Alyssa Camardo, Staff writer 

Upstate New York can be slightly boring when the weather is cold and gloomy, especially during the winter months. However, there are ways to get outside and enjoy the snow, too. The Utica College Outing Club encourages students to get outdoors and be active, even during the winter. In the past, the Outing Club has gone geocaching, indoor rock climbing, camping, and much more.

Some of the popular favorite winter activities among UC’s college community are skiing, snowboarding, sledding, hiking and snowshoeing. The Adirondacks, which are only a little over an hour away, offer some great opportunities to go hiking in the wintertime and enjoy a scenic view. Many recreational centers around the area also offer hours for public ice-skating.

Val Bialas Ski Center is only a five-minute drive from campus and offers inexpensive skiing, snowboarding and tubing if the weather cooperates. Woods Valley Ski Area in Westernville, New York is also under a half an hour from UC and is a great place for students to get outside and ski, snowboard or tube.

Outing Club member Anastasia Fitzpatrick gave some information on past events the club participated in.

“Last semester we went ice skating at the recreational center here in Utica,” Fitzpatrick said. “We were discussing going on a skiing and snowboarding trip but we are still working on getting adequate funding for that. For winter activities in general, I know that someone hosted a snowman making contest last year which brought a lot of people out to work on that.”

Zachary Guay, the Outing Club’s President, said his favorite winter activities are skiing and snowboarding.

“There are many fun and great activities to stay active during the wintertime such as hiking, snowshoeing if there is snow, skiing, snowboarding, and ice-skating,” Guay said. “If you are looking to be quite active, then snowshoeing is something I would suggest.”

The Outing Club has not officially met yet this semester, but it has gone ice-skating, snowshoeing, and winter camping in the past.

“I think that the weather is perfect right now for winter hiking so that may be the next activity in the club,” Guay said.

The Outing Club at Utica College is currently working on possibly setting up an event for students to attend during this winter.

When considering the topic of winter activities, the majority of the students felt a strong desire to stay active and fit, even when the weather is unfavorable.

“To stay fit and active during the winter, I Crossfit and snowboard. I also run on the treadmill because it’s very important to me to stay fit,” junior Jennifer Hoage said.

Whether it is sledding, snowboarding, snowshoeing or hiking, it is important for students to break up the winter and be involved in outdoor activities.