeastern Regional Organization) caving trip this weekend. Hassan says the trip is “a nationally recognized jamboree that our advisor, Ken Moore, is part of. He’s a part of Vermont Cavers and they are going caving in New York Sept. 16, 17 and 18. It’s $35 per person. You go camping and you go caving; it’s a lot of fun.”

 
For those interested in caving but unable to make the trip this weekend, the Outing Club has another caving trip on Oct. 1st, which will be free.

 
If you want to experience an Outing Club adventure, Hassan says her favorite is the caving trips. “It’s a new experience and a unique experience to the JSC outing club,” says Hassan. “We are super lucky to have Ken. He knows what he’s doing, he knows everyone in the area, he knows what’s safe and what’s not. So we get to go caving with him and his friends, depending on how large our group is and how tricky the cave is. I highly recommend that everyone go at least once on a caving trip.”

 
Outing Club is able to go on events for free, or at a reduced price, because of its many fundraisers. Hassan says that Outing Club tries “to fundraise a lot in the beginning of the year, usually when people have money to do things. It’s kind of pointless in May because everyone is like, ‘Ahhh! Five dollars? I need to do laundry this week!’ . . . So we really try to fundraise in the beginning of the year when the weather is nice. A lot of the second semester part of the year, it’s usually snowy and everyone wants to go skiing with their ski pass and everything.”

 
A typical Outing Club fundraiser is an “outdoorsy” and “adventurous” event with an entrance fee that goes toward the club. An upcoming fundraiser for Outing Club is their bouldering competition in the SHAPE rock climbing gym. The event has a $5 entrance fee for climbers. Hassan says Outing Club is having the bouldering competition sometime within October or November.

 
She also says that Outing Club will be having a Rail Jam some time in the upcoming winter months. “Keep your eyes open for flyers that go up; usually they are flashy,” she says. “I put them in residence halls and in Bentley. After every meeting, usually on Thursdays, I’m on Facebook and I update everything that happened during the meeting and what’s going on and what we talked about.”

 
For those who are unfamiliar with Rail Jam, Hassan describes it by saying, “We get snow from different ice rinks in the area, or, if it’s here, we use it. We set up different ski and snowboard terrain park features. Sometimes there’s rails or box jumps, and it’s a competition for some people. Five dollars and you go to the top of the hill, or drop in, and people ski and snowboard and do some tricks.”

 
If terrain parks aren’t for you, you can still show up to the event, cheer on the competitors and check out the tents in the area. “I participate as an audience member,” Hassan says. “There’s tents around selling [ski] passes and stickers. People compete and there are winners and everyone has a great time on campus . . . We just want everyone to come in and have a great time and fundraise.”

 
For those unable to spend the money on outings, the Outing Club includes free events when possible, such as Reel Rock on Sept. 23 in Stowe. Reel Rock is a film collection of awe-inspiring climbing videos and stories of climbers.

 
Hassan explains, “It’s a climbing party and you get to see Reel Rock and everything. There, you have the option: You can spend money to go climbing, or you can go watch people and you get to see the movie. To see the movie is free, to go climbing costs a little bit of money.”

 
One of the most popular events for Outing Club is their end-of-the-year white water rafting trip. “White water rafting usually happens the weekend before finals of second semester,” Hassan says. “We try to make that free, but it depends on how much we fund-raise. We have a JSC grad who is a raft guide in Maine. He has gear for us and we rent more. We go white water rafting and camping right along the Dead River, which is awesome.”

 
Outing Club has many different types of events, all of which reflect member interest. If you want to go on a certain trip to a certain place, the club always welcomes new ideas and encourages members to set up and run their own trips. Events are chosen to accommodate people of all skill levels, from beginner to expert. If an outing is geared toward higher skill sets, the club is able to recommend another one of its trips that will fit someone with a lower skill set.

 
When asked what she would tell a freshman looking into Outing Club, Hassan says, “Don’t worry about your ability level. Come in, meet some people who are interested in being outside and see if you like it. If you like it, great. If not, get involved. Maybe Outing Club isn’t the club for you, but there are so many clubs on campus. Get involved with at least one of them, if not many.”

 
If you are interested in contacting the Outing Club and seeing what it’s all about, its Facebook page, JSC Outing Club, is constantly updated with information about coming events and other Outing Club news. The club encourages anyone interested in the outdoors to attend one of its meetings and meet the club members. It meets on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. in the basement of Governors South.