Winter School
Winter School 2023
Do you enjoy being outdoors but don’t know what to do when the temperature drops? Do you live for summer but suffer in winter? Are you cooped up from November to March? Don’t hide from the cold — celebrate winter! During IAP, participate in MIT Outing Club’s Winter School, where you can have fun learning skills like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing and more. Winter School is MITOC’s crash course in cold weather activities.
What is Winter School?
Winter School is an annual IAP course presented by the members of MITOC. Its goal is to teach the skills one needs to enjoy outdoor sports in the winter. During the month of January, participants attend lectures every Tuesday and Thursday evening and spend time outdoors during the weekends. Trips are offered at various levels of intensity and include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, ice climbing, winter camping, orienteering, and mountaineering.
What is the format?
During IAP, we hold Lectures during the week on Tuesday and Thursday, and go on trips during the weekend.
Lectures
Lectures are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 19:00 - 21:00 (7pm - 9pm). 2023’s lecture schedule is as follows:
- Mandatory Lecture 7pm-9pm Tuesday Jan 10th. Mandatory safety lecture in 26-100
- Mandatory Lecture 7pm-9pm Thursday Jan 12th. Mandatory safety lecture in 26-100
- 7pm-9pm Tuesday Jan 17th. Optional instructional lecture. 6-120
- 7pm-9pm Thursday Jan 19th. Optional instructional lecture. 6-120
- 7pm-9pm Tuesday Jan 24th. Guest lecture. 6-120
- 7pm-9pm Thursday Jan 26th. Guest lecture. 6-120
- 7pm-9pm Tuesday Jan 31st. Guest lecture. 6-120
- 7pm-9pm Thursday Feb 2nd. Guest lecture, Winter School Stories & Recap. 6-120
Trips
Outdoor trips are held every Saturday and Sunday, and often involve travel to New Hampshire’s White Mountains. These trips include hiking, ice climbing, skiing, overnights, and fat biking. Trips for each weekend are announced the week prior. Gear ranging from ice axes to winter boots is available for rent at-cost.
What is required to participate?
In order to participate you simply need to complete three things.
- Make sure you are a current MITOC member
- Make sure you have signed the MITOC waiver
- Attend the two mandatory lectures (sign up in advance here and here; we’ll give additional sign-in instructions during lectures).
I’m going to miss one of the two mandatory lectures. May I still participate?
Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to the first week lecture attendance rule. Because very important safety information is covered, we require that all participants be present at the first two lectures.
I have done Winter School in the past. May I participate again this year?
Yes, returning students are welcome to come learn more skills. Remember that the first two lectures are mandatory, even if you’ve attended them before.
For more information, contact the Winter School chair.
Think snow!