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Boone recognized for outdoor opportunities |
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Monday, 27 August 2007 |
 Paddling is just one of the many outdoor activities Boone was recently recognized for.
| | Nick Ianniello | The Appalachian |
by NICK IANNIELLO
News Reporter
In recent issues of National Geographic and Outside magazines, Boone was selected as one of the nation’s top outdoor sports destinations. But to many Appalachian State University students, this is hardly news.
Boone
made National Geographic’s top 50 outdoor destinations, and was a
reader’s choice for its climbing and whitewater boating in Outside.
“I
think Boone is a community of outdoor enthusiasts,” said Jessica S.
Blount, an appropriate technology graduate student and Outdoor Programs
employee.
This community has built itself around Appalachian and the mountains that surround it.
“Within a 3-4 hour radius of Boone, there are over 2 million acres of
publicly protected land,” University Recreation Outdoor Programs
Coordinator Andrew Miller said.
These protected mountains contain opportunities for outdoor sports enthusiasts of all kinds.
Hikers can enjoy the Appalachian Trail as well as the many other hikes
that stem from the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding areas.
Climbers have dozens of places to boulder, or do extended trips in the Linville Gorge area.
Bikers flock to Boone for the Blue Ridge Parkway and other challenging,
low traffic roads, as well as some world class mountain biking.
Whitewater enthusiasts find themselves only a few hours from the
Nolichucky River, the Ocoee River, the U.S. National Whitewater Center,
and minutes from more challenging creeks like the Watauga and Linville
Gorges.
Skiers and snowboarders have four slopes to choose from within 30 minutes of Boone.
“It’s really easy for beginners to experts to find what they’re looking
for,” said Sarah E. Wilcox, a senior accounting major and Outdoor
Programs employee.
Professional athletes like Lance Armstrong and the Cheerwine Cycling
Team have all used Boone as a springboard for their training.
“The cycling team is what it is because of Boone,” President of
Appalachian’s cycling team Dave L. Fortner said. “Boone itself is a
destination for cycling teams all over.”
The Appalachian cycling team has been conference champions for the past two years and they expect to do well again this season.
While the mountains in Boone have always been part of the draw for
Appalachian students, there are more and more talented college-age
athletes coming to Boone for its wealth of outdoor resources.
“I think [Appalachian] used to attract people who wanted to be rock
climbers or wanted to be paddlers,” Miller said. “And I think a change
that we’ve seen through our program over the years is that we have
people coming in that already are rock climbers and already are
paddlers.”
Appalachian has, in many ways, provided these young athletes with a base for their sport.
“There are some people on this campus that are doing some amazing stuff. They’re being nationally recognized,” Miller said.
While the location of the campus has helped many of these outdoor
athletes excel in their sports, the campus resources themselves, like
the climbing wall, have also been useful.
“We always knew that there was a strong climbing community on campus,”
Miller said. “But one of the things this climbing wall has done is that
it has really provided exposure to the on-campus climbing community.”
However, students do not have to be experienced athletes to get involved in these sports.
“The cool thing about Outdoor Programs is that we don’t care,” Miller
said. “We don’t care if you’ve never rock climbed before. If you’re
passionate and you’re motivated and you want to commit yourself to
learning it, we are thrilled to be able to teach you.”
Outdoor Programs currently offers a range of mostly student-led trips
and outings that cater to groups from beginner to advanced levels.
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