For more than 30 years, Southern Oregon University students have gotten big breaks on outdoor rental items — everything from snowboarding and mountaineering gear to kayaking and backpacking equipment.

Open weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., the university's Outdoor Program, nestled in a corner of MacNeil Pavilion, has been a boon for students and SOU staffers eager to experience the outdoors at low cost.

Freshman Casey Reteneller says she paid $10 to rent a snowboard that would have cost her more than twice that on Mount Ashland.

"It's very useful for students, who don't have a lot of money for such things," she says.

Also available are snowshoes, cross-country skis and poles and campstoves. SOU does not rent rock-climbing gear because it is so easily damaged, says program director Erik Sol.

Along with equipment, there is plenty of advice available through the program as well — specifics on the best places to launch a raft in the area, what to take in a backpack and how not to get lost on particular trails, Sol says.

Self-supporting through rental fees, community donations and an annual ski swap in November, the program is under the overall umbrella of SOU Athletic Director Dennis Francois, who calls it "a great asset, accessible, convenient and affordable."

"It's a phenomenal opportunity to keep costs and time down, because we facilitate logistics, help plan meals, and give you maps," says Sol. "We're similar to a commercial outfitter. You tell us what you want to do and we'll tell you how to do it and loan you the stuff you need."

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While they may look easy in slow-motion videos, some outdoor sports have their hazards, he says. That's why the program runs training classes on rock-climbing in the fall (using a climbing wall behind the gym), whitewater rafting in the spring and mountaineering — involving climbing peaks like Mount McLoughlin and Mount Thielsen — in the winter, he says.

To teach would-be kayakers skills like underwater rolls, Sol puts a kayak in the SOU pool, which the program has access to from 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays. Each student pays $5 a session.

For those who want something less challenging, the program offers a two-day, guided raft trip down the Klamath River in the summer for $65.

"It's a great way to get them (students) involved in the outdoors instead of wasting away in their dorm rooms," says freshman work-study student Alex Perkins, who rents the equipment out. "They're usually pretty excited."

Whenever a regular college class has to go on a field trip, such as weeklong summer geology trips, the Outdoor Program frequently provides the equipment.

Sol says such outings give students relief from the stress of classes.

"For some, it can be a bit overwhelming, so we try to help show them the way," he says. "They need information, basic skills and equipment, and we've got it all."

John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org