friday, december 1, 1978
daily nebraskan
page 7
Outdoor survival and sports program lures students
By Jeff Kruse
Experiences in peak climbing, winter camping, cross
country skiing and sailing are available to interested stu
dents this winter-for a price.
Outward Bound, Inc., a non-profit educational organ
ization, offers courses that range from a nine-day Nordic
skiing trip in Colorado ($350) to 16 days of sailing off
the coast of Maine ($825).
The experience is well worth the cost, according to
Cheryl Cress, a former UNL student.
"I loved it," said Cress, "it taught me a lot about
myself-to trust myself, and to trust others."
Cress backpacked in Oregon for 28 days with Outward
Bound during the summer of 1973.
Three-day solo
"Part of the course involved a three-day solo, where I
was left alone in a secluded area," she said. 'They sup
plied me with a poncho and a notebook-no food."
Ski Nebraska's
grass for kicks
By Bob Lannin
Most people consider the packed powder conditions
before going skiing and never consider skiing down the
slopes of Nebraska.
But with grass skiing, skiers face neither of these prob
lems. Yes, grass skiing.
Grass skis are about two feet long, and have a set of
rollers attached to a metal blade, according to Don Buch
anan, sales manager of Ski Racket in Omaha.
Buchanan said grass skiing is "exactly like snow skiing.
You use your edges to carve turns and make quick slalom
turns." Regular snow ski boots and poles are also used, he
said.
The best time for grass skiing is from spring to fall,
Buchanan said , when the ground is solid and it isn't too
cold.
The difference between snow skiing and grass skiing
is that the former is a much rougher ride and makes a lot
more noise, Buchanan said.
"The movements, balancing and conditioning are all
the same," Buchanan said.
Buchanan said grass skiing is not helpful for the begin
ning skier, but is excellent as a conditioning exercise.
"It's difficult to pick up if you've never skiied," he
said.
Buchanan said any long steep hill is good for grass
skiing. Memorial Park in Omaha and Cresent Ski Hill in
Iowa are good spots to grass ski, he said.
"The steeper the hill, the better," Buchanan said,
"with a nice, long run out."
Grass skiing originated in Europe as ski training for
racers, Buchanan said. The sport is popular on the east
and west coasts, especially in California, where it is a year
round sport, he added.
Buchanan said the Ski Racket was the only retail out
let for grass skis in Nebraska. They have sold eight pairs of
grass skis for $140 each in the two months they have had
them.
The most popular style of grass skis are Rolkas,
Buchanan said, which are manufactured in Italy.
Buchanan said he thought grass skis would probably
be a passing fad in Nebraska because of the limited avail
ability of long hills in Nebraska.
Managers of Lincoln ski shops said they had heard of
grass skis, but only Bivouac carried them during the
summer.
hIee
n5q
Call MSo
Red Cress
miscounting
After three days with only water for nourishment,
she returned to a campsite (as did the other women parti
cipating) to continue the course, which included hiking 10
to 15 miles a day, carrying a 50 lb. backpack, rappelling
from mountains and running 13 miles through an Oregon
logging camp.
Students that enroll in Outward Bound are responsible
for their own transportation to the site of the course,
where the rest of the needs (backpacks, sleeping bags,
etc.) are taken care of.
Scholarships available
Courses are available in Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota,
Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina and New Hampshire.
UNL does not offer academic credit for the courses,
however, but Bill Murphy, recreation director, said stu
dents may register through other schools who offer credit
for the courses and have the credits transferred to UNL.
The registrar then makes a decision as to whether the
credit may be applied to the students' records.
To register, a student must submit a $10 non-refundable
entrance fee with his application. If the application is
accepted, $100 of the tuition is due within two weeks of
the acceptance.
There are scholarships available to those who are finan
cially disadvantaged; Cress went on a scholarship that paid
$350 of the $450 tuition fee.
Mark Smith, a UNO student, went mountaineering in
Colorado with Outward Bound three years ago.
Worth the money
"It was well worth the money. There's not a whole lot
of skills training involved, but there's a lot of importance
placed on self worth and personal growth."
Although most of the programs are available to anyone
16 years cr older, Smith said they are best suited for
younger college and older high -school students.
"They deliberately put you under a lot of stress, both
physical and mental. People from different backgrounds
are put together so that conflicts occur. This helps you
to learn to work with people," she said.
Outward Bound has been operating in the United
States since 1962.
NROTC
Call our office
Rm. 104
M & IM building
472-2475
For a Special
future, Talk
over the
NROTC college
program.
NROTC is offered to stu
dents of any major. It gives
each student his or her
choice to pursue a chal
lenging way of life. NROTC
enables college students to
utilize their academic education.
ottomsl
Gal
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kesterfield
3
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TELEPHONE 402 477-7253
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