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Outdoor Action

Leadership Starts Here

Making friends at the OA Climbing WallOA Climbing Wall Open Hours

The Outdoor Action top rope climbing room is 32 feet high and 66 feet across with 14 belay stations. It incorporates the latest in climbing wall technology with both vertical and overhanging sections as well as a roof and three artificial cracks. Climbers of all abilities are welcome. Experienced instructors will be on hand to teach skills and assist in solving particular climbing routes. OA will provide harness and climbing shoes.The Climbing Wall is open throughout the academic year except during breaks, reading period and final exams.

The Climbing Wall is currently closed and will reopen when classes resume on January 24

Learn to Belay Classes - FREE

You must take a Belay Class and pass a separate Belay Test in order to belay at the OA Climbing Wall. Belay classes will resume when classes start. Climbing is FREE for Princeton University students, faculty and staff. Never Climbed Before? No experience necessary! We'll teach you!

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Leadership Starts Here!

Sign up for OA Leader Training over Wintersession

The Outdoor Action Leader Training Program is focused on developing leadership in every student regardless your level of previous leadership or outdoor experience. If you want to take the next step in becoming a more effective leader, sign up for Leader Training over Fall Break, Wintersession, Spring Break or spread out during the spring semester. The Leader Training Program is free to all students.

All students are encouraged to participate in OA Leader Training, whether or not you want to lead OA trips. We are looking for dedicated students who want to intentionally develop their leadership skills to be leaders at Princeton and beyond. In OA we don't just talk about leadership, we place you in real situations where you get to practice leadership and receive feedback that will help you be a better leader.

Leadership Skills you'll develop include:

  • Judgement & Decision Making
  • Giving & Receiving Feedback
  • Bystander Intervention Skills
  • Creating effective learning sequences
  • Learning how to challenge yourself and others

Outdoor Action is offering Leader Training workshops over Wintersession for those interested in leading OA Orientation and other trips. This is a great opportunity to build your leadership and outdoors skills. Over Wintersession we are offering:

  • CPR - a 3-hour Adult CPR Course
  • Wilderness First AId - a two-day first aid course focusing on medical skills in the backcountry
  • Leadership 101 & 102 - two five-hour workshops on leadership, group dynamics and team building
  • Outdoor Technical Skills - a one-day workshop on outdoor skills including map and compas navigation, Leave No Trace, equipment, cooking and more
  • Managing Safety in the Backcountry - a 2-hour workshop on traveling safely in the backcountry

 

Explore Princeton Outdoors!

OA Local Hikes Series: The Institute Woods

The Institute Woods is 500 acres of woodlands, trails and open space just 1.5 miles from campus, on the other side of the golf course. It is a spectacular place to go immerse yourself in nature within walking distance of campus.We'll go over how to get there, the layout of trails & how to navigate them using your phone, some of the amazing wildlife and trees that are there, and give you the maps you'll need to run your own easy hike. A typical walk will take about 3 hours and cover about 5 miles. Come learn about this great resource you can access anytime. Register for the Zoom presentation

 

 

 

All About Outdoor Action

Outdoor Action (OA) is Princeton's outdoor education and leadership program. Each fall OA provides a multi-day outdoor orientation experience for the incoming first-year class. During the academic year, OA offers trips and events open to the entire Princeton University community through activities like hiking, backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing as well as speakers and films, instructional classes on outdoor skills, and leadership development workshops. OA also runs the Outdoor Action Climbing Wall, an indoor rock climbing gym and training facility. OA provides open hours for climbing when classes are in session as well as instructional classes for beginners. OA trips and activities are led by students who have completed the OA Leader Training program, a comprehensive leadership development program that will teach you how to effectively manage any group or team and teach you all the outdoor skills you need to know to be comfortable in the outdoors. OA Leader Training is open to all members of the Princeton community and is free for undergraduate and graduate students. The OA Leader community is the largest leadership program on campus and welcomes everyone interested in developing leadership skills to serve others. No prior outdoor experience is required to participate in the OA Leader Training program or any OA activity. We can provide you with the knowledge and the equipment to explore and enjoy the outdoors. OA also operates an outdoor equipment rental facility if you want to rent equipment for going on your own trips.

 

Become part of the Largest Leadership Organization on Campus

Outdoor Action Leader Training is starting up for the spring. We are the largest leadership training program on campus and the experience that you get leading for OA is invaluable. We are looking for the most diverse group of students to become the next generation of OA Leaders. You don't need to have any previous experience in the outdoors or even to have gone on the OA Frosh Trip. We can teach you everything you need to know to be an effective leader both on campus and in the outdoors.

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