Drawing of the future cabin

Camelot Bunkhouse Project 2024

A core part of the MITOC community, and in particular our access to the mountains, continues to be our well-loved “Camelot” cabin, located in central New Hampshire. As you may know, Camelot was built in the 1970s (on a shoestring budget), and it is nearing the end of its useful life. Since 2013, the Outing Club has been working to build new, safe and modern sleeping quarters on the Camelot property, which will ensure that MITOC can fulfill our mission for decades to come.

MITOC partnered with Maclay Architects to design a new bunkhouse for Camelot which will be located approximately 100m from the existing cabin. The new bunkhouse will contain five bedrooms (sleeping ten persons each), a large central hallway, and a covered deck. We anticipate the cost of the new bunkhouse to be approximately $500,000.

With the design now complete, we are actively seeking donations. If you are able, please consider donating to help us hit our fundraising target in 2024. We are breaking ground on site preparation in 2024, and fundraising permitting, we will complete the new bunkhouse in late 2024 or early 2025. This project will ensure we can fulfill our mission for the next generation of MITOCers.

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Winter School

Winter School 2025

Do you enjoy being outdoors but don’t know what to do when the temperature drops? Do you live for summer but suffer in winter? Are you cooped up from November to March? Don’t hide from the cold — celebrate winter! During IAP, participate in MIT Outing Club’s Winter School, where you can have fun learning skills like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing and more. Winter School is MITOC’s crash course in cold weather activities.

What is Winter School?

Winter School is an annual IAP course presented by the members of MITOC. Its goal is to teach the skills one needs to enjoy outdoor sports in the winter. During the month of January, participants attend lectures every Tuesday and Thursday evening and spend time outdoors during the weekends. Trips are offered at various levels of intensity and include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, ice climbing, winter camping, orienteering, and mountaineering.

What is the format?

During IAP, we hold Lectures during the week on Tuesday and Thursday, and go on trips during the weekend.

Lectures

Lectures are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 19:00 - 21:00 (7pm - 9pm). 2025’s lecture schedule is as follows:

Trips

Outdoor trips are held every Saturday and Sunday, and often involve travel to New Hampshire’s White Mountains. These trips include hiking, ice climbing, skiing, overnights, and fat biking. Trips for each weekend are announced the week prior. Gear ranging from ice axes to winter boots is available for rent at-cost.

What is required to participate?

In order to participate you simply need to complete three things.

  1. Make sure you are a current MITOC member
  2. Make sure you have signed the MITOC waiver
  3. Attend the two mandatory lectures (sign up in advance here and here; we’ll give additional sign-in instructions during lectures).

I’m going to miss one of the two mandatory lectures. May I still participate?

Because very important safety information is covered, we require that all participants be present at the first two lectures. If you know in advance that you can’t make the first two safety lectures, but wish to participate in winter school, contact the Winter School chairs.

I have done Winter School in the past. May I participate again this year?

Yes, returning students are welcome to come learn more skills. Remember that the first two lectures are mandatory, even if you’ve attended them before.

How much does Winter School cost?

The weekday evening lectures are free! For weekend trips, participants are typically responsible for paying a trip fee and gear rental costs (the combined trip + gear costs are capped at $20), along with rideshare costs ($10~$40, depending on the destination). Depending on the activity, trips may also include additional costs allocated to non-MITOC affiliations (e.g., ski passes).

What gear do I need?

You can rent most of the gear you need (such as microspikes, snowshoes, and crampons) from our office. Some winter clothing items are available for rental (such as hard-shells, mittens, and winter boots), but you may have to prepare other items like base layers, hats, and gloves. The mandatory lectures will include clothing tips on where to find what you will need at a number of price points.

For more information, contact the Winter School chair.

Think snow!

Event sponsored by the Graduate Student Council