Outdoor Learning Expeditions OLE's
Outside the classroom, White Mountain students participate in three (3) Outdoor Learning Expeditions (OLEs) each year and one (1) Orientation trip. By coordinating wilderness skills instruction and a relevant academic component, students can actively experience the world around them. Recent trips have included: Fly Fishing & Fresh Water Ecology, Mahoosuc Search and Rescue, Literature & the Land, Maine Coastal Kayaking, and The Art of Winter.

Orientation is first and departs soon after Registration Day at the beginning of the year. Orientation trips serve as a time to begin to experience the beauty of the White Mountain National Forest and Great North Woods beyond, and to get to know each other better. All trips combine outdoor learning with outdoor recreation and focus on a variety of topics, including subjects like wildlife habitat, fresh water ecology, geology, natural history, and environmental literature.

Orientation is followed by three additional Outdoor Learning Expeditions (OLEs) – in the fall, winter, and spring.
 
Winter OLE's 2009 Feburary 2-4

Avalanche Forecasting, WY
This course is a must for those who venture into the backcountry during the winter.  We will be learning about all aspects of avalanches:  assessment, safe travel, and search / rescue techniques. The course will be located in the Tetons of Wyoming around Jackson Hole, one of the most diverse and accessible backcountry ski areas in the country. We will examine weather, wind, and snow variations and how that relates to predicting snow stability in the backcountry. The course will follow a three-day Level I avalanche education curriculum created by AAIRE (American Avalanche Institute of Research and Education).  The course will combine class lecture with field research and will also allow for an additional day for students to utilize the skills that they have acquired.

Nicaragua Service Odyssey
Leaving the Friday before OLE, and returning one week later (you will miss most of February break), we will fly to Nicaragua's capitol, Managua, where we will stay on the edge of one of its poorest neighborhoods.  We will  work with the Women in Action cooperative, play with their children, and explore the culture, politics, history, and economics of Nicaragua.  This is a truly exceptional opportunity to immerse yourself in a world very different from ours and to begin to understand the connections between these two worlds.

Dog Sledding
 Have you ever wanted to pretend you are an arctic explorer traveling across the frozen tundra?  Have you ever imagined journeying the way Native Americans did in the winter for thousands of years?  Then this is the trip for you.  We will begin our trip by staying at the lodge and doing some service work for the guide service before being outfitted for our journey.  On the second day half of our group will dog sled while the other half cross-country skis to a backcountry camp complete with tents and a wood stove in the wilds of western Maine.  We will listen to stories of the far north and learn about the cultural history of the area as we warm cold toes around the fire.  The next day the mushers become skiers and vice-versa as we return to the lodge.

Falling Down and Getting Up
This trip is a great combination of learning to make tele-turns, use climbing skins, and negotiate through designated back-country (ungroomed) ski trails. We will be learning to telemark ski on the slopes of Bretton Woods, a moderate lift service ski area.  The next two days will be more of the touring style.  Our topographic choices will depend upon weather, skills, and boldness.   If you are open-minded and ready for an adventure with a lot of falling and laughing, this will be a great trip for you.  All you have to be able to do is get up and try again.  The academic themes will focus on preparedness for the winter back-country, wilderness first aid, and will include student presentations on cold weather injuries/hazards.

Parc-du-Mont Orford Climate Change Negotiation
Welcome to the 2009 North American Climate Change Summit located in the beautiful Parc du Mont-Orford in southern Quebec, where you will be negotiating with colleagues from the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the Arctic indigenous peoples to formulate a North American climate change policy.  Amidst breaks from these intensive negotiations, we'll be learning the basics and/or expanding our knowledge of classic and skating cross-country ski techniques.  We'll stay in wood-stove warmed cabins along the trail.  Bring headlamps for night skiing, too!  All ski equipment is provided by the school.  You also can bring your own.

Intro to Winter Travel
This OLE will show you how to winter camp not only comfortably, but stylishly.  Remember back in October when many of us were forced to start up our whisper-lites and cook on the (gasp) ground?  How about sculpting your own kitchen, complete with counter space and seating?  Our medium will be one of the most sturdy yet malleable materials out there, and our scenery will be the breathtaking landscape in the Mt. Washington area.  We will spend the first day hiking to Zeta Pass, where we will learn how to build snow shelters and snow kitchens.  The next day will be spent climbing Mt. Hight and Carter Dome, ending at Carter Notch Hut, where we will spend the night.  In addition to building snow structures, we will spend our evenings reading and discussing literature about winter travel.   Come and take in all of the possibilities and excitement the winter has to offer!

Local Ice Legends
This fantastic adventure will focus on basic ice climbing skills and climbing with legends of the sport.  It will involve technical ascents of snow and ice climbs at beautiful locations in northern New Hampshire.  Our academic component will involve students researching one of two "Local Legends," (Kevin Mahoney and Janet Bergman) and preparing a list of questions to ask them.  We will spend a day climbing with each legend and students will get to ask them their questions.  They will join us for dinner, show us a slideshow, and talk to us about their experiences.  Students will then share some of the "legends" insight with the group during our evening discussions.

Winter Mtn. Ecology and Travel
Get out and experience the adventure and beauty of winter travel in the Whites on this hiking expedition to the northern Presidentials.  We'll ascend to the rocky, windswept ridge between Mt. Madison and Mt. Adams, explore the area around the Appalachian Mountain Club's Madison Spring Hut, and, weather and time permitting, summit Mt. Madison. Our academic component will focus on the adaptations that plants and animals have to endure these harsh winter weather conditions.  We will test our detective skills as we learn how to track animals through the snow.  Each night we'll return to the Dartmouth Outing Club's Billings Cabin, a comfortable shelter heated by a wood-stove. The trip will involve long day-hikes, above-tree-line travel, and some of the most amazing views in the Northeast.