Outdoor adventures in Reno/Tahoe area underappreciated by students
Alex Alexiades
My avid interest in alpinism, ski mountaineering, rock climbing and surfing has taken me around the world. I have lived, climbed and worked as a guide in South America, Alaska, Europe and Indonesia.
These passions, along with a desire to work in conservation, have also brought me to Reno. That is why I was surprised to see a lack of interest in the outdoor activities this area has to offer.
Aside from skiing and snowboarding at the resorts up at Tahoe, it seems that many University of Nevada, Reno students are not taking full advantage of the outdoor activities.
So how did an interest in climbing lead me to Reno?
One key element was the city’s proximity to Lake Tahoe, known for world-class skiing.
I began researching the city in depth, and found that in addition to the numerous resorts and back country skiing opportunities, Reno boasts some of the best rock climbing, alpine climbing, mountain biking and whitewater kayaking in the country as well.
Climbing magazine even ranked Reno as the sixth best city in the country for rock climbers. These outdoor opportunities are attracting many people from other states to this area.
There are few cities in the United States of over 100,000 people that offer such diversity and quality of outdoor possibilities, making Reno a veritable outdoor paradise.
Since moving here last fall, I’ve grown to like this area even more than I thought I would, due to the combination of having a good-sized university and being so close to the Sierra Nevadas.
I decided last year to try to get more involved in outdoor clubs and programs at UNR, but was surprised to find that the opportunities were few. I was so surprised there wasn’t an alpine or climbing club that I tried to start my own.
This was unsuccessful due to time constraints and lack of interest from those I contacted. I also got involved in some of the outdoor classes offered through PEX by assistant teaching the Wilderness Skills course and taking an Avalanche course.
There are many such courses at UNR, ranging from Fly-Fishing to Rock Climbing. These are quality, professionally taught courses that would cost students hundreds to thousands of dollars outside UNR, and I strongly encourage more students to get involved and take advantage of such classes during their time at the university.
I was also surprised to find that there is still relatively little interest in these courses overall. In a unique outdoor adventure area like Reno, I would think UNR would try to capitalize on the outdoor opportunities by offering as many of these classes as possible. UNR would also be the perfect place to offer an Outdoor Recreation, Education, or Leadership degree program.
After living in several different places, I’ve often found that many people don’t take advantage of the opportunities their areas have to offer.
Whether you have lived in Reno all your life or just moved here, be sure to take advantage of this outdoor playground by taking an outdoor course, joining or starting an interest club through Associated Students of University of Nevada/Graduate Student Association, or simply getting outside on your own and exploring.
Alex Alexiades is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.
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January 6th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Any chance UNR might start such a program ? Any idea if they have allowed students to make such a degree under the general studies degree ?