Good evening ODC gremlins!!
We have some BIG NEWS for you. Perhaps you are riding off the NRGE highs right now. Or you are bummed you couldn’t make NRGE but stoked for more mega trips!! Well… Something incredibly exciting is on the horizon!!! What is it you may ask?? MOABBBBB
*****PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE EMAIL*****
Yep, it’s really true! This spring break, the Outdoors Club will once again be putting together a trip out to Moab, Utah for a week of unadulterated, dastardly, desert, dirtbag fun. Many more details on the trip and its logistics/finances (including the actual “adventure” on the website) will be posted by the end of the semester. This email is just to serve as an early notification/description of the trip and how our lottery system for the trip will work. We know it’s long, but please read the ENTIRE email.
The Trip (a brief primer):
The 40 or-so of us will all head out to Moab, Utah during Spring Break and spend a week(ish) camping on the banks of the Colorado River and going hiking, backpacking, mountain biking (ride or die!), climbing/bouldering/canyoneering, dirtbagging, shredding pow, trail running, fire-side jamming, booze cruising?? and assorted other gooning. Unlike other club mega-trips like NRGE, what goes down each day is played by ear.
So what’s so great about Moab? Moab is a multi-sport paradise, with unbelievably amazing national/state parks nearby. March in Moab is perfect adventure weather with temps in the mid-60s and plenty of sun! Being a breathtaking desert destination situated on the Colorado Plateau, it is home to hundreds of miles of beautiful canyons with delicate natural arches, massive towers, and mind-blowing views!! Just google image search “Moab Utah” and see for yourself!
**All of the pictures linked above are from past trips to Moab!
Check out this video by Aniella Weinberger from the club’s 2023 trip to Moab.
Check out this video by Charlotte Maxwell from the club’s 2024 trip to Moab.
The Lottery:
Lottery?? Why is that necessary? Unfortunately, the logistics of the trip limit us to around 40 attendees (not including trip planners, so 44 in total). And since more than 40 of you will probably want to come, we want to establish a system that makes how often/quickly you check your email not a factor in your chances of coming; thus, a lottery.
Everyone who signs up for the adventure on the website (posted sometime in early December) will receive 2 automatic entries into the lottery. Beyond that, two factors can change how many entries you receive:
- The number of trips you’ve led this school year. Every trip you have led since the first day of the 2023-2024 academic year up until 11:59 pm December 31st will give you ONE additional entry into the lottery. NOTE: Multi-day trips that you’ve led will yield additional lottery entries for every day of the trip. Affinity trips will count for TWO additional entries instead of one.
- In addition, beginner full day technical trips will count for TWO additional entries instead of one. Full day technical means a sport which requires specialized knowledge (mountain biking, caving, whitewater, climbing) and is longer than 6 hours, at least half of which are spent on the sport itself.
- 4th year students (or grad students in their last year, foreign exchange students, etc.) will receive a 1.5x multiplier on the sum of their entries. This is just to give folks without another chance to attend the Moab trip a bit of an edge!
If this inspires you to become a trip leader, we will be hosting another Trip Leader Workshop soon! You can also become a trip leader by reading the Trip Leader Manual on our Resources Page– after doing so email us and we will activate you as a trip leader!
Lottery System Examples:
- A 2nd year who has led a 2-day backpacking trip and another 1-day trip would have [2 (base entries) + 2 (2-day trip) + 1(1-day trip) ] = 5 entries
- A 4th year who has led two 1-day trips this school year would have [2 (base entries) + 2 (trips led)] x1.5 (4th year multiplier) = 6 entries
- A 2nd year who has led 1 affinity trip and another 1 day trip would have [2 (base entries) + 2 (affinity trip) + 1 (1 day trip)] = 5 entries
- A 3rd year who has led 1 beginner full day technical trip and no other trips would have [2 (base entries) + 2 (beginner technical)] = 4 entries
- A 3rd year who has led no trips this school year would have [2 (base entries) + 0 trips led] = 2 entries
This lottery system will apply to everyone, officers included; though discretion is maintained for logistical concerns (notably needing drivers for the trip to work and needing certain kinds of trip leaders so we can do all the activities everyone is interested in!).
The lottery entry form and trip leading window closes December 31st, 2024. As of right now, we are planning on holding the lottery on January 13th, 2025.
Again, this email is just a ‘heads up’, and more information and directions will be sent out later in the semester.
If you have any questions about the lottery system, the Moab trip (stay tuned for more details), or anything really, feel free to reach out to any or all of the four officers planning Moab 2024 (Max T, Anusha, Cam, Max S). You can send an email to all of us by copying and pasting these addresses into an email:
Your beloved trip planners,
~ Max, Cam, Anusha, Max