Mountain Club Expands Programming

Mountain Film, a travelling film festival, visited the College on Wednesday Nov. 7. The organization screens independent documentary films, often focusing on adventure film and outdoor lifestyle, from all around the globe.

“Mountain Film is dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences about issues that matter, cultures worth exploring, environments worth preserving and conversations worth sustaining,” explains the organization’s mission statement.

Students crowded into Dana Auditorium at 7 p.m. last Wednesday to enjoy the under-20-minute short films. This was the second time that the organization has come to the College. Both the event’s attendance and subsequent response were impressive.

“The films inspired me to overcome any obstacles I may encounter in my life and showed me how something amazing can come out of adversity,” said Caroline Spencer ’16.

One film documented the life of a famous freestyle skier, Josh Dueck, who became paralyzed in both his legs after a bad ski accident and how he was able to continue his passion for skiing by learning to ski on a sit-ski. Another film explored the benefits of living small, as a man downsized from a massive house to a 150-square-foot structure.

Besides organizing the Mountain Film visit, Middlebury Mountain Club (MMC) has been busy this fall arranging off campus trips for students, planning upcoming events and evolving a boating program. Co-President of MMC Tess Sneeringer ’14.5 explained that MMC is constantly trying to expand their programming.

“The evolution of the boating program has been a new, exciting program for the club and shows its commitment to growth as an organization,” she said.

The new boating program has done several things this fall to jumpstart the year. MMC organized a white river trip to Sharon, Vt. earlier in the fall. The club also now offers kayak-rolling lessons in the pool and equips novices with the skills to kayak through the rapids right near Otter Creek.

The club also offers student-run workshops for students of the college in skills ranging form hiking, climbing, boating and winter trips. The club has a gear room that is trained to fit students with the proper attire and gear for the trips (funded by SGA and alumni donations).

Upcoming MMC events include Northern Lights and Flaming Flamingo. Northern Lights is a winter carnival event where teams compete in sprint events such as snow shoe relays, tug of war and sled pull.

“This year we’re especially eager to reach out to other clubs on campus and encourage them to field a team,” said Sneeringer.

Flaming Flamingo is the annual celebratory barbeque held at Lake Dunmore. The event gets it name from the tradition of building a flamingo and subsequently setting it on fire at the event.

“When I first came to Middlebury people often said that extracurricular activities will sometimes become a bigger part of your life than classes, and I didn’t believe them. But through the Mountain Club I have had the opportunity to really dedicate myself to this club and have gained a lot from that experience,” Sneeringer.