Outdoor Pursuits

Can you identify Saturn’s rings? What constellation is seen in the nighttime April sky? All of these questions are likely to be answered on April 4^th and 5^th for those attending a special stargazing event during Mom’s Weekend at Ohio University. In addition to providing a myriad of other interesting events, moms and their OU student sons and daughters have the opportunity for stargazing at the Ridges.

Now owned by Ohio University, the Ridges are surrounded by open areas that offer unobstructed views of the night sky. The stargazing is led by astronomer George Eberts, who shares his impressive knowledge of the night sky. He guides participants in locating constellations and planets through a telescope, making an evening of star gazing exciting and learning-oriented.

“Rising right now is Jupiter, and so when we finish the hike ill have a telescope set up, and we can have a look at Jupiter then. And working with outdoor pursuits is really cool, the people are really great and they really want to be there”.

The stargazing takes place in a historic and storied setting. Located in the hills on the outskirts of town, the Ridges are a complex of historic buildings surrounded by several acres of woodland and sloping hillsides. For over a century, it was the location of a mental hospital that housed many patients, most of whom worked within the institution to grow their own food and create a self-sustaining environment.

“We start off in a walk through the cemeteries and it exposes people. A lot of time people think it’s scary and so the whole venue is a chance to talk about mental health.”

This Saturday, February 15, climbers will be heading to Athens, Ohio, for an awesome climbing competition. The 15^th Annual Rock Stars Climbing Competition is expected to attract advanced, intermediate, and beginner climbers at the Ohio University’s Charles J. Ping Recreation Center. Not only does the Ping Center have a great rock wall, but their Outdoor Pursuits Program has put together a team of route setters who are going to change things up for the competition participants. The route setters are working hard to create challenging climbing routes, having started their changes when the wall closed Monday night. So, in case you are tired of climbing the same routes or watching others climb the same routes, get ready for a change! On Saturday, participants will experience a different climbing challenge that shakes things up. No competitors will have access to the new routes until the competition, making it a fresh experience for each climber.

Louie Allen, Ping’s Climbing Wall Manager, has been planning the event with the competition staff and is ready to get it underway. “We’ve been planning this event, its formative stages starting late last semester, and then the heavy stuff happened about 2 to 3 weeks ago.” Allen also thinks that the competition will be a great way to get climbers ready to head back outside. “First and foremost, it’s a great way to get the community together in the off season, when it’s too cold to climb outside. It’s a great way to get people ready to go outside and work on their projects. And I really like to think of it as a way to celebrate spring too.”

As an added incentive to participate in the competition, prizes are offered for first, second, third place for the three levels of climber skill, as well as a raffle for everyone in the event. This makes it a great opportunity for people to test their skills on the crux (climb) and, maybe, snag some gear. Sponsors are helping out with the prizes, so that first and second place participants could walk away with gear from Black Diamond, BlueWater, Mad Rock, and more. Hoping to win a climbing harness, ropes, and decals may sound a little unusual, but these are important items in the rapidly growing sport of climbing.

The competition has divisions for both men and women in the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Caitlyn Tetterton, an Ohio University sophomore, will be competing in the women’s advanced group. Although competitors don’t have access to the wall until this Saturday, Tetterton is keeping herself busy with a little preparation. “I’ll be running and eating a lot of bananas the day of. But, I have a finger injury too that I’m nursing as well, so I’m trying not to injure it too much during the comp as well.” Tetterton also competed last year at the Rock Star Climbing Competition and is hoping the event goes well.

Even if you have never tried climbing and, by now, are wondering if you might feel out of place at a climbing competition, come and learn. As an added feature, the Outdoor Pursuits staff is making this a potluck event. Bringing a dish to share, whether you climb or not, offers you great food, an up-close opportunity to see climbers compete, a chance to learn more about climbing, and a social setting where you can meet and get to know others.

I asked followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to tell me their thoughts, here’s what they had to say about their training and how they were feeling about the event.