Image courtesy of Travel Nevada.
For a school nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the University of Nevada, Reno does surprisingly little to encourage students to explore the incredible region. Unlike other universities in the west, Nevada does not facilitate its students’ outdoor aspirations, even in its prime location for recreation and exploration.
“I was kind of disappointed when I got up here,” Henry Stark, a second-year student who grew up in the Yosemite Valley, said. “I know other colleges offer that sort of thing. It wouldn’t be that hard to do, at least I don’t think so.”
Stark is correct: other schools with proximity to the Sierras have robust outdoor programs. The University of California, Davis is a great example of this, offering equipment rentals and guided classes for students to enjoy. The equipment offered consists of everything from inflatable kayaks to cross country skis, all at a reasonable price — compared to other rental options.
Screenshot of UC Davis’ equipment rental pricing.
It is also important to note that UC Davis is considerably farther from the mountain range’s best feature than UNR. Lake Tahoe sits nearly 130 miles from Davis, as opposed to just 36 miles from Nevada’s main campus.
“If [UC Davis] can do it, we can too. They aren’t even that close to the mountains,” Stark said. “I’m sure it would get a lot of students into being outdoorsy too, and a lot of people would get into that life.”
Outdoor equipment is expensive, and students with no real experience in these activities may never get the chance to try them out without an affordable rental option available. Who is going to buy a snowboard if they’ve never been snowboarding before? One of the main benefits of expanding the outdoor program at UNR is that it can facilitate the learning experience of these prospective adventurers.
On top of the benefits that equipment rentals can bring, it is also important to note that an outdoor program can do a lot for students in a social and recreational sense. A program such as this one would bring a simple, fun benefit to students that is not centered around their education. It’d be similar to the University’s fitness center, something that is purely an amenity for students to use and socialize in that is not limited by one’s major or prospective career.
This has sort of played out at UNR’s Lake Tahoe campus. Opened in recent years, this alternative campus offers an academic experience in Incline Village for students to attend. While this is an incredible resource, the campus and its students are there for academic purposes, whereas an outdoor program similar to that of other universities would be almost entirely for recreational use — something that would offer new experiences for almost every student at UNR. The University’s Lake Tahoe campus does offer outdoor ski events for students. UNR also offers Outdoor Adventure And Leadership (ODAL) classes, though they are academically based for credit.
Image courtesy of Visit Reno Tahoe.
Aside from a hypothetical outdoor program, UNR could do more with the myriad of surrounding ski resorts to encourage student participation and recreation. The greater Lake Tahoe region is known to be one of the premier skiing/snowboarding areas in North America, and it would only make sense for the resorts closest to Reno to offer student discounts, but they don’t. Mt. Rose – Ski Tahoe, stationed only 26 miles away from UNR’s main campus, offers no discount for students, and a season pass costs over $1,000.
Mt. Rose isn’t alone, though. The lack of student accommodation is prevalent at nearly all of the Tahoe-area resorts. For students to obtain any sort of price markdown, they have to purchase multi-resort passes, most notably the Ikon or Epic pass, both of which can cost north of $800.
Ski resorts partnering with universities to offer students a discounted path to enjoying winter sports is not an uncommon policy, either. The University of Montana offers a discounted lift ticket and free transportation to Montana Snowbowl — the closest resort to the university — all through their very own outdoor program. At the Snowbowl, a student discounted single-day lift ticket costs just $65, as opposed to Mt. Rose’s counterpart, which can easily exceed $150 depending on which day you choose to go.
Whether through access to equipment, opportunities to socialize with other students or simply discounted costs, an outdoor program provided directly by UNR would benefit not only those who already spend countless days out of the year in the forest but every student who is interested in the outdoors and exploring new hobbies.