Iowa State Outdoor Recreation Services is offering students various activities to stay entertained in the winter months. 

Outdoor ventures can become an obstacle in colder parts of the year for the Midwest. Outdoor Rec. Services, however, are a great resource to use if students are in need of a fun activity. 

Kaela Gollob, senior in environmental science and employee of Iowa State Outdoor Rec. Services Program, spoke about the winter activities that they offer.

“During the winter months, we rent out cross country skis and snowshoes from office, so students can come to rent them out and go exploring on their own,” Gollob said.

Gollob also said that during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, they had rented out every single ski that they had in stock.

When asked what her favorite winter activity was, Gollob said that she had just bought a pair of cross-country skis herself and had enjoyed using them the past few weekends during her free time. 

The Rec. Center also offers workshops, such as a beginners skiing and snowboarding workshops at Seven Oaks in Boone, Iowa, as well as a cross-country skiing workshop.

“Our most popular workshop right now would have to be the skiing and snowboarding workshop at Seven Oaks [because] we provide transportation and ski lift tickets, which are part of the package that we offer,” Gollob said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to learn these skills for the first time.”

All students enrolled at Iowa State are automatically given a pass to Rec. Services, according to the Outdoor Rec. Services Department. 

For pass holders, the ski and snowboard workshops are $31 and non-pass holders are $53. 

If you’re looking to get out of Ames for the weekend, alone or with friends, they also offer weekend trips as well.

“We offer a ski and snowboarding trip at Sundown Resort in Iowa and a ski and snowboarding trip at Seven Oaks, which is similar to our workshop there,” Gollob said. “We also offer an ice climbing trip in Minnesota, as well as a snowshoeing and cross-country skiing camping trip at Pilot Knob State Park in Iowa.”

The Pilot Knob State Park weekend trip is $48 for pass holders and $80 for non-pass holders. 

For those that are not a huge fan of the cold, they also offer indoor activities, such as the climbing walls at both State Gym and Lied Recreation Center where they offer rock climbing workshops, including beginners classes.

These are just a few of their trips that are mentioned on their Iowa State Outdoor Rec. website. Other prices for rental equipment, workshops and trips that they offer are available on their website.