WSU to Break Ground on Outdoor Adventure & Welcome Center

OGDEN, Utah – The public is invited to attend a groundbreaking for the new Weber State University Outdoor Adventure & Welcome Center on Oct. 8 at 4 p.m.

Located directly north of the Wildcat Village residential complex, the new facility will provide easy access to students and community visitors. In addition, the 17,000- square-foot building will have a Welcome Center to help students get oriented and make connections on campus

The Outdoor Adventure Center will allow WSU’s popular Campus Recreation Outdoor Program to expand its equipment rental center, making room for new equipment and improved efficiency. This center will also support recreational rock climbing, including bouldering and a 55-foot climbing wall.

“Weber State’s proximity to world-class outdoor recreation makes it an ideal location to study, and over the past 10 years, participation in outdoor pursuits has grown exponentially,” said Daniel Turner, Campus Recreation associate director. “Our rental fleets are at capacity, our trips and programs are full, and the demand continues to grow. Improving our facilities will attract students to the university and provide tools for success both inside and outside the classroom.”

A unique component to the new Adventure Center is a three-story, state-of-the-art rope access training center to train people who work and play on high structures.

In addition, first responders, public safety, emergency personnel and construction workers will have access to a two-story rescue-training area, a practice wall with windows to simulate an emergency bailout, a 65-foot rooftop rappelling and rigging area, a training classroom and a three-story catwalk system for rigging to practice all conceivable rescue scenarios.

The Adventure Center will serve as a hub for all types of outdoor recreation for beginners to seasoned professionals. On an annual basis, the Outdoor Program serves 18,000 people and hosts more than 5,000 participants in 200 organized outdoor trips, clinics and programs.

The Outdoor Program has seen steady growth since its inception in the 1970s and has long since outgrown its current space in a retrofitted home on the southeast corner of campus.

“The Campus Recreation Outdoor Program is an essential component of our students’ education,” Turner said. “From leadership development, to introducing students to active, healthy lifestyles, to applying classroom concepts to real-world application, the Outdoor Program elevates education through high-impact learning.”

The firm ajc architects designed the building, and Wadman Corporation will complete construction by the end of 2020.

For more information about the Outdoor Adventure & Welcome Center, visit weber.edu/outdoor/adventure-center.html. Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

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Contact: Daniel Turner, Campus Recreation associate director

801-626-7354 · danielturner@weber.edu