With all the fresh snow that has fallen in and around Weber State University, this weekend would be the perfect time for students to go out and enjoy the snow. While building a snowman or having a snowball fight is fun, and is certainly pretty cheap, it doesn’t necessarily fulfill the need some students have to play in the snow.

The WSU Outdoor Recreation program offers gear rentals for students who wish to have a more adventurous snow day experience. The gear is available to students and community members for a small fee and students get a proprietary discount.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Ogden is home to three world-class ski and snowboard resorts and it would be nearly a sin to not at least attempt to take advantage of the beautiful landscape. While it is beautiful country, the resorts, just like the rest of us, need to make money and one of the ways they do it is exorbitant pricing on their rentals. A set of ski poles and skis or snowboard and boots will set students back over $40 at the resort, but similar gear rented from the university only costs students between $10 and $33. In addition, the university has a wide range of equipment so students of all skill levels can find what they need to have a good time without spending beyond their budget.

Other Equipment

In addition to skiing and snowboarding equipment, Outdoor Recreation also has snowshoes, cross-country skis and safety equipment. Snowshoes and cross-country skis both allow the adventurer the opportunity to enjoy the scenery around them at a slower, more relaxed pace than skis and snowboards.

In addition to a slower pace, snowshoes are especially good for the less coordinated, less adventurous snow bunny. Since they go slower and don’t require much more skill or coordination than walking, they’re perfect for children and adults alike. It costs less than $10 to rent a pair of snowshoes from WSU for adults and children alike, while renting a similar pair from the ski resort will cost nearly $20.

Equipment Tuning

Just as important as having high quality equipment is keeping that equipment in good working order. While the technicians at Outdoor Recreation are limited in what they can do, they offer high-quality work at a much cheaper price than the resort technicians. For example, it can cost upwards of $20 to have your equipment waxed at the resort, while the technicians at WSU only cost $12.