Our Clubs
The Wisconsin Hoofers is the premier outdoors club at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With nearly 2,000 members, Hoofers is one of the oldest and largest student organization on campus. From sailing on Lake Mendota to climbing at Devil’s Lake, Hoofers is a place where people of all abilities can learn outdoor skills and enjoy outdoor activities. Hoofers is proud to be part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate, the student programming and leadership board for the Wisconsin Union. Get outside with us and hoof on!
Mountaineering
Rock OnFrom conquering the rock wall at Boulders Climbing Gym to traveling the country in search of the most challenging climbs in the country, Mountaineering Club members take trips that challenge climbers of all levels.
Outing
Get FoundFrom canoe trips and backpacking excursions in the fall, to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter, Outing Club members explore the country through wilderness excursions.
Riding
Change PaceFrom horseback riding lessons to schooling shows, Riding Club members are involved in all the ins and outs of riding and horsemanship.
Sailing
Set SailFrom learning how to sail a C-Scow to weekly Friday night socials, Sailing Club members spend time with fellow sailors on and off the water. The Sailing Club’s claim to fame: they have the second largest inland fleet of boats in the nation.
Scuba
Go DeeperFrom year-round trips and training sessions to socials with other divers, Scuba Club members (both certified and not) explore life beneath the surface.
Ski and Snowboard
ShredFrom weekly trips to Tyrol Basin to the Jackson Hole spring break excursion, Ski and Snowboard Club members know how to take advantage of winter.
Get Out and Get Active
How to Join
1. Pick a Club!
We offer six clubs: Mountaineering, Outing, Riding, Sailing, Scuba, and Ski & Snowboard. You can join as many clubs as you'd like! For more information, check out each club's site from the menu above, or head over to the Clubs page for an overview!
2. Create your Account!
When you're ready to join a club (or multiple clubs!), head over to our member site at https://members.hoofers.org to create your account! You must be a Union Member to join. Note that UW-Madison students are automatically granted Union membership.
3. Sign Up for Events!
Once you've joined a club, you can search for events and sign up from the Member Site. Pick your favorite event, sign up, and get ready for an adventure!
Contact Us
Wisconsin Hoofers
Memorial Union, Lower Level
800 Langdon St.
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-1630
info@hoofers.org
Contact Us
News
A special winter seminar is being held on March 6th at 6:30 in the festival room. Members and racers from the MYC will be there for a meet-and-greet.
Agenda:
- Why race sailboats
- History of E Scows
- Why race and E Scow – A Love Letter
- Spinnaker work
- Mendota Yacht Club
- Racing terms and what to expect.
- Tips for crew
- How to get involved
Nominations for Commodore, Vice-Commodore, or Rear Commodore will open February 21st and close the 27th. Be sure to check the Elections page for updates and anything else you might need to know
HMC ventured down to Puerto Rico this Winter Break! Some beautiful weather and stellar sport climbing makes for a good couple weeks.
The club heads out to the Red Rocks area annually for some of the best sport climbing in the country. This year, the group stayed in the Las Vegas area. Two weeks of good times!
Annual Halloween weekend trip to the Red! HMC camps at the legendary Miguel's Pizza campground every year, and sport climbs some most legendary crags.
Upcoming Events
Sport Climbing Clinic - Hillbilly Hollow
Sam and I are running a beginners sport climbing clinic at Hillbilly Hollow this Saturday 4/20!. We will meet at the Memorial Union circle at 8 am and head out shortly after. Our return time is flexible, but we hope to be back before 7pm.
If you have them, bring your climbing shoes, harness, helmet and belay device, otherwise all of these can be rented from the gear locker no problem.
Also, bring your own snacks, lunch, and plenty of water!!
It is recommended that participants have some familiarity and confidence top rope belaying and climbing in order to get the most out of this clinic. If you don't have a top rope rating yet, you can gain one at the gear manager's offiice hours, after the weekly general meeting or by setting up a meeting with arremus@wisc.edu or education@hoofermountaineering.org.
MTB Leader Development Trip
The weather is finally starting to dry up!!! My plan is to show some processes in the boathouse and ride to Quarry Park (and maybe Quarry Ridge as well if interested). This trip is for you if you have been on at least one biking trip and you have interest in leading some of your own. If you have not yet completed the live session/canvas page by the date of this event, you will NOT be eligible to earn the leader rating until those items are complete, but you will have something checked off of your list by attending this training ride. Please let me know if you have any questions or things you would like to have covered. If trails do not open/dry in time, I will reschedule the event.
This event requires the MTB2 Rating (Intermediate). If you do not yet have this rating, but you are interesting in becoming an MTB leader or have questions, email biking@hooferouting.org.
The end time is approximate (dependent on the trails and instruction needed), but please do your best to arrive on-time when the event starts.
Move Rangers to Union
This is a work party where we will be going to the Stoughton farm where the Rangers are stored over winter, loading them on a trailer, driving them back to the union, then unloading them from the trailer.
If you have a car and are willing to drive/carpool to get folks to the farm for loading, that would be much appreciated. Send us a message when you sign up so we know we will have a way to get folks to the farm.
There is a possibility of gitting dirty; consider wearing old clothes and bringing gloves.
Meet under yellow canopy.
Rig Zests
Please come and help rig the Zests and move them to the T-Dock. We will meet at the canopy at 9 am on Saturday April 20th. Please wear appropriate clothing and closed toed shoes. Volunteer hours will be credited.
Hoofers 5K Rides List
This is only for those who are signed up for the 5K!
If you are interested in getting a ride, sign up here. We will meet up at the N Park St Circle in between MemU and College Library at 9:45am. Jace and I can take up to 8 people right now.
If you are willing to give rides, contact me with how many people you can take, and then the number of participants listed will be increased so more people can sign up for rides.
Contact: trailrunning@hooferouting.org or 608-799-5167
Walk Around Capitol Square Farmers' Market: Part 2
Hey Hoofers! Once again, the farmers' market arrives for Saturday. I apologize for the poor organization of the previous event. That is why we will be meeting at Mendota Lodge at 10am and walking to the square. Expect to walk/shuffle a fair bit, it was EXTREMELY busy last time.
Hoofers 5K!
Join the first Hoofers 5K! On Saturday, April 20th, we will be running a 5K on the trails of the Arboretum! It is a beautiful place, and we are hoping to catch some of the plant life when it is starting to bloom. You are free to run it at whatever pace you like!
Meet at the Wingra Springs Lot in the middle of the Arboretum at 10am. That is near where we will begin and where you’ll learn the route. The best ways to get there are by bike or car. Running or busing there is doable, but will require some added mileage by foot.
Look at the separate RecHub event if you are interested in getting a ride or if you are willing to give rides.
Snacks will be provided after the run, so you can replenish for the final push of the semester!
If you have questions, feel free to reach out at trailrunning@hooferouting.org or 608-799-5167
See you there!
Virtual Ground School
Event Information: Want to learn to sail? Come join us! Our Ground School lesson is an introductory and informational course about the Hoofer Sailing Club and all it has to offer. No membership is required to sign up for this course, though one can be purchased afterwards for access to all lessons.
About the Club: The Hoofer Sailing Club, established in 1939, is a collection of students and community members working together to maintain a fleet of boats for recreational and competitive sailing. Membership includes unlimited lessons and boat usage. Our fleet, one of the largest in the nation, includes dinghies, keelboats, windsurfing and even winter kiting. The Hoofer Sailing Club is an association of individuals working together to maintain a fleet of boats for recreational and competitive sailing, and to offer a top-notch instruction program. More information can be found online here.
Location: This Lesson will occur virtually through the Zoom platform. Members signed up for this event will receive an email from the lessons site on the day of the presentation containing a link and password for joining the meeting. Please keep an eye out for it.
Using Zoom is free. You do not need to install the app or create a Zoom account, but doing so may result in a better user experience. Please visit the Zoom website for more information (https://zoom.us).
Students who attend this lesson will earn their Ground School Attendance rating, which opens access to other sailing lessons.
Post-Lesson Resources:
Kubi's Klassik Bouldering Competition
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Join the Hoofer Mountaineering Climbing Team at UW-Madison for our 6th annual fundraising competition 'Kubi's Klassik'! This bouldering competition will feature 6 mini competitions and is designed to be inclusive for climbers of all experience and skill levels. Climbing will be from 1pm to 4pm followed by scoring and awards for each category. Registration is $25, but worth every penny. Kubi's Klassik is always a blast and we have tons of prizes to give away! We hope to see you there for a full day of awesome climbing!
Competition Categories
- Most sends
- Dyno compeition
- Fastest cave top-out
- Longest deadhang
- Fastest one arm traverse
- Fastest clipping traverse
Sponsored by Fontana Sports, Ian's Pizza, Wisconsin Climbing Association, American Alpine Club, and more!!
*Anyone new to Summit Strength and Fitness needs to sign this waiver: https://trainclimbsummit.com/waiver*
Move Techs to the lakeshore
Please come and help move Techs to the lakeshore from the Stoughton farm. We will meet at the canopy at 1 pm on Saturday April 20th. Please wear appropriate clothing and closed toed shoes. Volunteer hours will be credited. The farm is located at 3777 Schneider Dr, Stoughton WI. I'm looking for people to help car pool from the union to the farm
Midwest Horse Fair Rodeo
We will be attending a PRCA rodeo at the Alliant Energy Center! Rodeo events featured indlude: saddle bronc, stear wreastling, bareback riding, team roping, tie down racing, barrel racing, and bull riding. More information about the rodeo events can be found here: https://midwesthorsefair.com/features/evening-entertainment/prca-rodeo
Transportation will be arranged closer to the date. Both hoofer members and non members are invited to purchase a ticket! Physical tickets will be distributed at a later date. Reach out to ridingpresident@hoofers.org with any questions.
Devil's Lake Climb & Clean with WUD Alt Breaks
Howdy folks,
Join us on Sunday, April 21st for a good old-fashioned Earth Day crag cleanup with WUD Alternative Breaks! There, we will clean up our beloved park, have a potluck-style lunch, and if time remains, go climb some rocks or go on a hike! We will begin our festivities at the South Shore parking lot at 9 am and finish around 2 pm. You can expect to be back in Madison around 3:30 pm.
Items to bring:
- At least 2L of water
- Sturdy closed-toed hiking shoes
- Sun protection
*can be rented from HMC, email a gear manager (gearmanager@hoofermountaineering.org) to reserve
Transportation:
- Carpool with us! There will be 20 spots open that are first come, first serve. If you have transportation and want to meet us there, shoot me an email (mountaineering@hoofers.org)
- Meet at Memorial Union Circle (parking circle between Memorial Union and Helen C. White hall) at 8 AM to carpool, otherwise you can meet at the South Shore parking lot at 9 am.
Question? Email mountaineering@hoofers.org
[4/21] Conservation at Sardeson Forest Preserve!!!
It's trail building season! Join us as we clear weeds, trail, and maybe cut down some old trees at Sardeson Forest Preserve! We'll leave MemU parking circle around 8:45am and get back around 3:00pm.
Please bring:
- Long pants/close-toed shoes
- 2L of water
- Lunch
- PPE (gloves, safety glasses) if you already have some—no worries if not
If you have a car and are willing to drive more people, please let us know (conservation@hooferouting.org). It'll let us bring more people and you will be my new best friend!!
TRASH DASH!!!
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Welcome to the Second Annual TRASH DASH!!!
Compete to win an AWARD!!
This Sunday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, Teams of three will compete to collect as much trash from the Madison area as possible in 90 minutes. Trash bags and nitrile gloves will be provided. The team who has collected the most trash by weight after 90 minutes will be awarded new hoofer sweatshirts. Pizza will be provided for their efforts in keeping our city clean!
You are encouraged to sign up with a pre-determined team of three, but if you don't have one, sign up anyway and we'll figure it out the day of!
Gear Manager Office Hours
Gear Manager Office hours is a time to get gear and ratings from the gear managers. This even occurs every monday during the spring semester from 4-5pm.
Virtual Ground School
Event Information: Want to learn to sail? Come join us! Our Ground School lesson is an introductory and informational course about the Hoofer Sailing Club and all it has to offer. No membership is required to sign up for this course, though one can be purchased afterwards for access to all lessons.
About the Club: The Hoofer Sailing Club, established in 1939, is a collection of students and community members working together to maintain a fleet of boats for recreational and competitive sailing. Membership includes unlimited lessons and boat usage. Our fleet, one of the largest in the nation, includes dinghies, keelboats, windsurfing and even winter kiting. The Hoofer Sailing Club is an association of individuals working together to maintain a fleet of boats for recreational and competitive sailing, and to offer a top-notch instruction program. More information can be found online here.
Location: This Lesson will occur virtually through the Zoom platform. Members signed up for this event will receive an email from the lessons site on the day of the presentation containing a link and password for joining the meeting. Please keep an eye out for it.
Using Zoom is free. You do not need to install the app or create a Zoom account, but doing so may result in a better user experience. Please visit the Zoom website for more information (https://zoom.us).
Students who attend this lesson will earn their Ground School Attendance rating, which opens access to other sailing lessons.
Post-Lesson Resources: