Outdoor Education at CC

Elizabeth Pudder, Assistant Director Outdoor Education and Orientation
(719) 389-6803
Rochelle Mason, Associate Dean of Students
(719) 389-6800

The Colorado College outdoor education program oversees the wide range of student outdoor clubs and programs that serve the CC community.

These include:

• Ahlberg Gear House – This is the student-run outdoor gear rental program located at 1024 N. Weber. All Colorado College students faculty, and staff can rent a wide range of outdoor gear at a low cost.
• The Outdoor Recreation Club (ORC) – This organization offers student-led outdoor activities that include group hiking, camping, backpacking, canyoneering, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, cycling, kayaking, and white water rafting trips. All students are eligible to join the club and go on trips as well as participate in the leader training programs that teach students the skills necessary to lead these trips. The trips happen all year long over weekends, block breaks, and spring break. Selection for each trip – if sign-up exceeds capacity – is done by a lottery.
• ORC Student Co-chairs for 2011-2012: McKenzie Woolley ’12 and Neal Smeltzer ’12
• Climbing Association of Colorado College (CACC) – This student organization runs the Ritt Kellogg Climbing Gym and oversees all gym activities, brings in climbing-oriented speakers, movies and slideshows from all over the world and organizes the climbing competitions hosted each semester in the climbing gym. This group also helps organize Rock Rescue and other climbing-related skills development courses.
• Freeriders Union of Colorado College – This student organization offers a bus that runs each weekend to the ski areas and also hosts several ski movies as well as the annual Winterfest ski weekend in Crested Butte held in the spring.
• Ritt Kellogg Fund – This fund provides financial resources in the form of expedition grants for groups of students looking to go on extended outdoor expeditions to remote places. The fund also provides education grants to students looking to improve their outdoor skills with courses that will help make their trips safer like Avalanche Awareness, Rock Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, etc.