Adventure Summit returning to the Wright State Student Union

Kids of all ages got wet and wild during the kayaking competition in the Wright State pool at the last Adventure Summit.

Believe it or not, mid-winter is one of the best times to try out a new warm-season outdoor activity.

That’s because Five Rivers Metro Parks and Wright State University bring the outdoors into the Student Union this time every other year with the Adventure Summit. The 2012 Adventure Summit is scheduled for Friday evening from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Kayaking, scuba diving, rock climbing, indoor cycling and yoga are among the get-out-and-play activities Adventure Summit will have on tap, along with inspiring speakers, recreational skill clinics, hands-on training and fitness sessions.

The Adventure Summit is geared to the general public, but some new activities this year are aimed at students, including the first Canoe Battleship Competition, scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Student Union swimming pool. Armed with buckets, teams will paddle about the pool and attempt to sink one another until only one canoe remains afloat.

The Adventure Summit at Wright State University helps students of all ages climb to new heights.

“The event is a great opportunity for students to get inspired and educated on how to have their own life-changing adventures. Whether they are interested in crossing the Andes or hiking on Ohio’s Buckeye Trail, there are presentations for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts,” said Amy Anslinger, assistant director of outdoor recreation.

Other activities are perennial favorites and draw students from far beyond the Wright State campus. The Bouldering Competition, scheduled for Saturday in the Student Union’s climbing wall facility, draws students from across the Midwest. “We’ve had them come from as far away as Notre Dame,” Anslinger said.

Organizers have lined up experts in mountain biking and mountaineering to talk about their sports.

• Gary Fisher, billed as the “Founding Father of Mountain Biking,” will discuss the role of the bicycle in society Friday at 8 p.m.

• Gregg Treinish and Deia Schlosberg will recount their two-year, 7,800-mile trek across the Andes Mountains Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

• Daniel Dorr will talk about climbing Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Adventure Summit will coincide with the Alumni Association Reunion Weekend and Parents and Family Weekend. “We’re hoping some of the parents here for parents’ weekend and our alumni also will come to this,” Anslinger said.

Five Rivers MetroParks and Wright State have held the Adventure Summit on the university’s main campus since 2006. Tom Helbig, special events coordinator for MetroParks’ Outdoor Recreation Department, said both organizations developed their outdoor recreation programs at the same time, and they developed the concept for the summit together.

“We have similar missions in trying to get people actively engaged in the outdoors. There are a ton of opportunities for people to explore the Miami Valley through outdoor adventure,” Helbig said. He noted the region has more than 300 miles of paved recreational trails, 30 miles of mountain biking trails, the 22-mile Twin Valley Trail for backpacking and 70 miles of navigable streams.

Learn more about the Adventure Summit at http://www.metroparks.org/adventuresummit/