SWEBOP

Rise Up Climbing!

2011-09-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to be back at Sweet Briar!

SWEBOP has already jumped into the new school year by welcoming the awesome class of 2015 and preparing some of our trips! On Wednesday, August 31st, we led our first trip of the year to the Rise Up Climbing gym in downtown Lynchburg. We had a great turn out, needing to take two vans, and I believe these pictures say just how much fun we had.

Our next trip to Rise Up Climbing will be September 14th! Come stop by the SWEBOP office if you're interested in having as much fun as these girls!

Beach Trip Fun!

2011-04-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend SWEBOP took a group of students to a beach house off the Eastern shoreline. The beach trip is a campus favorite, giving students the opportunity to get off campus, enjoy some ocean breezes and meet new students. Now that pictures have been posted on facebook, I'm sharing them with you:

Snow Tubing and Outing Cabin

2011-03-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hey friends!

So I (AB) had a very busy weekend this past weekend and led not one, but two trips! They both had awesome groups and both were a lot of fun. I think I actually looked at JC at one point and said, "Can you believe we're getting paid for this?"

We went snow tubing at Wintergreen for the first time this past Friday which was a very different experience from skiing. After a few last minute time since we didn't realize our session started at 7 and not at 4 (oops!) we ended up leaving, and getting there by around 6:50. Once we got to there we pretty much just let everyone go, but since all our participants were seniors it ending up being like a huge bonding time. Snow tubing is like giant slides for adults!

Outing Cabin was also a lot of fun, though I didn't catch as many pictures. We hiked up there and stopped to show them the 300 year old tree, along with the hidden graveyard on the way back. Once we got up there a lot of people explored it while we were sweeping it out and then building the fire. It was pretty chilly that early in the morning so the warmth was definitely welcomed. We went over the packet and then made nomy hobo dinners for lunch! My favorite. It was definitely a very active and fun group, we even had a professor and a staff member and his family with us!

Here are a few pictures of both trips!

The slides that the tubes go down.. there were a few you caught air on!
Trekking back down from the outing cabin- there are still A LOT of leaves up there.
The Outing Cabin group before dispersing!
And the tubing group before we started!
Last but not least me, JC, and Alexis posing for a picture before going down!

Have I mentioned I love my job?

Berks

Caving

2011-02-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Swebop took a total of 11 people caving at Crossroads cave. Mike Hayslett and Clarke Scott are two male leaders that tagged along with us and taught us so much about caving along the way. They were both super awesome instructors, and we were all thankful for having them. After arriving at the cave we ate our quick Prothro lunches, got on our gear, and were all anxious to start our caving adventure. The cave was awesome, filled with great formations, Pipistrelle bats, and plenty of places to explore. After making our way through many of the passages we took a couple minutes to all sit together on the ground and turn our headlamps off. We all got to experience total darkness and quietness as we sat still listening to the subtle drips and sounds of the cave! It was seriously the coolest thing ever! Overall this was a great trip! After emerging from the cave we all decided that we bonded 1/4 mile under the ground!

Ski Season

2011-01-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ski season has started up, and SWEBOP is certainly excited. Our skiing/snowboarding/snow-tubing trips are the main focus of our winter-trip lineup, driving at least one van of students to a nearby ski resort every Friday. Our lift-tickets and gear rental is super-discounted so students can afford to indulge in a trip or two without breaking the bank. A diverse group of students take advantage of the ski trips so I'm sure there will be even more pictures later, but until then, I offer you some teasers:

Training Training and more training!

2011-01-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! It's Berks here!

This is my first ever blog for SWEBOP so bare with me here =P

So some of you might be wondering what

SWEBOP is up to this semester, and if you're not, you should be, because it's gonna be awesome. Right now, all of the instructors are pretty much

booked every weekend with either trips or training. Every year we do a lot of the same

training to make sure it's still fresh in our minds. This past weekend we had Wilderness Rescue Training and American Red Cross CPR/First Aid training. CPR and first aid was mainly a refresher for most of us, and ended up being a lot of fun simulating fixing up hurt people and CPR. For Wilderne

ss Rescue training we learned lots of knots and how to beam people (move them without moving their spine, and all that fun stuff), AND the highlight of the day was the z-drag. The z-drag is a rope setup that we would use if we had to put someone in the litter (sort of like a stretcher but not really) and help them up the hill. For all you non-engineer type people out there it's a way for us to use a rope to hold the load instead of us! We didn't get too many pictures from this ev

ent (but we did get a lot of weird look

s from girls going to dinner) because we were all either on the litter team helping carry it and our patient or on the team who was working the ropes, but here's my favorite of the day:

Because it was a simulation, we picked KM to be in the litter and stuffed her in the litter pretty tightly. Laura told us it was themost padding she'd ever seen put in a litter! KM ha

d a lot of fun with it, though, as you can see from this picture. We had to stand her up, flip her over (things we wouldn't do in a real emergency- promise! We were just seeing how tightly she was in there!), lift her over the desk in the post office, then under it, and then around the lower quad to where we hooked her to the z-drag. Through this all KM talked to us and "threw up" meaning we had to tip her a lot. Though, she paid her dues when she got out and she and I had to put all the clothes we used to pack her in back into the gear room!

Here are a few more pictures from the day!

Speaking of the gear room coordinators (myself and KM), we found the extra manican we usually use for our window displays hiding in with the sleeping bags and decided he should be displayed as well so he didn't feel left out! Note: the creepy man shadow under him is actually the other manican in the window =P

I'm so excited for the trips this semester, and I hope that a lot of Sweet Briar woman are as well! As I'm writing this, I'm watching girls come in ready to go on our first ski/snowboarding trip at Wintergreen this semester! So exciting! Next weekend we have ice skating (which, I'm leading and am super excited about) And this coming weekend we have the Leadership Conference! (sorry for the absurd about of ! there, I got kinda overly excited)

Well that's all for now,

Berks =)

2011-01-20T17:07:00.001-08:00

Whether its with the SWEBOP Spring Break Trip or just on our own, KM ’13 and I are hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail during Spring Break. To prepare, we’ve agreed to meet twice a week to walk with loaded packs, hopefully increasing our endurance and capacity to carry lots of stuff on our backs.

Of course, to do this requires us to walk around campus with big backpacks on our backs…much to the chagrin of the other girls working out. KJ ’11 snagged a picture as she giggled at us:

Though not yet joining us to 'train', there are already a group of students committed and excited to hike the AT this spring. WE leaders are excited to see who else signs up and how the trip preparations pan-out

Fun in the Office

2010-11-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by all our beautiful outdoor adventures, SWEBOP instructors work hard in the office as well. Well, we're in the office a lot. We don't necessarily always work hard. Togetherness usually means a good story is ahead. Here's a selection of pictures from around the office this semester.

KM pranks AB while trying to boulder. Three of the instructors pose for a picture at Sweet Briar's homecoming in September
General mayhem in the office as AB and I take pictures on the office Mac and Bearslayer (as she's affectionately called) boulders while we're all waiting to start a pre-trip meeting.

The instructors love being subscribed to Rock and Ice and Climbing magazines...because we love to cut out the pictures.MK rocks a few pieces from the SWEBOP gear room. VL, though not in the head-to-toe long underwear, is still looking good in her SWBEOP shirt.
This job is exhausting. This picture is not at all staged; during a wilderness medicine training we all laid down to nap before resuming our scheduled activities.

Outdoor Climbing Trip

2010-11-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

On October 24th SWEBOP went to Goshen, VA for some much needed outdoor climbing! After everyone grabbed some breakfast from SWEBOP we hit the dusty trail around 9am. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and the weather was perfect for climbing. After arriving at Goshen we hiked (which was supposed to be a 20min trail to the climbing site... but we may or may not have gotten lost) to meet Laura and Alyssa who had already set up the climbs for us, which was baller! Before climbing we all ate lunch and met the other climbers at the site who were students from UVA. Everyone had their fair share of climbing and we also did some repelling that day! The views were spectacular from the top of the climbs and the fall colors were the icing on the cake to this great trip.

Erin was totally rockin' that climb!

Apology and Canoeing

2010-10-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I'm SOOO sorry it's been so long since the last post! Would you believe and forgive me if I said I hadn't blogged because I was too busy being outdoors? It's true. So many great trips = so little time to talk about them. But our boss always says 'reflection is an important part of any experience' so it's time to sit down and reflect on the first trip of the year: canoeing.

The SWEBOP instructors met the first week in August to a.) meet each other b.) train for the upcoming year c.) learn to canoe. We spent a lot of time talking about communication, teaching methods, working as a group, redefining yourself outside of your ‘normal’ environment and how to…camp. This semester has been very busy, and, looking back, I really enjoyed spending so much time living so simply, taking time to reflect and teach others.

Our canoeing guide, Dennis, was 64 and a world class white water canoeist. We were really blessed to have him as our guide, and he took a ton of pictures and videos of our trip. Here are a few highlights:

Enjoying camp on the 2nd night

VL and AZ paddling Balcony Falls
Me and JC paddle Balcony Falls
JC enjoys Solo Time on her own rock in the river

Updates about other trips this semester should be coming soon from AZ and KM so keep checking back for those.

We're obviously slackers when it comes to this, but if you have any ideas, questions or comments feel free to share!

2010-04-19T08:41:00.001-07:00

Hiring!!

2010-04-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

WE ARE HIRING!!!
Sweet freaking deal ladies!!!
Every one should be STOKED about this ;0) I know the instructors sure as heck are!

You can pick up your applications from Donna Boyd
They are due APRIL 20TH to Laura Staman
That must include your Resume, Cover letter, and Application
Email us with any questions!

There will be an informal question and answer session tomorrow at lunch.
Feel free to stop by :0)
Hope to see you lovely ladies there!!

Whyyyy Hello Ladies

2010-04-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hellllooooooo Ladies,
Oh wow, its been a LONG time. Holy. Like what? 7 months?
So how have you been? Anything new with life? Hopefully school is still going spectacular.
SWEBOP is alive and well. It doesn't help that the weather is epically nice out. Although we did kind of skip seasons. I believe it went something along the lines of winter -> summer -> then spring. Hopefully we will be getting back into summer soon because frankly, I would rather be outside then in.
So what does the SWEBOP program hold for us in the future?
Why how nice of you to ask.
We have fly fishing and the Warm Springs Spa, Outing Cabin Certification, Kayaking, Adventure Tuesdays, and Kayaking Pool Clinics.
I know, so few trips left but then again ladies, so few days left.
33 to be exact. Not that I am counting or anything. I swear. Oh and that is 33 days til graduation. So for all the underclassmen who are declining to stay til graduation, it's less.

Well, I have nothing else to say other then enjoy the weather outside and make SWEBOP proud.
-R
ps- there will be more black-mailing worth pictures like the one above in future posts.

SWEBOP IS THE AWESOMEEEE

2009-10-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

HAVENT UPDATED IN AWHILE! AHHH!

So us SWEBOPERS have been up to a TON! From climbing at the indoor rock gym Rise-Up climbing to multipitching at Seneca with SENECA ROCKS CLIMBING SCHOOL and the awesomeness that is Massey Teel. Had a rollicking time!

We also went hang gliding with KITTY HAWK KITES in the Outer Banks! How awesome! Great Time on the dunes! Then went out for Ice Cream and saw an awesome impromptu magic show!

Melaina and Ellie passed their Belay Certification! W00t!

CARLISE is back from Senegal and lending her awesomeness and organization skills to SWEBOP! YESSS!

WE HAVE NEWBIES! lots of new instructors got hired! THEY ARE ALL AWESOME!

COME ON TRIPS WITH US!

Back to School...Back to school.. to prove to dad that I'm not a fool...

2009-08-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hellllloooooo!!!
SWEBOP is in the full swing of things with classes already started and our trip sign up being today. There are going to be some ridiculously sweet trips. Such as rock climbing at Seneca, backpacking, kayaking, indoor rock climbing, night hiking, fly fishing, hang gliding and SOOO much more. I know all of the instructors are stoked and so are many of the students. There are more updates to come so keep your eyes out!!
Rach :0)

River Rat Induction Ceremony: Beginner Kayaking

2009-04-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Swebop had the pleasure of taking 4 new kayakers on the Balcony Falls section of the James. Three Sweet Briar girls and one lucky UVA alum launched early in the morning for an exciting day. The river was high and running quick and we hit it hard. These pictures don't do it justice because I am not coordinated enough to run the rapid, safety boat and be the paparazzi all at once. But here are some of the best eddies on the river!

The Launch

Off to Great Start

The Lake. After t-rescues, eddy turns, peel outs and ferries we got to spend some quality time with nature in the slack water of the James River Dam. We saw plenty of basking turtles, some interesting birds and swam with the local fish:-)

Careful Jenna, that primate looks rabid! Oh, my bad it's just on of the instructors...

I'd say my four years as a Swebop instructor couldn't have ended in a better scene.

Keep paddling Sweet Briar,
Sara

Riding in West Virginia, SWEBOP style...

2009-04-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey! Jenna here. I'm just chilling in the office right now, there's not really anything to advertise for. So I thought I'd talk about the past few trips I've been on...

We went horseback riding and camping in West Virginia from April 17th-19th. The trip was the first of it's kind that SWEBOP has ever sponsored. It took a lot of work to get this trip off the ground, and I am so proud that my co-leaders and I were able to make it a dream come true for me.

We had 15 participants and 5 leaders on the trip (wow...talk about a huge group)! I'm ecstatic that the trip was as amazing as it was...

There were two groups of riders: a beginner group for those with limited riding experience and an advanced group, which was mostly girls who have been riding for more than few years. The beginners got to ride for about 2.5-3 hours and enjoyed a delicious fresh cooked lunch on the trail, and the advanced group rode for about 5-6 hours, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all ate way too much of the delicious food on the trail. Although I've been riding for 13 years, I haven't had time to ride since Christmas break, so my butt was pretty sore for a few days afterwards... We galloped down the trail and through open fields!

This is the advanced group heading back towards the woods

The advanced group got started riding a little late, and by the time we got back to camp, Sara was almost finished cooking us a fabulous dinner! I think the participants were a little skeptical about our one-pot wonder meal, probably because it's called "Shit in a Pot". But everyone seemed to LOVE it (I knew they would!), I'm pretty sure I saw people going back for thirds! So a special thanks to Sara for cooking for us... it's not easy to figure out how to cook food for 20 people in two pots (one vegetarian, one with turkey), with only one propane stove! mad props on that, plus it was delicious.

While we cleaned up dinner, Debbie rounded up some of the participants to help make a fire. Then we all enjoyed S'mores!

I think it's safe to say that everyone had the time of their life on this trip, and we look foreward to doing it again in the future! If you want to see where we went, check out Equine Adventures at http://horsebackwv.com/

That's all for now!
Jenna

2009-04-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone should come to "Mountaintop Summer: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail Lecture" being given by Mike and Corbin Hayslett tonight at 7:30 in Heuer Auditorium!

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." —Doug Lawson.

2009-04-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

"The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective." — Al Neuharth.

"Line of weakness: long involved explanation for not attempting a route."

"Blood /n./ substance commonly used to mark a climbing route."

"The best climber in the world is the one who's having the most fun." — Alex Lowe.

"But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live. Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom. Only a person who risks is free. The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails." — William Arthur Ward.

OYE

2009-03-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Why hello there,
Along spring break is over and classes have resumed... SWEBOP still has some kick ass trips coming up. Jenna and I have been working on getting this horseback riding trip up and running with the helps of our co-leaders and God given office angel Keri. What to talk about...that tis the question. I mean, we have some wicked sweet trips coming up aka horseback riding, car camping, beginner kayaking, outing cabin, night hike WITH s'mores. That is not including all the trips we are co-leading with Lynchburg College and all the trips they are doing. I mean what more could you want?
I really have nothing else to say.... so I'm off to reek havoc with Keri. uh.. I mean, we're going to clean. GO ANTI CLUTTER MOVEMENT!!
-Rach

New Favorite Quote

2009-03-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

In all my free Spring Break time I started reading my new issue of Climbing magazine. Whilst reading about Yosemitie's beast rout called El Capitan I discovered a new favorite quote:

"There's a fine line between badass and dumbass; and we're walking it!"

Go out and explore the world, but watch that you toe the line.

-Sarah

Why Hello there!!! Dry Spell but NOT for long ;0)

2009-03-09T12:22:00.001-07:00

What'd up?!! Rach here. Bwhaha yes they gave me the password ;0). So its been a little while since the last time some one updated this so here I am. Hi! We've hit a slight "dry spell" aka we have a few weeks were there are no trips taking place. Have NO fear though!!!!! Once spring break is done with, we get back into the swing of things again. What do you have to look forward to you ask? I'll list them for you :0)
-Outing Cabin Certification
-Body Image Trip
-Fly Fishing
-Night hike with s'mores (mhmmmm)
- Horseback Riding/Camping!!

We just finished up the ski/ snowboarding trips sadly but they all went really well. All the participants had a great time and the instructors survived five Friday nights, so all is well. These trips we're a lot of fun and I think every participant and instructor is able to walk away form it with a funny memory. Just ask Keri the next time you stop by the SWEBOP office and she is in. Either that, or next time I update I'll fill you guys in with a story.
Speaking of which, office hours can be a busy time BUT we HEART visitors... they keep us just distracted enough so that we aren't mischievous in our office hours. Well, scratch that, we won't be AS mischievous as we could be. We won't be reaching out full potential ;0). Also about that, come swing by the office and see all random drawings, notes and pictures we have around. I guarantee they'll bring some sort of smile to your face!!

Well, I'm almost done with my office hours so until next week I'll catch you cool cats later. and oh-yes, this will become a weekly thing :0) bwhaha
Rach
aka Instructor
aka Co-Advertising Coordinator
aka the coolest Yankee you'll meet ;0)

The Spring Schedule is HERE

2009-02-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

For a Printer Friendly version please click the link to the CCL website and choose Schedule from the links to the left. If you'd like a "perdy" color coded copy stop by the Swebop office and grab one off the bookself by the door. Happy Trails!

Wilderness Medicine

2009-02-18T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's 4 a.m. and I'm tired of studying for mid-terms. Instead, I figured I'd check up on the blog and fill people in on past few exciting weekends. SWEBOP hasn't run any big trips in the past few weeks. We've been pretty busy with skiing, climbing, and training in wilderness medicine.

All of us SWEBOP instructors have to be certified in wilderness rescue and wilderness medicine; this training gives us the skill to rescue you from tricky situations and awesome life-skills we can brag about at parties. Examples: we can do stuff like traction a femur, treat a tooth-ache, survive lightning, and rig our own harnesses out of webbing.

This training is a.)long b.) potentially boring c.) kinda like playing Mcgiver d.) a great way to meet outdoorsy people from other schools. Virginia Commonwealth University instructors came up from Richmond to train with us last weekend. It's always a lot of fun to meet their new instructors, play with their nifty gear/toys and wander the campus. Adventures with VCU usually involve bush-waking across campus at 2 a.m.

Moral of the Story: SWEBOP takes risk-management seriously. We're trained to make smart choices and taught how to get ourselves out of tight spots if necessary. This is really convenient because the trouble we instructors get into is usually some situation we cooked up ourselves!

-Sarah

Under Construction

2009-01-20T03:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new Swebop Blog page. This is an attempt to create a space where past and potential participants on Swebop trips may comment on trips, share photo's and stories or simply learn what Swebop is all about. This site is currently under construction but will hopefully be up and running in the near future. Please direct any questions or concerns to swebop@sbc.edu. Thank you for your visit.

Sara Rothamel 09'
Swebop Staff

Gear Rental

2009-01-20T03:12:00.000-08:00

Swebop offers students rental gear at dirt cheap prices for both on and off campus use. From tents to climbing shoes we have what you need to start your own adventure. For a list of daily rates please visit the address provided below. If you have any questions or concerns please contact swebop@sbc.edu.

http://www.ccl.sbc.edu/swebop/rentalgear.html?swebop

Spring 2009 Trip Schedule

2009-01-20T03:09:00.000-08:00

Coming soon to a computer near you...