Excursions
Scroll down for the full Winter 2025 Excursions List
What are OC Excursions?
Excursions offer a fun, accessible, and affordable way for WWU students to get outside and connect with themselves and others. Emphasis is placed on group involvement, developing and refining skills, responsible environmental practices, fostering diversity, enriching the academic experience, and promoting life-long learning.
All excursions are created and led by student trip leaders who are certified and educated in safe + smart outdoor recreation practices. This also means that we love to provide a variety of trips based on what our trip leaders are passionate about passing on to students! No two quarters will be the same!
Want to see us lead a specific trip (or have another excursions-related question)? Email our Excursions Coordinators, Noa and Dieder, with your suggestion!
On our excursions, we attempt to engage all of our participants in fun and absorbing activities based on their comfort and ability levels. This will mean checking in with everyone to see what they want out of the trip and checking in multiple times during the trip to assess how the trip can best fit the groups' needs. We believe that there is a way to balance the excitement level of an activity and the perceived risk/exertion for each of our participants so that everyone can leave our program having learned something and enjoyed themselves.
Fee Waivers and Trip Costs
The Outdoor Center recognizes that the cost of Trips will be a barrier to some students who are interested in participating in our trips and events. To try and reduce those barriers, 3 spots on each trip will be reserved for students who are experiencing financial insecurity. This scholarship is intended for, but not limited to students who are: Pell eligible, first gen, experiencing financial difficulties, of the Global Majority or experience marginalization in another form that leads to financial difficulty. To receive a spot please email Assistant Director of VOR at montgos7@wwu.edu with your name, phone number, address and desired trip. No other information is required, and we trust your experience is valid. Spots will be reserved the first 2 weeks of the quarter and then opened to the general student body if not used.
Winter 2025 Excursions
EXCURSIONS SIGN-UPS OPEN HERE NOW!
Scroll to see the great variety of trips we're leading this quarter... we've got some new adventures AND some well-loved classics!
Mountain Bike Maintenance Clinic 1/4
- Wednesday, January 22nd, 5-8PM
- Spend the afternoon learning the ropes of maintaining your mountain bike! We’ll be working in the Outdoor Center at our bike shop. Each mountain biking clinic will cover a different topic, you are not required to attend all four.
- Essential Eligibility: Encouraged to bring your own mountain bike but the OC has a few to share if you’d like to practice with ours
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Wonderful Winter Birding
- Wednesday, January 29th, 1-4PM
- It may be cold outside, but our birds don't mind! Washington state boasts an impressive list of birds that overwinter here, and we can go have a look at these beautiful creatures. Like hunting for treasure, we will tune our senses to our environment and see what we can see! From Trumpeter Swans to Long Tailed Ducks - there are many stunning birds waiting to be discovered. Whether it's your first time birding or you have been looking to the sky and water for our feathered friends for years, this trip is for you.
- Essential Eligibility: We will be on our feet for a number of hours, walking or watching, but likely always on our feet. It will also be cold and possibly wet.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Mountain Bike Maintenance Clinic 3/4
- Wednesday, February 5th, 5-8PM
- Spend the afternoon learning the ropes of maintaining your mountain bike! We’ll be working in the Outdoor Center at our bike shop. Each mountain biking clinic will cover a different topic, you are not required to attend all four.
- Essential Eligibility: Encouraged to bring your own mountain bike but the OC has a few to share if you’d like to practice with ours.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Winter Watercolors and Crafts
- Wednesday, February 12th, 3-6PM
- Join us for an evening of watercolors and crafts with a warm mug of hot cocoa, great camaraderie and laughs, and a beautiful winter sunset!
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to enjoy watercolors and crafts!
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
The Wonderful World of Knots - A Workshop
- Wednesday, February 19th, 3-6PM
- Come learn all that the wonderful world of knots has to offer! Need to tie something to your car? There's a knot for that! Hang some lights from your porch - yep, you can use a sweet knot. Tie up a tarp on a rainy picnic? You guessed it - tie a knot! Knots are an amazing puzzle that have so many uses in our everyday lives. Join us and learn some new ones.
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to work gently with your hands for an extended period of time
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Backcountry Cooking Workshop
- Wednesday, February 26th, 3-6PM
- Join us for an instructional clinic on cooking in the backcountry with the opportunity to put these skills to use and make some yummy food!
- Essential Eligibility: N/A
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Acro Yoga!
- Wednesday, March 5th, 3-6PM
- Acro is a fun and engaging yoga practice that involves acrobatics and someone “flying” or being lifted by another person. Bring a friend and be ready to play, be goofy and move your body. This activity will involve touch, movement, and close contact at times.
- Essential Eligibility: Comfortability being in close physical contact with another individual
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Skagit River Eagle Float
- Saturday, January 25th
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, January 21 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- During the winter months, the Skagit River is home to the largest concentration of eagles in the lower 48 states. Get bundled up with hot cocoa & camera in hand as we float downstream enjoying the beauty that is salmon spawning season.
- Essential Eligibility: ability to swim, comfortability sitting on a raft for extended periods of time in potentially cold and rainy conditions
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Intermediate Mountain Biking Clinic 2/4
- Sunday, January 26th
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, January 22 from 4:00 – 5:00 PM
- Spend the afternoon exploring Galbraith Mountain and building confidence on your mountain bike with us! Come learn tips and tricks on how to ride and work on your mountain bike. Each mountain biking clinic will cover a different topic, you are not required to attend all four.
- Essential Eligibility: previous mountain biking experience and ability to ride uphill and downhill on uneven terrain
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Intermediate Mountain Biking Clinic 4/4
- Saturday, February 8th
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Wednesday, February 5, from 4:00 – 5:00 PM
- Spend the afternoon exploring Galbraith Mountain and building confidence on your mountain bike with us! Come learn tips and tricks on how to ride and work on your mountain bike. Each mountain biking clinic will cover a different topic, you are not required to attend all four.
- Essential Eligibility: previous mountain biking experience and ability to ride uphill and downhill on uneven terrain
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Intro to Ski/Snowboard: Koma Kulshan Ski Day
- Sunday, February 9
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, February 4 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- Do you want to try skiing or snowboarding? Or solidify your basics? Come with us to Mt. Baker! We will enjoy the day on the beginner friendly slopes, working on skills, building confidence and community, and having a great time!
- Essential Eligibility: Comfort being on your feet and moving for extended periods of time. Comfort with cold and traveling in winter conditions. No prior ski or snowboard experience is needed.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Intro to Cross Country Skiing
- Saturday, February 15
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, February 11 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- Enjoy the peace and tranquility of mid-winter in the valleys of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest… on skis!! Join us for the opportunity to learn about the joys of cross-country skiing and enjoy some beautiful winter scenery along the way!
- Essential Eligibility: Comfort being on your feet and moving for extended periods of time. Comfort with cold and traveling in winter conditions. No prior ski experience needed
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Intro to Snow Anchors and Crevasse Rescue
- Saturday, February 22
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, February 18 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- You've dreamed of walking up big snowy hills but know it can be dangerous because of the hidden hazards that lurk beneath the surface - crevasses! What skills are needed to travel into this amazing yet risky terrain? Come spend a day with the OC at Heather Meadows this winter and learn some fundamentals of snow anchors and crevasse rescue. This is not intended to be a fully comprehensive course, rather an introduction to the principles and an opportunity to ask questions and grow on your mountaineering journey.
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to walk in snow, potentially using snowshoes. Ability to stay warm and comfortable in the snow. No prior crevasse knowledge needed.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
Intro to Backcountry Ski
- Saturday, March 1
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, February 25 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- Join us to learn the basic of backcountry skiing in the Heather Meadows Basin! We will learn about backcountry ski gear, basic avalanche awareness, how to read and relate to changing terrain, and use our legs (hopefully) power some of the best turns of the season;)
- Essential Eligibility: Must have the skiing/snowboarding skills to ski variable snowpack and ungroomed runs. Ability to walk up to 5 miles uphill in challenging, snowy conditions.
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
OC x NPT Trail Crew Work Day (FREE)
- Saturday, March 8
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, March 4 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
- Come hang out with the Outdoor Center and the National Park Trust and work help build up the local environment to leave it better than you found it! A few lucky participants will also earn a free Hydroflask!
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to walk up to 3 miles on uneven terrain, ability to carry tools
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Learn more about the National Park Trust here
Mt. Baker Snow Caving
- Saturday, February 1st – Sunday, February 2nd
- Required Pre-Trip Meeting: Tuesday, January 28th from 5:00-7:00 PM
- Camping in the cold? Snow way! Join us for a night of sleeping under the stars, and under the snow! This is an opportunity to learn the basics of winter mountain travel, winter camping, and making/sleeping in Snow Caves!
- Essential Eligibility: Ability to walk up to 5 miles, carry a pack with equipment up to 30 lbs, ability to camp and sleep in winter conditions.
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Food included!
For disability accommodations, questions, or requests please email our Outdoor Center Excursions Coordinators, Noa and Dieder, or call 360-650-7677 at least two weeks before the trip.
Difficulty Ratings
Informed consent is critical, and we want you to be aware of the activity you are signing up for. Each trip has a difficulty level listed in the description: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Below you will find a detailed description of what that entails. Please reach out to your student Excursions Coordinators, Noa and Dieder with any questions.
Beginner Excursions cater to those individuals who are interested in trying something new! Generally, these introductory experiences are designed to be more laid back and not too strenuous. Most importantly they are created for those who do not have prior experience in the activity. Activities may range from educational experiences to artistic activities and anything in between. These excursions are great if you are looking to learn new skills, gain exposure to new activities, foster community, and have a great time outside!
Intermediate Excursions are a great option for those who would like to explore new challenges and build upon past skills. If you are looking to explore more difficult trails or embark on longer, more strenuous adventures, this activity category is for you! These Excursions are designed to safely instruct participants on more technical skills, and to dive deeper into the activity at hand. Outings often include less introductory material, but still ensure that participants are fully informed on the activity at hand! These are a great option if you are looking to step outside of your comfort zone, continue to explore these awesome activities, and meet new people!
Advanced Excursions are designed to build upon prior experience and solidify technical skills in outdoor recreation. Participants must have experience in the associated activity and feel competent, but still open to growth in their individual skill sets. Designed to explore more challenging recreational activities, expect a higher level of potential difficulty on these Excursions. These are great if you are looking to build upon past experiences and use old skills in new ways. Come explore new aspects of your favorite activities, and of course have a great (and safe) time!
FAQs
1 full-day/weekend/3-day trip per quarter! We have limited number of spots available on each trip and hope to serve as many students as possible.
You may sign up for as many Adventure Break trips as you would like!
Once a trip is full you may register for our waitlist, which can be found at the bottom of the trip sign-up link. If a spot becomes available on a trip you will receive a text from the Outdoor Center.
You will receive a text from the Outdoor Center if a trip becomes available. You must respond to that text within 1 hour to confirm your spot. You will then need to come into the Outdoor Center to complete trip registration.
Nope! Please have your friend sign up individually.
You can cancel from a trip via the Outdoor Center Front Desk (VU 150).
If you have already been on an Excursion through the Outdoor Center, consider giving other folks the opportunity for the same experience that you had.
All excursions are created and led by our student trip leaders, so the trip list will change every quarter! Sometimes this will depend on the season (ex: more skiing and snowshoeing in the winter), and some of it depends on what our trip leaders are interested in leading. We tend to repeat trips that students are excited about and consistently attend, but we also try to mix things up and provide new activities/sports each quarter.
Partnerships
Are you an organization or on-campus club/program/department interested in creating a trip for your community? Fill out this form to get in touch so that we can work together to create an event that is best suited for your community!
Past Partnerships
WWU
- Environmental Science Department
- International Students Program
- Black Affinity Housing
- Honors College
- Native American Student Union
- Black Student Coalition
- WWU Transportation
- Multi-Cultural Center
- Counseling and Wellness Center
- Outdoor Wellness Peer Mentoring
- LGBTQ+ Western
- Western Success Scholars
Outside organizations
- Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC)
- Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation of Whatcom County (AIROW)
- Shifting Gears
- Transition Bikes
Photo Gallery
Click the link above to look through pictures of WWU students and trip leaders in action!
