NIC’s Outdoor Pursuits program offers students the opportunity to take one free trip per academic year; however, the funding has been used, and all open spots have been filled for trips this year. Although in the fall of 2026, the funds will be refreshed and all trip spots will open again.
So far, the Associated Students of North Idaho College (ASNIC) provides pass-through funding for one program: Outdoor Pursuits.
Matt Huylar, the Coordinator for Student Involvement, said that each academic year, ASNIC allocates $6,000 to the First Trip program. At this time, they plan to provide the same amount for next year.
The Assistant Coordinator for Outdoor Pursuits, Brett Vangen-Weeks, said that this is the first year in the last four years that Outdoor Pursuits utilized all of the money that ASNIC provided them. This is a good thing for the program because it means that the need for money is now meeting the desire for trips.
Outdoor Pursuits offers more than just free or discounted trips for students. The three other main things that the program provides are discounted rental equipment for students, shop space, and personal trip consultation.
The trip programs are free for students who sign up before the funds and open spots run out. All trips are set up in a way that no previous experience is necessary. They are a way for anyone to explore new activities and get outdoors.
“You can meet all these people and then you’re also gaining skills while going out there.” Said Hailey Poteet, a student who has gone on multiple Outdoor Pursuits trips, “They make it very educational, so then that way you have the skills to go do those kinds of trips with your friends or with the people you meet afterwards.”
The discounted rental equipment includes summer and winter gear. The summer rental options are sailboats, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks and canoes. The winter rental options are ski gear, snowboard and splitboard gear, avalanche safety gear, snowshoe gear and Mountaineering gear.
The Outdoor Center in McLain Hall is the main Outdoor Pursuits location. It is open during the school year for people to use the shop space for projects. This is also where the NIC Bike Lab is located. Here, one can find professional-quality tools, bike programming services, and advice on all things related to bikes.
Lastly, Outdoor Pursuits provides personal trip consultations. Vangen-Weeks said, “If you want to go on a backpack trip with your friends, but you’re not sure where to go, we can rent you the gear and also give you some advice on where you might want to go.”
The first day of the 2026 Fall semester is when sign-ups for the trips open again, and the money from ASNIC is refreshed. Vangen-Weeks noted that day one of the new Fall semester is the best time to sign up for a trip because spots fill up fast.
