The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
Rachel Pukall
Outdoor Edventures is heading to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take students ice climbing this weekend.
“We’re going to be at the University of Northern Iowa and we’re going to be climbing the ice silos there,” said Mike Piekenbrock, recreational activities coordinator.
Photo courtesy of inhabitat.com
On the Edventures trip to Iowa, students will ice climb a silo that has been converted into an ice wall.
The group will be heading down on Friday, Feb.14 and coming back Sunday, Feb. 16.
“I have room for about 13 or 14 students,” Piekenbrock said. “I do still have some spots available, but it is filling up quick. Typically we take a 15 passenger van on most of the Outdoor Edventure trips.”
In addition to ice climbing, the group will be doing many other activities.
“We will be going to their recreation facility and climbing the indoor rock wall,” Piekenbrock said. “They have one of the biggest indoor walls in the Midwest, so we are going to do some climbing there and hopefully have access to their leisure pool as well to do some hot tubing, water slides and all that good stuff.”
Piekenbrock has offered this trip before, but last year not enough people had signed up.
“I think now that this is our second year offering it, it’s going to do better. I wasn’t able to run it last year because we only had about three people that actually signed up,” Piekenbrock said. “This year I think the word is out more about it and we already have about seven students signed up.”
Piekenbrock said he is not only looking forward to ice climbing, but also just being back in Iowa.
“The University of Northern Iowa is my alma mater, so that is where I’ve spent a lot of time,” Piekenbrock said. “I never got a chance to climb the ice silos, but the man who runs them was a colleague of mine, so I’ve seen the ice silos before and it is an impressive sight.”
The group is planning to spend all day Saturday ice climbing.
Photo courtesy of inhabitat.com
On the Edventures trip to Iowa, students will ice climb a silo that has been converted into an ice wall.
“We’ll head out there in the morning and we’ll be there until sunset,” Piekenbrock said. “There’s a nice little warming hut right there that we’ll have access to, so you can do a couple good burns top to bottom and then go and warm up a little if you need to.”
Most of the Outdoor Edventure trips are geared to all skill levels, so beginners are welcome to come along on this trip as well.
“Someone who has never climbed anything before and is interested in trying something new, that is what this trip is all about,” Piekenbrock said.
The trip costs a total of $115 and includes transportation, permits, tickets, guides and gear.
