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From a Ryan Brady Photo
SNOWSHOEING
OED 044-01
Read: Snowshoeing, the Under-Used Winter Workout
Meeting
Time:
W 12:30-5:30 p.m.
Meeting
Place: The “Outpost” unless otherwise specified
Instructor: J. Grant White; Wh 312/ Ext. 1350
The
first session will take place in the “Outpost” and will consist of a
presentation on snowshoes and bindings and taking care of some class
business.
Thereafter,
the class will travel by van to various appropriate locations.
Rather than simply snowshoeing, the class will contain elements of
natural history such as animal tracking, coverage of winter safety issues,
navigation, emergency procedures, and ice safety.
Because we will be outside in a winter environment, your clothing selection is a matter of both personal and group safety. A warm hat is mandatory. Try to obtain long underwear made of wool or one of the synthetics such as “Thermax” or polypropylene as any of these will keep you warm even when wet. Dress in multiple, light layers made of materials that will keep you warm when wet such as wool or one of the pile or fleece garments. A light wind shell is best over layers such as these. Avoid heavy coats, which allow few adjustment options beyond on or off. You will become wet from perspiration and then chilled in something such as this. You will need and can rent a daypack in which to store clothing layers as you heat up. Wool pants or wind pants over “polypro” or fleece will be best in cold weather, mittens are warmer than gloves, and you will need a pair of warm boots such as a felt lined shoe pack (e.g.- “Sorel” boots). Small format, narrow toed boots with heels (in particular) will not work in snowshoe bindings.
Outcomes:
· Functional ability to dress appropriately and adjust layers in response to a variety of weather conditions and levels of activity · Functional ability to snowshoe through a variety of terrain and vegetation environments · Functional ability to build an emergency fire and construct an emergency shelter · Functional ability to navigate in the winter environment and use a compass to crash out of the woods · Functional ability to recognize, avoid, and administer first aid for common cold related medical problems
Grading
As
of fall semester 1999, students in all Outdoor Education activity classes
will receive a letter grade. Grades
in this class will be calculated on a straight percentage basis.
This is accomplished by dividing the number of points earned by the
total number of points possible. I
do not grade on improvement except to the extent that improved scores will
bolster the student’s overall point total.
Full and enthusiastic class participation is expected of all
students and should not be viewed as something extra that can be counted
on to compensate for poor performance in other aspects of the class.
In
addition to attending every session, each student will write a research
paper, which will be due at the end of the session.
The papers will be graded and then copied and assembled into
information packets, which will be distributed to students in the class.
The papers should represent thorough research of a specific and
focused topic. Papers should
be concise while providing thorough coverage of the topic in question.
A selection of Dexter Library and Internet resources are assembled
at the end of this syllabus.
The
grading scale is as follows: 93-100
A; 90-92 A-; 87-89 B+; 83-86 B; 80-82 B-; 77-79 C+; 73-76 C; 70-72 C-;
67-69 D+; 60-66 D; 0-59 F.
Attendance
Students
must understand that attendance is of paramount importance in any activity
class. It is more important
than, and cannot be made up by, either the knot exam or the written
assignment. This class meets
7 times. Therefore, if
classes are missed, each class will be considered to be worth 14% of the
class, and 14% per session missed will be deducted from the final
percentage total.
Students in
the class will be expected to attend each session and participate to the
fullest. Excused absences
include illness; school sponsored activities, and selected family
obligations. Missing a class
to study for another class is not excused on the basis of being a school
sponsored activity. Missed
classes must be made up by researching an appropriate topic and writing a
summary of the findings, or by completing an alternative substitution
activity. Either alternative must be arranged in consultation with the
instructor.
Under
no circumstances should a student assume that by merely submitting a
paper, they have made up for 100% of the class missed.
In order to be considered equivalent, the paper must reproduce, or
substitute for, the content covered on the day missed, and be of adequate
length, substance, and quality based on the judgment of the course
professor. For purposes of
calculating a final grade for the class, the paper will be graded, and the
14% deduction for the one absence will be reduced,
commensurate with the quality of the make-up assignment.
Therefore, the degree to which the paper actually substitutes for
the class experiences on the day missed, will be directly reflected in the
final grade. In any case, the
student must meet with the professor to discuss the possible make-up work. Only one miss (equivalent to one week of the course)
can be made up in this way. Any
student missing more than one session must drop the class.
Some
possible topics for the research paper include, but are not limited to:
The
attached list of Internet and Dexter Library resources should provide a
starting point for selecting and researching a topic.
Yahoo! Recreation—Snowshoeing
http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Outdoors/Snowshoeing/
Carl
Heilman’s Snowshoes and Snowshoeing
http://www.carlheilman.com/snowshoe.html
Gorp Snowshoeing
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/hiking/skills/snowshoe.htm
Snowlink Learn and Improve—Snowshoeing
http://www.snowlink.com/learnimprove/gettingstarted/wask_snowshoe.shtml
Snowshoe Equipment Resources
http://www.cross-countryski.com/snowshoes.html
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