Rock climbing and rafting don't sound like a typical Penn State student's weekend activities.

But the Adventure Recreation and Club Sports Expo, taking place today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the HUB-Robeson Center lawn, might change that. It will offer the opportunity for students to sign up and participate in a variety of adventurous activities for the first time.

The Adventure Recreation program, new to campus this semester, will provide day- and weekend-long outdoor adventure trips to students. The trips, ranging from climbing to water excursions, are funded by UPAC and will be free of charge to students, said Don Coffey, the Adventure Recreation Coordinator.

"Penn State is surrounded by outdoor activities. We have Mount Nittany, we have really great paddling waters and we have premier east coast rock climbing only 3 1/2 hours away," Coffey said.

At today's event, the Adventure Recreation program will offer demonstrations of basic outdoor adventure techniques, free merchandise for students and sign-up sheets for Adventure Recreation trips that will be featured throughout the year, Coffey said.

The Club Sports Program, co-sponsor of the expo, will be available to answer questions about the program, and representatives from individual clubs will conduct hands-on demonstrations of various athletic techniques. These include women's lacrosse, men's soccer, women and men's ultimate frisbee, cross country, karate, tae kwon do, shotokan karate, Korean karate and racquetball, Erin Regenfuss, Club Sports coordinator, said.

"Club sports are a great opportunity to stay involved in a sport that you have done throughout your life and you love, to learn a new sport, for physical activity, to meet new friends and to learn a new skill," Regenfuss said.

The Adventure Recreation and Club Sports programs are working to make themselves more accessible to students by offering an organized event in a central area of campus.

"We're making the programs user friendly," Coffey said.

Students are encouraged to attend, Regenfuss said.

"Students who join our clubs often feel as if they have found their new home on campus," she said.