7 vests left for the Five Boro Bike Tour!

The Five Boro Bike tour sold out of regular entry slots in just 25 days! If you’re still looking for a chance to join the ranks, we have 7 spots left in our group registration! Join us and 30,000 others from around the country for a 42-mile car free ride in New York City.

The Five Boro Bike Tour is just a one day ride, but we’re making it more like a mini vacation. We’ll take care of transportation, tolls and lodging, so you can simply enjoy the ride. Read more

First ever RAP Tour now open!

Did you know Pennsylvania has 9 state bike routes – including 4 that span north and south, and 3 that travel east and west? Pretty cool, right?

Venture Outdoors is excited to announce a new series of bike tours on the BicyclePA Routes. Our first ever RAP (Ride Across Pennsylvania) Tour will be this August, and we’ll be traveling BicyclePA Route A from Erie, PA to Morgantown, WV.

Registration is now open for the RAP Tour. Sign up before May 31st to receive an Early Bird Special. For more details on the ride CLICK HERE.

But be sure to check out this cool map of Keystone State Bike Routes below. We’ll be one of these routes each year!

Whole Foods Day a Success!

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by Whole Foods in Shadyside on Wednesday, February 17. Whole Foods is donating 5% of its income on that day to Venture Outdoors totaling over $5,200!
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Banff Price Change

Don’t wait until the last minute. Ticket prices for the Banff Mountain Film Festival are raising February 10th! Reserve your seats early and save.

Right now Premium Seats are $17.00 and Mid Level are $13.00. You can also reserve a Side Seat for just $6.00 but don’t blame us for the kink in your neck the next day, these seats don’t face the stage.

Check out our seating map and pick out your seats today; the good ones won’t last long! Then mark April 9th and 10th on your calendar. You won’t want to miss our biggest Banff yet!

Click here to order tickets.

Camp Stove Cook-off: CHEFS NEEDED!

It’s an annual tradition, the Camp Stove Cook-off! Featuring anything from roasted pears to an entire rotisserie fired chicken, this custom is one that is sure to make your mouth water and get your taste buds excited!

This year’s event will be Saturday, February 6 at Winter Members Day and we’re looking for more culinary expertise. Make us your favorite entree, appetizer, dessert or most creative smore cooked over an open fire and we’ll pick a winner for each category!

To participate in the Camp Stove Cook-off call the Venture Outdoors office (412.255.0564 ext.21) by Wednesday, February 3 to reserve your spot as a chef. Please specify the category you wish to compete in when you call.

Click here to register for Members Day. It’s free for all Venture Outdoors Members and their guests!

Check out some photos from last year’s cook-off below:

8th Annual MLK, Jr. Day at Schenley Park

Venture Outdoors and the Student Conservation Association will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s life by hosting the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Park Monday, January 18 at Schenley Park Ice Rink from 1 to 4 p.m. The celebration is one of the largest in the city and provides a platform for children of different backgrounds to learn about their commonalities by having fun together in the outdoors.

“We wanted to recognize Dr. King’s message of peace and equality which is as relevant today as it was during his life,” Sean Brady, Assistant Executive Director at Venture Outdoors said. “The commemoration is about enabling kids from different walks of life to get together and realize the things they have in common. It is much easier to make connections like this when you are having fun.”

Activities and entertainment are the foundation of the celebration. Outside, children and families will enjoy ice skating and sledding, while inside they will participate in children’s art projects and crafts taught by local artists. Food and beverages will be provided throughout the afternoon for everyone to enjoy. And thanks to the sponsorship of Dominion Foundation and Pittsburgh Citiparks, participants can take part in the festivities at no cost.

“More than 300 children participated in last year’s event,” Walt Burlack, Regional Director of the SCA said. “Every year we work with groups like the East End Cooperative Ministries, Gwen’s Girls and various local Girl Scout troops to involve children from all over the city.”

To reserve a space for your group or for an information packet with parental permission forms, please call 412.325.1851×21 or e-mail lcosta@thesca.org. All children under 18 must bring signed parental release forms to the event. Release forms can be found online at www.ventureoutdoors.org/MLKDay.aspx.

Banff Sneak Peek – Video Trailers

Ignite your passion for adventure! The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is sure to exhilarate with amazing big-screen stories when it comes to Soldiers and Sailors at April 9th and 10th. Journey to exotic locations, paddle the wildest waters and climb the highest peaks.

This year’s feature films list begins with filmmaker and reluctant adventurer Alun Hughes joins high-altitude paragliding pioneer John Silvester on a dizzying search for new routes through the mountains of Pakistan in Birdman of the Karakorum. Committed deep into a remote and hypoxic world of snow, ice and previously unexplored terrain, the two soon find that flying to survive becomes the name of the game.

Deep powder meets deep philosophy in Sweetgrass Productions’ Signatures. Gorgeous cinematography, a laid-back roots music soundtrack, and a sincere exploration of Japanese ski culture renders this sweet shredding flick palatable to the ski-porn adverse. Signatures features Japanese and western riders of all stripes, including a skateboarder turned ‘noboarder’ who rides the backcountry like a giant skate park.

In January 2007, Andrew McAuley set out to become the first man to kayak from Australia to New Zealand, crossing 1600 kilometres of one of the wildest and loneliest stretches of ocean on Earth. Alone and pinned in the cockpit of his solo kayak, McAuley recorded his own reflections during the thirty days he crossed the Tasman sea. Solo weaves together footage recovered from that video diary with interviews of his widow, friends, and advisors. The result is uncomfortably real but sensitive portrait of the psyche of an adventurer who risked his life for a first in his sport.

In 2006, Dominic Gill set out from the northern coast of Alaska with a tandem bike, a camera, and a heavy trailer. The destination was the southernmost tip of South America, but the goal was to find strangers to help peddle the 220lb bike. Recipient of a Special Jury Mention at the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival, Take a Seat, is a gripping, touching, and downright funny tale of extraordinary characters and incidents encountered over Gill’s two year journey across two continents.

Check out the trailers below of feature films from this year’s world tour. Vote for your favorite and help us plan the perfect two nights of films.

After voting make sure you’ve reserved the best seats in the house for April 9th and 10th, order your 2010 Banff tickets here!

Going up January 1, 2010!

Right now is the best time to reserve your seats for this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival. Tickets will never be cheaper! The best seats in the house are selling for just $15.00 but only until Friday, January 1st.

This is our 8th straight year of bringing Banff to the Burg, and we’re hoping to make it our biggest celebration yet! We’ve got over 3,000 seats to fill at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland.

Make plans to join us on Friday and Saturday, April 9th and 10th for some of the best mountain films in the world. But remember, there will never be a better time to buy your tickets then right now!

Order Tickets Today

Final days of gift giving!

The heat is on! We are down to the last few days of holiday shopping. Venture Outdoors has lots of great gift ideas to satisfy everyone on your list. Our gift membership packages make excellent gifts.

Each package comes with extra bonuses to make sure your loved ones get the most out of their membership for the entire year. Gift memberships start at just $20, and come in student, individual, dual and family packages. Every package includes:

• Kayak Pittsburgh Rental Passes
• Venture Outdoors Program Passes
• Venture Outdoors Bumper Sticker

Or if your loved ones are already members, give them some stylish Venture Outdoors Gear. We have a new style of beanie this holiday, complete with tassels and extended coverage for your ears. Or the popular L.L.Bean fleece lined vest makes a great gift. We’re selling them for the same price as L.L.Bean but with the Venture Outdoors logo embroidered on the front.

All gift memberships and gear must be purchased by 4:00 PM on Monday, December 21 to ensure delivery by Friday, December 25.

Hitting mailboxes soon: The Trailhead

The people have spoken. We polled our audience on their favorite name for our new publication, and the winner is…The Trailhead! The first issue of The Trailhead should hit mailboxes anytime and contains our public programs planned for the next two months and exciting membership updates.

We are offering 62 programs over the next two months, including 22 hikes, 11 family trips, 12 cross country ski outings, 10 snowshoe outings, 6 leadership trainings and 1 winter camping introduction. All of these trips are geared to get you outside and active, while enjoying the winter landscape of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The memberships section includes information on our holiday membership packages, 2010 renewal incentives and information on the Sustaining Members Series.

Watch your mailbox for a copy of The Trailhead, or for a sneak peak flip though it online.

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