Annual Report 1998

Contents

  1. President
  2. General Manager
      Financial Report
  3. Trainer
  4. DOC Trips
  5. Cycling Club
  6. Dartmouth Mountaineering Club (DMC)
  7. Environmental Students at Dartmouth (ESD)
  8. Ledyard Canoe Club
  9. Ski Patrol
  10. Snowboarding Club
  11. Winter Sports Club
  12. Women in the Wilderness

President

1997-98 was a year of rare stability for the DOC. When I was elected President last spring, the DOC affiliate clubs and the Dartmouth Outdoor Programs Office were continually at odds with one another. The student-staff interaction was increasingly strained. My primary goal as DOC President was to ease that strain without a loss of student autonomy, and it is with great pleasure that I can now claim membership in a much more smoothly running Outing Club.

Communication was - and remains, of course - the key to improved DOC/OPO relations. The affiliate clubs and the directorate like to be informed of changes that will affect them as these changes are considered, not after policies and procedures have been altered. We had a long meeting of many students with Earl, David, and Brian last spring that helped to clarify many of the ongoing changes in the Office and in the DOC. This meeting was the beginning of a much improved communication between the affiliate clubs and the OPO staff, which in turn has led to many fewer misunderstandings and squabbles. It is imperative that the open communication of the past year, particularly between David and Brian and the student leaders of the affiliate clubs, continue if the DOC is to flourish as a student-run organization. Our focus this year was on the affiliate clubs, and with the exception of highly successful DOC Spring and Fall Weekends at Moosilauke, we had few all-DOC events. For this year, I think that was fine - we needed a change in emphasis; but overall, we do not want to lose the inter-club unity stressed by my predecessors. An effort should be made to have occasional all-DOC Grant trips and the like, as they can be a lot of fun as well as useful for fostering inter-club communication.

It is most important for the life of the DOC that the affiliate clubs are strong and independent. If they are, then the whole DOC is strong and can spread its influence throughout the campus. If the affiliates are weak, then nothing the directorate can do will have any great impact, no matter how innovative or imaginative the officers are.

The role of the DOC President is primarily that of facilitator. The President and Board run the Outing Club, making sure that policies will help the overall mission and contribute to the smooth running of the club. It is neither useful nor practical for the Board to manage the operations of every club. It is essential that the Board maintain communication, formally or informally, with the leaders of every club.

This year, I sought stability for the DOC. I wanted the affiliate clubs to be able to stand on their own with little intervention from the Board. The Board, however, serves an important role as a central stabilizing influence, as a forum for staff/student and inter-club communication and collaboration, and as the generator of carefully thought out policies making procedures workable for the clubs while serving the needs of the DOC and the College.

Assuming that the general stability of the past year is maintained, now is an excellent opportunity for the DOC once again to take on an even greater and more visible role in the life of the general College community.

Special thanks to the entire Outdoor Programs staff and to the students of the DOC for making this year so successful and to Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia for her continued support and encouragement.

- John Magyar '98

General Manager

This has been a year of settling into the new relationships established last year. The club continues to be carried forward by interested and idealistic leaders, as it should be. Some points to note:
  1. Several changes in the Outdoor Programs Office have helped the club greatly:
    1. Kathy's office is now open starting at 8:00 a.m. rather than 9:30, and Lynne is now able to run all the basic functions of that office in Kathy's absence. This has greatly simplified logistics for leaders, especially those who plan things toward the last minute!
    2. New DOC Drivers cards. Formerly anyone on any trip wishing to drive on a given trip was required to come in to sign the van form for that trip beforehand, which took a huge amount of time and hassle. These new cards are issued to all approved drivers, and essentially mean that only the person who signs out the van for the trip needs to come into the office for the keys - any other card-carrying driver on the trip can drive. This greatly improves the safety and flexibility of trips.
    3. Finally, we changed the Trip forms so that they are now kept IN the vans and are filled out at the last minute and a copy left in a box in Robinson. More complex trips still require the detailed Trip Plan form, but the vast majority of trips simply fill out the form and go, which gives a historical record and a record of trips in the field.
    The combination of these factors and the now-nearly-taken-for-granted Rental Shop, providing "free" gear for all official club events, means that it is probably easier than at any time in the recent past for DOC clubs to plan and run events.
  2. The DOC Board has become the settled place to discuss club issues and make plans. Board meetings have been well attended and an agreeable meeting time (5 p.m. on alternate Wednesdays) has been found.
  3. The Friends of DOC mailing, consisting of a letter from the club President, a newsletter from the Outdoor Programs office, and an annual giving appeal, has continued to be well-received. Resulting giving has strengthened the Friends of DOC Reserve, to the point where $2000 per year has been allocated for scholarships for a wide variety of programs.
  4. The DOC Trips (First-Year Trips) program wrestled long and hard with the question of adding Service trips in cooperation with the Tucker Foundation - Habitat for Humanity, and so on. In the end the Board decided to offer only DOC service trips, to work on trails, shelters and other things in the DOC domain, rather than go outside of the traditional Trips venues. An idea that emerged from the discussion with Tucker was Sophomore Service trips, which would be held at the start of the fall term, organized by Tucker, and would be an excellent way to get sophomores into the Service loop. This idea continues to be explored.

New programs have been tried and old ones revived. Picking out one or two projects is dangerous, but I can't but help but mention the revival of the Woodsmoke magazine - last seen in the spring of 1994 - as an accomplishment near and dear to my heart. Kevin Hand '97 and his crew of editors deserve thunderous applause for their hard work and the spectacular result. Others that deserve recognition are Ben Berk's Go-Out program, which brought UGA groups out for simple activities in the fall, the enormous if troublesome Trailwalk organized by Ted Yuo '98, an excellent ESD Earthday, and a fine Woodsmen's Meet, organized by Sam Nijensohn '98. John Magyar '98 as President was a good hand for keeping things quietly on track, and was instrumental in the Service Trips discussion; Ben Berk '00 was the most energetic DOC VP in recent memory and now, serving as President, the first rising junior to be so named since 1946, has a swath of new initiatives including new leadership training programs, renovations of Room 13, and much more. Sarah McCoy, Mike Novello and Greg Miller '99s worked doggedly on the new stone and log replacement for Happy Hill shelter in Norwich. Bruce Kennedy '00 and his gang of hunters and fishers spectacularly revived Bait and Bullet over the winter and are now regularly out and about. Liz Gerber '98 ran another spectacular DOC trips program and continued to strengthen the Leadership Training programs. And last but not least I should mention the some 100+ trail adopters, club members and community volunteers who have risen to the challenge and as of this writing cleared all but about 1 mile of the 29 miles of Appalachian Trail damaged by this past January's ice storm. Thank you, one and all, and the many others I did not mention. You have truly given more than was asked. On behalf of the College and the DOC past, present and future, I thank you.

There are a lot of people besides the students who give generously of their time and energy to make things happen. Here are a few:

DOC Advisory Committee: Kevin Peterson '82, Willem M. Lange '57A, Dean Dan Nelson '75, Sandy Spiegel, Dean Peter Goldsmith, Jay Heinrichs, Professor David Kotz '86

Safety Review Board: Jim Mason (Chair), Dr. Alex Reeves, Marcia Colligan, Dr. Michael Mayor, Earl Jette '55A

LCC Board and Overseers: Creigh Moffatt, Tom Hietzman, Dean Dan Nelson '75, Diana Munson '82, Billy Nutt '76, Daniel Johnson, Dan Lambert '92, Jay Evans '49, Walker Weed '40, Vail Haak '49, Herve Garant '90, Andy Mann

Club Advisors: Professor Stuart Trembly (Biathlon), Dr. Alex Mamourian (Biathlon), Professor Andy Friedland (ESD), Professor Leslie Sonder (Mountaineering), Richard "Pokey" Low (Ski Patrol)

Appalachian Trail Advisory Committee: Dr. Robert W. Averill '72, Bert Gilbert, Pete Richardson

Thank you, one and all, for your dedication to this organization. It really wouldn't be the same club without your support: moral, physical, and otherwise.

The DOC has had an excellent year. As you read these pages and reports of other years, you will see that there has been a tremendous variety of activity, and a huge variation in the level of activity from club to club and within a given club from term to term or year to year. This is good. Perhaps more than anything, this shows that the DOC is not the slave of tradition, and responds as needs and interests change and leadership becomes available and interested. The spring term is a time of great ferment and excitement in the DOC, and this year is particularly so, with ideas from membership promotions to new office hours to leadership training and much more all struggling to become reality, new people getting involved, and endless exciting questions. I look forward to seeing how these ideas turn out, when this report is written next year. But for now it is enough to say: The DOC is thriving.

Financial Report

The following financial report allows some approximate estimations of the level of activity in clubs. Note that income is negative, net expense positive, per the College's accounting convention.

 1997
Gross
Revenue		1997
Net
Expense		1998
YTD
Gross
Revenue		1998
YTD
Net
Expense
Central Pool Clubs
  Biathlon0000
  Cycling000200
  Directorate-2828259-21741677
  Mountaineering-30512373-4342271
  Riding-39000
  Snowboarding03640363
  Service/GO-Out!-36-360130
  Ski Patrol-545646-381493
  Women in the Wilderness-905660-432607
  Total-74244267-34215741
Endowed Clubs
  Bait and Bullet-165490262.76
  Cabin and Trail
    General-48601-491562
    Trails and Shelters-26030060826
    Forestry team-2702045-241200
    Woodsmens Weekend00-5238100
    Instruction-3401765-147925
    Trips-37581939-26323175
    Total-46769356-85316788
  ESD-1401890-90339
  WInter Sports0000
Self-funded Clubs
  Ledyard1997
Net
Budget		1997
Actual		1998
Net
Budget		1998
YTD
Actual
    General9378599893786144
    Racing-190-419-190-1025
    Instruction-927-451-927-841
    Rentals-142065440-142213979
    Trips500012715000434
    Total-945959-9608691

Some notes:

  1. Since the year is not yet over, no absolute comparisons can be made. However, it does appear that many clubs are using less club resources, notably DMC and ESD. This may be partly the result of more personal car use as opposed to vans, in the case of DMC. However the marked rise in Directorate spending suggest more central club programming, and less in the member clubs.
  2. Ledyard finances are reported as true budgets. Since the rental program has not yet started for the year, this considerably skews this picture (substantial income will come by June 30.)

- David Hooke '84

DOC Trainer

Leader Training

This year due to popular demand the Basic Leader training course was redesigned to provide new leaders in the club with the details to run trips. Originally, the DOC clubs decided to limit the BLT to just first-aid training, CPR and risk-management training, and that individual clubs would provide the rest. Unfortunately, many clubs do not have a formal leader training program and the needs of leaders to understand the process including: trip plans, van reservations, equipment requisitioning etc. were not being met. In addition, at the beginning of Fall term, we had a new emergency call guide system that uses Safety & Security as the main communication link, and current club leaders needed to be brought up to speed on the new procedures.

Meanwhile, a group of DOC leaders including C. Walker Holmes and Ben Berk started a very exciting DOC multi session leader training for the DOC. They meet regularly on Tuesdays for 2 hours and have hiked, performed a mock rescue, learned procedures and are having a great time together. They are also getting at the real skills a leader needs including group dynamics and motivation.

DOC Club Partners

The partnership arrangement between clubs and their OPO staff partner continues to solidify as Clubs increasingly find it effective to work closely with one partner who can help them create safe and effective programs. Ledyard, DMC and WIW meet regularly with me, and I have personally enjoyed working with them.

Daniel's Climbing Gym

The Gym is dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Belden Daniels '86, an avid outdoorsman and active member of the DMC who died in an avalanche in Poland's Tatra Mountains. Daniels was instrumental in establishing the climbing classes which have taught hundreds of Dartmouth students how to climb.

The Gym has become so popular the DMC, in conjunction with OPO, wrote a proposal to Residential Life to expand the Climbing Gym into the vacant racquetball court. This area would help with the overflow crowd by providing a warm-up, stretching, weight, changing room and classroom for PE climbing classes teaching belay skills. After many meetings, petitions, and polls, the residents of the River Cluster voted overwhelmingly to expand the gym. This was very timely, because we had an upsurge in activity at the gym due to the response from employees through the Health Awareness Program to our noon hour climbing classes, and the popularity of the technique classes.

The Gym is located in the basement of the Maxwell dormitories. It is open to students, faculty, college employees and affiliate members of the Dartmouth Outing Club. The gym was managed by Luke Cudney and Dan Becker this year. The manager oversees the monitors, route setting, equipment and pass sales for the gym.

Rock Climbing Programs

The typical outdoor class meets once a week for four hours and travel to Rose Ledges in Western Massachusetts for a full day of climbing at least once a session. Students master the skills of belaying, anchoring, tying-in, and climbing. In the advanced class the group is smaller by design and meets five hours every week and the highlight of the course is the weekend "Gunks" trip. The advanced students focus on climbing technique and fitness training. Classes continue to be popular, and we have added an intermediate class which focuses on the indoor climber who wished to learn how to climb outdoors. Many DMC climbers helped teach these classes with John Joline, and Jed Eliades. Brian Staveley and Luke Cudney both taught advanced technique classes with great success in the climbing gym.

Rental Program

Dartmouth Outdoor Rentals has been in a process of streamlining itself in order to be more efficient and user friendly. Much of the old inventory of rental equipment was sold at the Fall Used Gear Sale. DOR was able to purchase new snowshoes, expanded the plastic mountain boot inventory, and replaced worn out climbing shoes. This Spring we were able to take advantage of post-season sales of telemark skis, boots and bindings, and we will be all set to provide low-cost telemark gear rentals to Clubs and Dartmouth students next winter. In the next few weeks DOR will be holding another used gear sale which will include our mountain bikes and in-line skates. Clubs can look forward to more up to date equipment for their club trips.

Groulx Mountain Spring Break Trip

Once again a wonderful expedition into the beautiful winter wonderland of Northern Quebec took place during March 18-28. Cold powder snow, cobalt blue skies and warm heated tents made this an extraordinary experience for all who make the effort to go north during Spring Break. We skied out during a heavy wet snowstorm, and were surprised on our drive about with 80 degree weather from Quebec City south. El Nino strikes again!

Winter Mountaineering

Billings Cabin was filled to capacity at the beginning of Winter Break this December as 14 students participated in the annual Winter Mountaineering Skills Course offered by Educational Programs. The weather was excellent with cold weather and a good supply of ice. Climbers attended snow school on the first day and then returned to Willey's Slide the next day to make a full ascent using all they had learned the day before. The next day was steep ice at Grafton Notch and we finished the course at a new ice area, Champney Falls off of the Kancamagus Highway.

Ropes Course-New Games

Instructor training for the ropes course and have a group of well trained instructors that can lead groups in team building activities. The instructors led adventure team-building activities for: 36 First-Year Students in the Leadership Development Program (LDP), 50 Dartmouth students in the Leadership at Dartmouth Program sponsored by the Rockefeller Center, and 24 Seniors active in the SEC.

Many new programs were added this year as we continue to provide team-building for a variety of Campus programs including: Tuck Bridge Program for undergraduates from around the country, the Tuck Lead Program for minority high school students and the Thayer Engineering School's PEP program for high school math and science teachers.

Russian Experiential Exchange Program

Sara Pankenier, co-chair of Women in the Wilderness, was the Class of '66 Intern of the Year, for her work developing an experiential adventure camp in Mari-El Republic of Russia. We hope to continue to send outdoor leaders to Russia to share their expertise with our Russian colleagues.

- Brian Kunz

DOC Trips

The '97 DOC Trips program was a huge success due to the overwhelming support and volunteerism of the student body and the faculty. As in past years, the format of the program remained the same. Here is a brief run-down on the statistics:

Like every year, sections A, H, and I remained the most popular trip sections while kayaking and rock climbing were the most popular trip type choices. Due to an increase in requests for moderate hiking, and a decrease in requests for easy hiking, trip 63-64 was created as a substitute for 73-74. Trip 63-64 took advantage of an area previously unexplored by DOC Trips, the Kilkenny Ridge Trail off of Rt. 110 in Stark Village. Trippees enjoyed Unknown Pond and the excellent lookout provided by Roger's Ledge. As mentioned earlier, this trip was created in order to provide a stimulating outdoor environment for moderate hikers with little to no outdoor camping experience.

In another effort to better serve the trippees difficulty preferences, two new levels of hiking, Moderate-Easy, and Strenuous-Moderate were added to the trippee registration form. These two levels were added in an attempt to have trippees honestly state their difficulty preference. Over the past two years, I found that women are more likely to err conservatively when asked their ability while men are more likely to err less conservatively. Because many of the trips vary in difficultly despite their similar numerical ranking, these additional options for the trippees complimented and eased the trip assignment process.

Also, in consideration of safety and varying experience level, the size of the climbing and grant crews increased. Three instructors, Margaret Kim, Angie Kim, and Thaddeus Law, taught Trips 90 how to climb at Winslow, while four instructors, Mary Hollendoner, Alex Vogel, Colin Keenan, and Eric Daly, taught white water kayaking on the Androscoggin. Increased supervision and instruction was critical to the success of the white water and climbing trips. Crew members were able to lead small groups of trippees through the course, accommodating different skill and comfort levels.

The focus on safety and group dynamics continued in leader training. The obligatory two evening seminar training and weekend taught upperclassmen how to be strong and safe leaders. All leaders arrived the night before their trip section in the fall, to review the material learned previously. Although this tradition is only in its second year, leaders now consider it an essential part of preparing for their trip and getting excited with the other leaders for their trips.

Another small, but important change this year, was to have DOC President, John Magyar speak, about the DOC on the steps of Robinson Hall when the trippees arrived. His speech introduced the Dartmouth Outing Club as more than just an acronym. John's presence in Hanover was INVALUABLE. Had Hanover crew chief, Amanda Eaken and I gone insane during the trips program, John surely could have taken the reigns. Of course, John's speech in Hanover shortened the inevitably long evening program at Moosilauke on the last night!

Although the program officially ended on September 18, 1997, conversations on how the program can be improved continue. Throughout the winter of 1998, I met with Austyn Fudge, Kim Rogers, John Magyar, and Ben Berk to discuss the idea of service within the DOC Trips Program. This suggestion was made in the prior year by Dean Brown from the Tucker Foundation. This discussion of service led to several ideas in which we could integrate our notion of service into the program as well as other ways in which we could improve the trips program to reflect all aspects of the greater DOC. We considered:

Recycling/composting at the Lodge: Trailwork trips:

- Liz Gerber '98

Cycling Club

Rides initiated by individual members and numerous group rides went out on a nearly daily basis. The BlitzList was the most important aspect of the club, as it is through this that members meet and ride. The club has remained an informal collection of riders, who come to know one another through rides. We have attempted to make the group function outside the blitz-list, despite some reluctance among the membership. We initiated a weekly cycle maintenance workshop with guest speakers and open access to the Robo bike shop. The shop was, and continues to be open every tuesday from 6-8. Thanks to Jed for all his organizational help. We also had a pizza party in the hopes of fostering a better cycling community, and allowing members with shared interests to meet outside of a cycling context. The club continues to be made up of predominantly mountain bikers, due to the cycling team's integration of most of the road riders. However, the cycling team uses the club's blitz list to advertise rides. Efforts to broaden the blitz list and have more female involvement have been somewhat fruitful, and new steps are being taken this term. Members are training to become leaders and have begun a recruiting program to draw more members into the club. Also, members participated in various races partially funded by the DOC (all from the fall): UVM, UMASS, UNH (twice), Williams, Middlebury

The club hopes to continue with its agenda under the new leadership of our recently elected president, Alric Lam '01. His enthusiasm is unquestioned, and we hope he will do well to improve the club.

- Sebastian Barreveld '00

Dartmouth Mountaineering Club

Spring of '97 was a very wet one, so there was some moaning and groaning when the tanned bunch of about thirty DMC spring-trippers returned to Hanover, having been spoiled for the past weeks by the Red Rocks sun and warmth. Nevertheless, we got out to the crags: several trips went to Rumney, Cathedral, Canon, and- of course- the Gunks. The most notable climbing achievement of the spring may have taken place in the Gunks, when three club members made the first (that we know of) all-female ascent of the infamous Shockley's Ceiling in the traditional fashion- enough said.

Summer term DMC activity was spear-headed by the intrepid Robert T. Hardage, whose five-day-a-week climbing and training schedule produced massive results. Bobby red-pointed Sanctuary, 5.13b at Cathedral Ledge, probably the hardest grade achieved in DMC history. Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the world, Jen Ratay was doing some heinous mountaineering in Peru with alum Scott Porter and Jeff Hashimoto and Cary Gazis. This extended trip was funded in part by the Expedition Fund. Jen returned for one more term in the fall and gave a slide-show, and also led a mountaineering trip over the winter break.

Fall term was notoriously busy with record numbers of freshmen showing interest in the club. Gym manager Luke Cudney held several "free days" in the beginning of the term, and each time the gym was overflowing with enthusiastic climbers. Co-chairs Margaret Kim and Amy Wood scheduled a busy term, with two Gunks trips and many day trips to Rumney and Cathedral, as well as two beginner days at Winslow. We also had "cocoa climbs" every Thursday (until it just got too cold). Brian Staveley taught a technique class in the gym, in addition to several outdoor classes being taught for all levels. And Luke Cudney managed to hook his way up Gerry. Fall term also witnessed a tragedy for the club, when Dan Becker took an 80 foot fall on Whitney Gilman's Ridge at Canon Cliff. Dan accidentally got off-route while leading the pipe pitch and encountered loose rock; his foot slipped off and a cam he had placed behind a block pulled the block off with it when Dan fell. He was caught by a piton below his belayer, Jon Waldman. Dan had to be helicoptered out and spent several weeks in the hospital with fractures to his head, but thankfully now is fully recovered, currently manages the gym, and tore it up on Spring Trip. It was a sobering time for the climbing community (even though Thaddeus Law still insists on climbing Whitney G. every month of the year.) Finally, a Winter Skills Course took place at the beginning of the winter break, getting everyone ready for the ice-season.

This past winter the club took some beginner ice-climbing trips to Holts Ledge, led in part by members Thaddeus Law and Matt Holmes. Several more advanced, back-country trips also went out under the leadership of Kevin Hand, Matt Sweet, and Brad Molyneaux. The club also hosted an inter-collegiate competition in the Daniels Gym, organized by Margaret and Angie Kim with route setting by John Joline and Co. Angie won in the women's division and a Middlebury upstart won the men's (but we weren't put out: Ben Fuller, Brian Staveley, Matt Holmes, and Justin Neuman all had excellent showings at their recent bouldering competition), and a good time was had by all. Meanwhile in the western states, hard-core Bobby Hardage was tearing things up in Hueco Tanks (his second, but not last term spent there) and Jon Waldman was spending time in Nevada climbing some hard stuff and shacking up with Bobbie Bensman.

Speaking of Hueco Tanks, seniors Gavin Baker and Brian Staveley were getting things ready for the club's annual spring trip to just that world-famous spot. In mid-March, fifteen DMCers piled into the rental van for the long drive, followed closely behind by two (soon to be one) cars full of climbers and those climbing canines, McKinley and Frog; this group was met at Hueco by about ten other Dartmouth climbers. We got there in time for a "full day" of bouldering, and then set up camp by a gorgeous group of rocks in the desert (where, incidentally, Bobby put of several soon-to-be three-star problems amid the choss). Hueco was a great spot for the DMC, considering the variety of bouldering (and more bouldering, and more bouldering), sport routes, and trade routes. Some noteworthy happenings were Thaddeus and Gus Moore's indecent ascent of Indecent Exposure, which would make just a plain good story if they had pulled it off, but since the epic lasted around two hours and involved prussiking, it deserves some sort of reward; Ben Fuller, Jon Waldman, Brian Staveley, and Matt Holmes all bouldered V8 or above, and several women (Anne DeBord, Margaret Kim, Cheryl Shannon, Angie Kim, and Amy Wood) all bouldered V3. Chris Reidy unfortunately sprained his ankle attempting a problem, but it was nothing that the El Paso hospital and a tour of the night-life with Brian, Gavin, and Matt Sweet couldn't handle. Unfortunately, our short two weeks came to a close, and we all remarked in the van on the way about how quickly they had gone by. Not to be stifled, however, the climbing scene up in Hanover picked up (almost) where Hueco left off; and we're all looking forward to climbing even more as the weather improves and our flappers heal.

- Justin Newman '99

Environmental Studies Division

In the Fall of '97, ESD helped out with the Northern Forest Alliance Stewardship Act -- a benign policy that proposes to protect the Northern Forest of New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. ESD also attended the Northern Forest Alliance Conference in Vermont. The issues discussed ranged from consumers' role in the protection of the Northern Forest to successful advocacy and gaining political clout.

During the winter ESD helped FO&M and Dartmouth Recycles with ideas about how to implement composting on campus. We helped with logistics (numbers of receptacles, types, and locations) and brainstorming. ESD also started working out the SPARC campaign (Save Power And Reduce Costs) and started introducing it to ORL and FO&M officials.

Our plans for spring include: making sure SPARC works out, educating the campus about the composting campaign, and Earth Day events. Our plans for Earth Day include: Trash outside Collis, tabling to educate students about composting, tours of the composting facilities, panel discussion about the future of the environment at Dartmouth, social event in conjunction with co-ed house Alpha Theta, and a co-sponsored event with the Organic Farm (perhaps a potluck).

- Francisco DeLeon '99

Ledyard Canoe Club

From expeditions to clubhouse renovations, 1997-1998 proved to be a memorable one for the ever-growing number of involved student members of Ledyard. As the student base grows, so too does the diversity of trips and activities that we organize and participate in. This year was marked by many memorable trips, exciting achievements, and important highlights.

Continuing in the long tradition of such Ledyard expeditions to Eastern Europe and East Asia, six Dartmouth undergraduates (Hans Kieserman '97, Jamie Shandro '98, Catherine Prest '97, Phuong Hang '97, Eric Daly '98, Sarah Billmeier '99) spent the month of July canoeing the Da River in Vietnam. With their fleet of fold-out canoes and Ledyard expedition flag in hand, they set out down a Da River in flood. The trip was an amazing success for everyone involved.

Summer term was also quite busy at about. Sophomores from the Source, the annual 100 mile paddle from the "source" of the Connecticut River, saw 26 students led by Dustin Rubenstein '99 and Amanda Eaken '99 paddle a fleet of Ledyard's finest canoes for four glorious, and sun-filled days during the first week of the term. The 5th annual Ledyard Canoe Club Classic, a 12 and 20 mile pro-am marathon canoe race on the Connecticut River, was organized by Mark Brosseau '98 and staged on the 4th of July weekend. Despite the lack of local water, many whitewater kayaking trips went out each week of the term to local favorites like Hartlands and exotic, far away rivers in Canada and Maine.

Fall term began with the freshman DOC trips. Ledyard members lent their expertise and know-how on a variety of kayak, flatwater canoe, and whitewater canoe trips. During the week between trips and class, a group of students led by Jolyon Rivoir-Pruszinski '00 headed north for a Fall Trip to the Kennebec River in Maine. Although only for a few brief days, the paddlers managed to thoroughly enjoy the river and its many play spots. Weekly fall trips continued as students continued their search for thrilling whitewater runs throughout the Northeast.

Spring term began with the annual Spring Trip down south. Twenty-four students headed to Asheville, North Carolina where they spent eight days paddling the rivers of the Southeast. They were also given a lesson in river rescue by the famed instructors of Nantahala Outdoor Center. From North Carolina, it was on to Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania for two more days of paddling. Historically renowned for its freezing temperatures and snow covered riverbanks during Spring Trip, Ohiopyle proved anything but the cold and dreary site students have come to expect. Sunny weather and warm temperatures made Pennsylvania well worth the detour from the deep south. All in all, Spring Trip was highly successful, with over 25 rivers run by paddlers of all experience levels. It saw the return of three alumni paddlers (Darryl Knudsen '96, Carter Wray '97, and Axe Greilsheimer '94) and introduced a strong class of new, young '01 paddlers to Ledyard.

Spring term proved to be the busiest of the year for Ledyard. Taking advantage of an early snow melt, paddlers wasted no time upon returning from Spring Trip and took advantage of New England's whitewater. The 35th annual Mascoma Race saw a highly competitive field of racers compete in the historic slalom race organized by Margot Knight '99. Trip to the Sea saw 23 students and 2 alumni led by John Magyar '98 paddle from Hanover to the Atlantic Ocean in one week. Although they never quite got to see the sun during that period, the rain did not dampen their spirits, and a strong senior class bonded one last time before graduation. Students were greeted one spring evening by the ghost of John Ledyard himself (a.k.a. Jay Evans '49), as he spoke about and showed a slideshow of Ledyard history over the last eight decades.

As the spring term came to end, so too did some of the little problems that have plagued the clubhouse over the years. The lighting in the clubhouse was replaced, and new lights were added to the canoe shed. The fire place and the electrical wiring were repaired. Plans to ensure handicap access to the club were laid out, and extensive renovations to the clubhouse, kitchen, and bathroom were organized.

This year saw a continuation and expansion of the Ledyard instruction program. Physical Education classes were continually full each term. The usual kayak classes were complimented by canoe classes, expedition canoe classes, and kayak touring classes. The kayak clinic program was also revived. The results of this new attention to instruction classes will hopefully result in more student activity in the coming months and years. As our fleet of kayaks, canoes, and specialty boats continues to grow, it is our hope and goal that more students, alumni, faculty, and community members will become involved with Ledyard. The differences with OPO that have plagued Ledyard in the past are finally being cast aside. This year saw a new and healthy relationship between Ledyard, OPO, and the College. As we begin a new year at Ledyard, it is our hope that these relationships continue to strengthen, and that the club continues to grow and diversify itself.

- Dustin Rubenstein '99

Ski Patrol

The 1997-1998 season saw many positive changes and events for the Dartmouth Ski Patrol, including new training, new programs, new members, and new equipment.

During the spring of 1997, the patrol again fell into its role as emergency medical provider for the Outing Club at the Mascoma Whitewater races. In the fall patroller gave their time at the Foliage Classic mountain bike race at Oak Hill. The presence of the patrol as a dedicated emergency team meant that there was an obvious mechanism for individuals to seek medical attention as needed, even for minor injuries which might otherwise have been neglected. When problems arose, the patrol was available to step in and handle the situation, leaving event organizers free to concentrate on running the event. One minor problem was a lack of communication between patrollers and race management at the Mascoma races, mainly due to the lack of a portable radio for the patrol. While this inconvenience did not harm the level of care administered, it did present a greater safety risk had something gone awry. The whitewater and mountain bike races were fortunately injury free.

The fall term, again, was kicked off with the recruitment drive for new members. The executive board resolved to attempt to increase the quality and retention of the membership in several ways. The Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) class was limited to 15 participants, to ensure plenty of hands-on experience and a high instructor-to-student ratio. Preference was given to sophomores who had completed their apprentice year, as apprentice patroller already have the on-hill training, missing only the medical training. A couple of individuals who were not apprentices in the previous year were included in the class based on their incredible skiing resumes. About thirty apprentice patrollers were selected from the applicant pool. Each applicant was interviewed in person by the assistant director and any other officer. The director was, unfortunately, off campus for recruitment. A standardized application form on the world wide web and interview procedure were used to ensure fairness. Finally, those applicants who were unable to be placed in the OEC class were offered an opportunity to participate as "Apprentice Patrollers."

The apprentice program was continued this year, in a new and redesigned form. Apprentices, as well as candidate patrollers (who are individuals who have medical certification but still need ski and toboggan certification), we paired up with a veteran patroller. They shadowed this patroller on all of his duties on the mountain. The goal was to provide new members of the patrol with an idea of what is expected of them on a daily basis. Apprentices are still given preference in the following fall for enrollment in the OEC course.

The interview process proved successful, as a very dynamic and enthusiastic group was selected for the apprentice program and the OEC course. A note to future interviewers - gut feeling during the interview proved to be a pretty good prediction of actual performance as a patroller, so don't be swayed by other factors if your gut feeling, and those of the other interviewers, are particularly strong (either way).

Equipment officer Lon Setnik instructed the OEC course. He used a new computerized course, where he made Microsoft Powerpoint slides for each class. This, combined with daily quizzes, produced some stellar emergency care providers.

The fall refresher was conducted without any glitches this year, under the direction of Skiway Ski Patrol Director, Matt Fulton, and student training officer, John LaMattina. The patrol is gradually shucking off its bad reputation from the refresher in fall 1995. A second refresher scheduled for the fourth weekend of the winter term was not so rosy. People off campus in the fall ended up refreshing at Saturday shifts, when one of the four OEC instructors was able to check their skills. For future patrols, it is strongly suggested to conduct the refresher the weekend before winter term begins. If people are aware of it far enough in advance, there can be no complaints. This will greatly reduce the headache of planning two separate refreshers.

With the OEC class complete, the patrol returned from winter break to find a rather barren Skiway. A training weekend was to be conducted for the entire patrol during the first weekend of the term, but the patrol, again, had to resort to using the first week of shifts to conduct orientation. The Skiway's five trails could not handle the traffic of over seventy patrollers. The candidates and apprentices were given a "knowledge scavenger hunt" of pertinent and trivial patrolling facts to gather, which included skiing every open trail at the Skiway and labeling a map. Skiing and toboggan training started on the first shift of the winter for both new patrollers and veterans.

Former student director, Matt Fulton, replaced Chris Prior for this year. We hope that Matt will return in the future, as he is enthusiastic, reliable, and a team player - a great asset to the patrol. His leadership and patrol skills are models for all. Hans remained a constant, as always. The non-student volunteer division acquired two new patrollers, Jeff and Mitch Cady. Jeff is a certified OEC instructor and former patrol director. He and his son, Mitch, are two great patrollers.

The patrol lost its advisor and friend, John Koiter. John retired from Dartmouth Dining Services and moved west to open a bed and breakfast. Best of luck to John and his wife. With that came the search for a new advisor. With the help of Outing Club General Manager, David Hooke, the patrol acquired the direction of Richard "Pokey" Low. Pokey is a firefighter and paramedic with Hanover Fire Department. The patrol is very excited to have Pokey on board.

Possibly the best news of the year was the purchase of a brand new Motorola Radius GP 350 radio, made possible through funds acquired through the Dartmouth Outing Club. Motorola radios are the standard for ski patrols and emergency care providers all over the world. The two Cascade toboggans the patrol owns were put into service as full-functioning primary sleds this year. Their stability and low profile make them the perfect toboggan.

Also looking good on the gear front were the patrol vests purchased from Ski Area Supplies as the uniform this year. To reduce costs, hopefully graduating patrollers will be willing to sell their uniforms to apprentices for use next year. For the record, no patroller was seen on the slopes in blue jeans this year. The patrol decided to forego purchasing fleece vests this year, but it is the hope of this patroller that fleece vests be purchased next year.

This year's packs were ordered from Conterra Technical Systems, and they were cheaper and better quality than previously purchased packs, and they were actually in stock and delivered promptly.

A crisis struck mid-season, immediately after Winter Carnival. Early in the season, the privilege of free beverages at the Skiway Cafe had been offered to on-duty patrollers (as it had been for paid employees for some time). The week after Carnival, the arrangement was suddenly rescinded. Needless to say, the patrol took this as a slap in the face, and there was much unhappiness, to the point of threats of quitting the patrol. After some heated discussions, and some high level lobbying, the free drinks were returned, but not without a bad taste in the mouth that we had to fight about it in the first place.

As it turned out, Carnival weekend was one of the busiest ever, with numerous reportable accidents, and many more non-reportable incidents. Friday's 99 Cent Ski Day was responsible for most of this activity, as many students decided to make it their first or only day on skis. The alpine race teams did well, the patrol's top-shack barbecue grills were in full operation, and it was an enjoyable weekend. In fact, top-shack barbecues happened almost every weekend, with patrollers providing the food. Such events proved to be a great way for the patrol to relax and socialize during their shifts.

For the first time in a few years, the patrol took advantage of Nonnemacher cabin and held an overnight social event. It was attended by almost twenty members, and everyone had a great time.

All in all, it was a very positive year. Student patrollers alone logged over 2625 person-hours of patrolling duty in total. The quality of service provided by the patrol was maintained at an extremely high level. Excellent emergency medical care was provided to all accident victims, garnering more than one note of thanks from grateful patients. In addition to responding to accidents, all patrollers were extremely attentive to their other duties, assisting the skiing public whenever possible, and working more than ever as a team with the rest of the area staff to make the Skiway run as smoothly as possible. Objectives for the future include acquisition of several more Cascade toboggans to supplement or replace the aging Dartmouth sleds, incorporation of rope rescue into the standard training program for candidate patrollers, replacement of aging lift evacuation equipment, development of a continuing education program to ensure that OEC standards are met and exceeded at the fall refresher, and continuing to build esprit de corps within the patrol.

- Francis P. Cappello, III '99, OEC-T

Snowboarding Club

Paralleling the continued interest and growth of snowboarding, the DOC's Snowboarding Club increased its presence in the community. Along with the usual trips to resorts such as Killington and Sugarbush, the Club embarked on several new ventures. The first was the plan to bring the world of terrain parks to the Skiway. The management of the Skiway apportioned a segment of trail for us to work with, providing ample snowmaking and snowcat assistance in making a ten foot table-top and one launch. The weather did not cooperate, but we're looking to continue the park next year. Members also participated in a Big Air competition at Waterville Valley mid-season. With the inclusion of snowboarding in the Winter Olympic Games as of late, the sport has focused on competition. The Club looks to further this trend by participating in a greater number of competitions in the coming years. The annual spring break trip, led by Christine Szarek, was a huge success. Forty students, half skiers, traveled overseas to Cervina, Italy, for five days of riding.

This Spring, the Club hopes to make an overnight to Loon Mountain for the Bud Lite Pro Tour, a day trip to Tuckerman's, and a day trip to Killington. Possible other activities scheduled for the future are a snowboard tuning clinic and a trampoline jumping clinic. Ride Snowboards has expressed interest in sponsoring the club, as well as Stimlion Snowboard Park Design for sponsoring and helping to design next year's park at the Skiway. We hope to gain both of these sponsorships, as well as continue the pro-deals we receive from Sims Snowboards. The club currently has over one hundred members.

- Brad Crevier '01

Winter Sports Club

The winter of 1998 was a mixed one for the Winter Sports Club. Having been relatively dormant in the last year, the club underwent a change of leadership in the middle of the winter season. With the time it took for the transition of leadership, and learning the ropes no further trips could be planned for the winter term. However, we look forward to a productive spring term with several events in the planning stages as of this writing.

The winter itself was excellent in terms of snow conditions and skiing. Several trips were planned at the beginning of winter term but had to be canceled, either due to lack of interest or much more commonly, lack of drivers. The lack of DOC drivers, and especially 21 or older drivers is our biggest obstacle towards leading trips. It is often extremely difficult if not impossible to secure a driver for a given trip, and thus, trips were canceled after people had signed up due to lack of transportation. We are currently hoping to improve this situation.

For spring term and next year we are planning several trips/activities. We hope to gain usage of an area for our members to tune their equipment in as we already posses some tuning equipment. We also hope to lead a trip or two to local ski resorts, if weather permits and an overnight to Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt. Washington is in the works. Hopefully, the weather will hold and we can go on these fun trips.

We are also looking forward to next winter and hope that we can lead many more trips to local ski resorts for our members as well as clinics both on ski technique and equipment tuning/maintenance. We are also looking to lead some winter camping/snowshoeing trips if the weather permits, perhaps with some instructional courses in those areas. We are looking forward to a productive and exciting year.

- Thomas Levi '01 and Scott Weintraub '01

Women in the Wilderness

In Spring 1997, WiW launched a new realm of outdoor experience. The highlight of the term's events was a weekend trip to Maple Leaf Llamas in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. Led by Serin Houston '00, a long-time llama friend, the group spent the days introducing themselves to the llamas, learning about basic llama behavior, and enjoying their unique character traits. A trek through the hills and wood of Craftsbury (and a brief stint with the furry friends on the town's green) enabled the women to work with the llamas in an outdoor setting, and to enjoy the beauty of rural northern Vermont. Women enjoyed a busy day of maple sugaring early in the term, and a hike to Franconia Ridge as another excellent excursion for the spring-fevered members.

During Summer 1997, WiW was relatively unintentially inactive.

Fall 1997 brought a revival (or continuation) of llama-love -- another trip to Maple Leaf Llamas, led by Serin Houston '00 and Sara Pankenier '98 was quite a success. On this northern Vermont outing, the group was fortunate to explore the interest of fiber artist Susan Houston. Each women learned the art of felting and created a miniature felt hat of llama fiber. The warmth and durability of this fiber was discussed and related to the necessities of outdoor adventure. In addition, the group continued to strengthen their relationships with the llamas, and learned more about llama trekking. Seeking to broaden their horizons, WiW also took day trips to the Organic Farm. Participants worked in the fields all day and even seized a bit of booty for themselves: Halloween pumpkins and fresh vegetables for dinner. Another hike to Franconia Ridge, led by Carolyn Hall '98 an Sara Pankenier '98 was a much-needed venture out of the academic world and in the out-of-doors. During this term, for reasons unidentified, attendance at Sunday dinners began to wane, perhaps in response to the oncoming cold, but exciting and optimistic plans were made for the winter.

Winter '98 was a challenging term for WiW. Some of the planned events could not be carried out, due to scarce attendance, but the trips that did go out were a huge success. After prior prep sessions in fire building at Oak Hill and a scouting of the site by group members, the winter camping trip to Clark Pond was a remarkable culmination of group co-operation, challenging hard skills, and winter celebration. The group snowshoed out to the site, pulling tent, stove, and supplies on sleds. After arriving at the campsite, the snormous tent was set up and firewood was gathered and chopped. All the women returned to Dartmouth at peace with the season and nostalgic for the frozen pond and clear blue skies. A snowshoeing excursion to Smarts was equally wonderful. A small group of women enjoyed warm sunny springtime weather as they tromped through the late February snows. Throughout the course of the term, leaders became concerned with the dwindling interest in weekly dinners and numerous outings. The masses that had formerly regularly showed up for these meetings became a smaller intimate group of dedicated members. Winter doldrums and the short winter term were assumed to have played at least a small part in this. However, the few Sunday dinners and the two weekend outing proved that the magic of Women in the Wilderness is still very much alive.

The DOC-wide dearth of leaders has definately affected WiW, but the group is optimistic for the future. In future terms, leaders will be trained, drivers will be certified, and new-comers will be encouraged. In addition, the group hopes to revive large-scale enthusiasm and fully embrace the warm spring weather with comfortable, delicious dinner meetings and exciting, adventurous trips. The loving atmosphere and conversation ensuing from these events and outing will doubtless touch the hearts of every willing woman.

- C. Walker Holmes '00

 

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