Outdoor Adventures

Mission statement

It is the mission of Outdoor Adventures to foster personal growth and a spirit of adventure for the °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ community through education, experience and accessibility in the wilderness of Alaska and right here on campus.

 

Spring 2025

Spring 2025 Trips Schedule

Outdoor Adventures offers a wide variety of trips and programs each semester. We have lots of popular classics, like ice climbing in Denali, XC skiing in the White Mountains, ice fishing, and an overnight cabin trip. This spring, we have added some new offerings that we are excited about. Check out our new fat biking trip and our kayak rolling clinics, among others.
 

Classic Ski
°®ÎÛ´«Ã½ Student Long Term XC Ski Rentals- $50

Outdoor Adventures is excited to offer °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ students a fleet of season-long XC Classic Ski rental packages for $50. We have 25 sets of skis devoted to the long-term rental program.  Students can check the skis out anytime in the season and keep them until the snow melts in April.  We will also continue daily and weekend rentals with our standard fleet of classic, skate, and backcountry skis.     

OA Hours

Outdoor Adventures will be closed Dec 20th - Jan 9th.  To help students get out over the winter holiday we are offering a rental special.  Rent any gear after 12/9/24 and keep it until 1/13/25 for a two week rental rate.

Outdoor Adventures is open Monday-Friday. 

Monday 12-6 pm

Tuesday 12-5 pm

Wednesday 12-5 pm

Thursday 12-5 pm

Friday 12-6 pm

XC Skiing
Weekly XC Ski Lesson Spring 2025

Starting on Monday, 1/27 we will have two drop-in XC ski lessons each week for °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ students. No sign ups necessary.  Just show up ready to be outside skiing for about an hour.
Cost-
$5 includes the ski rentals (if needed)
When-
Mondays at 4-5 pm, Wednesdays at 12-1 pm
What-
These lessons generally focus on beginner classic skiing techniques, but if you are interested in skate skiing, we will see if we can make it work, too.

 

 

Wilderness Welcome Orientation Trip

Stay healthy and get out in the Alaska wilderness. A big part of enjoying life in Fairbanks is embracing an active, outdoor lifestyle. °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ Outdoor Adventures offers Wilderness Welcome Orientation before the traditional New Student Orientation. There are now two trip types for our pre-orientation experience.  There are two wilderness based trips or a campus based adventure trip series.  Start your time at UAF right by participating in this awesome event.

During Wilderness Welcome students from all over the U.S. and the world get to know each other while they explore Alaska's vast wilderness. No experience is required, but all students will be challenged.


Gear Rental

Outdoor Adventures has a wide variety of rental gear for both summer and winter.  Canoes, rafts, backpacks and tents are our most popular summer items and XC skis, AT skis and ice climbing gear are our most popular items when winter arrives.  Please check out our price list for a complete list what we rent.  Also check out gear details tab to see the specifics about our gear.  Please give us a call at (907)474-6027 or email us at uaf-oa-staff@alaska.edu with any questions about our rentals

Angel Creek Cabin

This video presentation gives folks the information to do a winter trip into the Lower Angel Creek Cabin in the Chena State Recreation Area.  It also provides a blueprint for getting out to the many different public use cabin trips in the interior.   to go this Google drive file to download  the maps and gear lists for this trip.

Jack River Ice Guide

The waterfalls above the Jack River in the Alaska Range provide one of the most beautiful and engaging ice climbs in the Interior. Many years, the falls will form a fat, steep, 50m WI 4 first pitch, which is generally followed by a more mellow WI 2 second pitch. The link will take you to a video guide to the logistics and specifics of a day climbing at Jack River. to access the files for the slideshow, maps, and gear list from the presentation.

Mt Prindle Backpacking

This video presentation gives folks the information to do a backpacking trip into the Mount Prindle area in the White Mountains Recreation area.  This great hike takes you up a valley and onto an alpine ridge that has dramatic granite spires rising out of the tundra all around you.  You can camp in the valley or on the ridgetop.  From camp you can do the scrambly ascent of Mount Prindle which is the tallest peak in the White Mountains.  .

Delta Clearwater Paddling

This video presentation provides the general information and logistics necessary to get out and enjoy the Delta Clearwater River.  Maps, gear list and a discussion of the hazards encountered on this trip are all included.   to go to the Google drive and download the maps and gear lists for this trip.

Glacier Travel
Education Corner

Glacier Travel and Route Finding on Glaciers

This video presentation will guide you through some tips and tricks for route finding on glaciers, and ways to reduce the risks associated with crevasse falls and traveling through glaciated mountain terrain.

Outdoor Adventures Living Learning Community

The Outdoor Adventure's LLC brings together students with similar identities, values or needs. We have staff who support your experience within the residence halls and at the Outdoor Adventures office.  A successful first year of college looks different for every student, so we offer programs to appeal to a diverse set of interests and structure them so students are given opportunities to adjust to °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ academically as well as socially.

Outdoor Adventure Staff

Frank
Frank Olive

Outdoor Adventures Coordinator

Frank worked as a staff member for Outdoor Adventures since 2010. Frank has lived in and played in Alaska for 30 years, and loves exploring the mountains on foot or on skis. Climbing and skiing are his main passions when he is not hanging out with his kids. Frank also enjoys exploring Alaska in a kayak, raft and packraft as well as doing bike tours around the world.

Credentials: Wilderness First Responder, A3 Pro 1 Avalanche,  A3 Rec 1 Provider,  AMGA Apprentice Rock Guide, PCIA SPI, AMGA Alpine Skills Course, AK Avalanche School Avy 1 and Avy 2, PCIA CWI-L, USSA Level 100 Alpine Coach, ACA Level 1-2 Coastal Kayak Instructor, Swiftwater Rescue Technician, USA Climbing Level 1 Route Setter, ACA Level 1-3 Canoe, AMGA SPI and CWI-L (expired 11/17)

Christian Mogensen

Assistant coordinator for climbing programs

Christian has worked as a member of the climbing wall staff since the spring of 2013. Hailing from Denmark, Christian has been living in Alaska since January 2012. He is a graduate student in the Northern and Arctic Studies program and is conducting research on optimal experience (aka Flow) in outdoor recreation activities. Christian loves spending time with his family, and spending time outside rock and ice climbing and mountaineering.

Credentials: Wilderness First Responder, PCIA CWI Provider, PCIA CWI-L, PCIA SPI, Swift Water Rescue Technician, ACA Canoeing Level 1&2, USA Climbing Level 1 route setter, Alaska Avalanche School Avi 1

Samuel Stone

Assistant Coordinator of Outdoor Adventures

Sam is the most recent addition to the Outdoor Adventures staff. He grew up in midcoast Maine and has always been drawn to outdoor pursuits. Sam's undergraduate studies focused on Outdoor Based Environmental Education and he recently finished a Master's program in Cultural Foundations of Education at Syracuse University. 

Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, American Canoe Assoication L4 Swiftwater Instructor, American Canoe Association L4 Sea Kayak Instructor, American Canoe Association L5 Whitewater Kayak Instructor

Joy Lomelino

Student Employee

Joy has been working at OA since the Fall 2022 semester. Growing up in Alaska has shaped her love for outdoor adventure no matter the season.  When she's not in class she loves to be out backpacking, climbing,  or skiing.

Credentials: Wilderness First Responder, PCIA CWI

Dorothy Sherer

Student Employee

Dorothy started working for Outdoor Adventures in Fall 2022. While she was raised in Indiana, she feels right at home exploring the wilderness of Alaska. Dorothy came to °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ to study biology, and when she's not studying, you can find her hiking, climbing, skiing, hammocking, or petting the nearest cat or dog she finds on campus. 

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid

Hazel Probst

Student Employee

Hazel, born and raised in Fairbanks, has been working at OA since the beginning of 2023. She studies Anthropology and Environmental Politics at UAF, but in her free time you can find her skiing, running, climbing, or yogaing. She has her Wilderness First Aid Certification and is super excited to get paid to be outdoors.

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, EMT-1

Max Powell

Student Employee

Max grew up in Anchorage Alaska and began working for Outdoor Adventures in the Fall of 2023. Growing up in Alaska instilled in him a deep passion for the outdoors. In his spare time he is usually planning the next weekend trip. His recent favorite outdoor activities include ice climbing, skiing, packrafting and climbing.

 
Credentials: Alaska Avalanche School Avi Rec 1, Wilderness First Responder

Shannon Williams

Student Employee

Shannon was born in Fairbanks, AK and  grew up around the °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ campus. Due to her love for the tight-knit community that Fairbanks provides, she decided to enroll at UAF and is majoring in the Geosciences. When she is not studying or working, you can find her snowboarding, backpacking, rock climbing, floating a river, or looking for cool rocks. 

Credentials: Swiftwater Rescue, Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, PCIA CWI-A

Alex Patton

Student Employee

Alex began working for Outdoor Adventures in Fall 2023, and is a Geoscience major. Recently moving from Texas, he is able to pursue newly available winter sports while continuing to hike, fish, and kayak. If he's not in the office or doing homework, you can find him trudging to upper campus for chem.

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid

Abby Eberhardt

Student Employee

Abby was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and started at Outdoor Adventures in fall 2023. She grew up camping and fishing with her family, and continues to fulfill her passion for the outdoors by backpacking, alpine skiing, and skijouring with her dog. Abby is currently a student at UAF studying biology. 

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder

Kaija Backus

Student Employee

Kaija grew up in Wasilla, Alaska and enjoys hiking, Nordic skiing, and camping in her free time. She began working at Outdoor Adventures in fall 2023 and is majoring in psychology. 

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid

Micah Kanz

Student Employee

Micah came to °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ in 2022 from  the Berkshires, Massachusetts, in pursuit of a degree in Natural Resources & Environment. He enjoys many outdoor activities including skiing, mountain biking, and climbing. He began working for Outdoor Adventures in fall of 2023.  

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid, PCIA CWI-A-L

Helen Willard

Student Employee

Helen was raised on rocks in Colorado, spending any free moment climbing or collecting them. This passion led her to pursue Geology at UAF. You can find her taking any free moment to ski, climb, or hike. She is excited to learn anything she can about leadership in the Alaskan outdoors!

Credentials: Wilderness First Aid, PCIA CWI-L, AAA Avi Rec 1

Lily Hooge

Student Employee

Lily grew up in Southeast Alaska, and has been exploring the outdoors since childhood. She loves to ski, hike, bike, sea kayak, and climb, and she is majoring in natural resource management and outdoor education. Lily is excited to explore interior Alaska more with Outdoor Adventures!

Credentials: PCIA CWI

Grant Knuppenburg

Student Employee

Grant was born and raised in sunny southern California, spending much of his free time in the water. He now studies Homeland Security at UAF and has been enjoying the great Alaskan outdoors. Three words that describe Grant perfectly are Sick, Dope, and Awesome.