Free access to outdoor gear and activities will bring the great outdoors even closer to reach for the Dartmouth community this winter. Warm clothing, ski passes and equipment, snowshoes, and ice skates are among the offerings.
"Getting outdoors is a great way to support physical and mental health and well-being," says Chief Health and Wellness Officer Estevan Garcia. "We're excited to help students, faculty, and staff enjoy everything this special season has to offer."
The ongoing effort to increase access to outdoor activities and promote student health and wellness receives support from Garcia's office, the Office of the President, and the Outdoor Engagement Committee.
As part of President Sian Leah Beilock's emphasis on mental health and wellness, Dartmouth last year brought an ice rink back to the Green following a hiatus during the pandemic, and over the summer, offered free gear rentals and outdoor education classes. Starting this fall, the fee for beginning swim classes was waived for all students.
Ice skates, snowshoes, and warm clothes for all
As in past years, undergraduates, graduate and professional students, faculty, and staff can borrow snowshoes, ice skates, and winter clothes at no charge from Dartmouth Outdoor Rentals, in the basement of Robinson Hall.
"This includes warm coats, gloves, warm pants, and other items to make it comfortable to be in the cold," says Katie Colleran, director of the Outdoor Programs Office.
Dartmouth community members and the general public alike can borrow skates from Campion Rink for free. Occom Pond will also be open for skating, weather permitting.
Free ski lessons and equipment for beginners
At Oak Hill Outdoor Center, cross country ski equipment is free for everyone to borrow, and trail passes are free for all Dartmouth students. Special prices for Dartmouth Skiway season passes will remain in place this year—undergraduate, graduate, and professional students pay $99, and members of the Class of '28 can ski all season for $59.
New this year, beginning ski and snowboarding classes are free for undergraduates. Taught largely by Dartmouth undergraduates who are certified ski instructors, the popular courses include seven lessons, equipment rentals, lift tickets, and transportation to and from Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme, N.H., or Whaleback Mountain in Enfield, N.H.
J.B. Weber, senior associate athletics director for physical education and recreation, says that "soup-to-nuts" approach makes the ski program unique.
"All you have to do is get your equipment to the bus in front of Dartmouth Hall," he says. "The bus will drop you at the lodge at the mountain where you'll be greeted by your instructors and have the opportunity to learn to ski from there."
The physical education classes, expanded this year to accommodate more students, are filled to capacity. Of the 250 enrolled students, many are from places where it doesn't snow, Weber says.
"We are thrilled to see students seizing the moment at Dartmouth, even during the winter," Garcia says. "Spending time outside is a powerful wellness tool, both in terms of boosting physical fitness and building community."
A 'positive step forward'
The support from across campus "has been fantastic," Weber says. Eliminating the fees for pickleball, golf, fly fishing, tennis, and swim classes has led to "a massive uptick in enrollment and participation" in those physical education courses, which added spots or entire sections to accommodate the surging interest.
This summer, enrollment in outdoor physical education classes grew by more than 50% over the previous year, and in just two terms the number of students taking swimming lessons surpassed last year's total of about 60 students, he says.
"It really is a positive step forward," Weber says.