Course Description: Ready to get into rock climbing or move from the gym to the crag? This course provides the foundational skill set you need to go rock climbing outside. The 101 course sets the stage for future courses with Pisgah Climbing School. Curriculum or Topics Covered: -climbing movement -belay techniques -essential gear -intro to basic anchor building -crag etiquette and “Leave No Trace” skills Duration: 2... Read More
Course Description: This course builds on rock 101 skills and teaches the basics of anchor building and focuses on gear placement. Students should be able to properly tie in and belay prior to the start of the course. Curriculum or Topics Covered: -anchor building – natural and artificial components -climbing equipment – what to buy for your first trad rack -cleaning anchors -belaying from the top anchor -crag etiquette and “Leave No Trace” skills Duration: 2... Read More
Evening at PARI Join us on September 22nd, 2023 and experience the wonders of the night sky. 🪐 As the Earth makes its journey around the Sun, our views of the sky change. Each season brings its own set of wonders to discover. From planets and moons to galaxies and nebulae, something unique and breathtaking is always ready to rise above the horizon. Enjoy our dark skies and mountain peaks for breathtaking views of the night sky. Our astronomers will guide your experience and point out the best of what each season has on display through big telescopes. There are three ways to attend this event: 1. Cabin Package – Overnight stay with Dinner and Breakfast included 2. Camping Package – Overnight stay with Dinner and Breakfast included 3. Evening Only Ticket – Viewing only PARI IS OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!! You must register to attend this... Read More
Join us Friday, Aug 4th and Saturday, Aug 5th for the Little River Valley Pro Rodeo, featuring clean family fun with food trucks, merchandise vendors, clown show by professional rodeo clown Keith Isley as well as 8 SRA sanctioned Events: Bull Riding, Saddle Bronc, Bare Back, Calf Roping, Team Roping, Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, and Break-A-Way Roping. This is an annual event that supports the local community by donating the proceeds to a local family or charity. Gates open at 6pm Rodeo begins at 7:30pm Tickets can be purchased at the gate only – no presales CASH ONLY Ages 13+ $20 Ages 6-12 $10 Ages 5 and under Free *For the safety of our riders and animals no pets allowed. *This event is at a personal residence, please respect their privacy and do not show up at location before event... Read More
Join us Friday, Aug 4th and Saturday, Aug 5th for the Little River Valley Pro Rodeo, featuring clean family fun with food trucks, merchandise vendors, clown show by professional rodeo clown Keith Isley as well as 8 SRA sanctioned Events: Bull Riding, Saddle Bronc, Bare Back, Calf Roping, Team Roping, Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, and Break-A-Way Roping. This is an annual event that supports the local community by donating the proceeds to a local family or charity. Gates open at 6pm Rodeo begins at 7:30pm Tickets can be purchased at the gate only – no presales CASH ONLY Ages 13+ $20 Ages 6-12 $10 Ages 5 and under Free *For the safety of our riders and animals no pets allowed. *This event is at a personal residence, please respect their privacy and do not show up at location before event... Read More
This year’s Space Day open house at PARI is free and open to the public. Come join us Saturday, May 6th from 10am to 4pm for a day of fun and STEM learning. Here are some things you can do: 📖Attend the signing of the newly released book all about PARI and talk to the author – “Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute: An Untold History of Spacemen & Spies” by Craig Gralley, at 11am and 2pm 🚀Hop on board our shuttle for outdoor site tours (*not a real space shuttle, just a ground one🚐) 💎Take in our museum galleries with NASA and space artifacts, minerals and gems, meteorites, and more, open with scientists to answer your questions☄️ 🔭Peek through a solar telescope to safely observe the Sun and look for sunspots☀️ 🪐Journey through our solar system on the Galaxy Walk, our scale model of our home in the universe 🖍️Visit the activity tables with fun stuff for kids 🎶Hear music played by DJ RaZor with 4 Dreamz Entertainment 🌌Immerse yourself in outer space with a planetarium show (requires a separate $5 ticket) 😋Enjoy a meal from local food vendor “Local Harvester” (food must be purchased)🥪 😃Visit booths and displays from some of PARI’s friends and partners. There will be books and robots and telescopes and more! ⛰️Hike to our observation deck for beautiful views 🎉Play games... Read More
This workshop will introduce a risk assessment and safety management model. Then that model will be applied as we investigate the most common dangers and hazards in the backcountry and explore steps to mitigate those risks. Topics will include: encounters with wildlife (snakes, bears, insects, etc.), lightning and weather related hazards, toxic plants, water crossings, sketchy humans, hazards in camp, sound decision-making, and more. Class sizes are intentionally small to offer participants guided hands-on practice. Visit our website to... Read More
“Survival” skills have captured the imagination of many armchair adventurers, but do you know the actual skills needed not just to survive but to THRIVE in the outdoors? In this half day hands-on workshop we will focus on what you REALLY need to know. Topics will include the 10 Essentials, creating a shelter, finding and purifying water, fire building, signaling, navigating, and more. Don’t become a search and rescue statistic. Join us and become more responsible and self-sufficient in the outdoors. Class sizes are intentionally small to offer participants guided hands-on practice. Visit our website to... Read More
PRESENTED BY PARI AND CLEMSON UNIVERSITY CRYPTOGRAPHY & SECRET MESSAGES SET IN A FORMER SPY BASE Campers will explore the origins of codes and ciphers and how they have evolved from written messages to complex digital encryption methods in use today. They will learn how to recreate these techniques themselves and crack the messages sent by their fellow cryptographers, all while reinforcing skills in math, language, and pattern recognition. What better setting than PARI, which once operated as a spy station for the Department of Defense during the Cold War, where messages were being intercepted and deciphered? Another element in the sending of secrets is how you transport them from place to place. We’ll take a look at the technologies, both past and present, that allow information to zip out to distant satellites and back down to Earth. How do we make sure our sensitive transmissions don’t end up in the wrong hands? From messages based on playing with words and numbers, to hiding information in plain sight in images and everyday objects, you’d never suspect all the ways cryptography is used all around us. Campers will leave with an understanding of the principles that drive the world and keep our data... Read More
PRESENTED BY PARI AND CLEMSON UNIVERSITY MISSION: GALACTIC CARTOGRAPHY – MAP THE MILKY WAY AND PLOT A PATH Milky Way Trailblazers is a two week research experience for high school aged campers. Campers will learn to use a radio telescope to find the composition of a region of the Milky Way and measure the speed it is rotating and moving. They will combine the observations and conclusions made by their team with other teams to form a larger understanding of the galaxy we call home. Using a radio telescope to measure regions of space doesn’t create pictures like we see with an optical telescope. The methods to turn the data collected into a map that can guide our way require creativity and hard work. Will the results look the same, or different, than what we see through an optical telescope? Radio isn’t just used for observing space either. Communicating with satellites is a big role that large dishes like the ones at PARI play in human space exploration. Campers will investigate and report on the methods, both historical and contemporary, that are used to accomplish this, and the people who figured out how to do... Read More
Above and Beyond is PARI’s signature camping experience designed to immerse high school students in the world of space science and research while building confidence and critical thinking skills. Originally developed in partnership with Duke University and refined for nearly two decades, this space camp explores the universe through astronomy, physics, and astrobiology, while also providing time for adventure and fun. The process followed by scientists and researchers who’ve made space science their career is modeled to show how new discoveries are made about the universe. Campers are provided the tools and guided through the process by professionals who have made space their life’s work. From determining the expansion speed of a super-nova remnant, to characterizing an exo-planet or finding evidence of dark matter; your data will reveal and your conclusions will add to humanity’s knowledge of the... Read More
Have you ever wished upon a shooting star? Now is your chance! Enjoy an evening under the stars and observing the Geminids meteor shower at our historic, mountaintop, internationally certified Dark Sky Park! The Geminids meteors are often bold, white and bright. On a dark night, you can often catch 50 or more meteors per hour in a dark, moonless sky. These meteors are sure to dazzle brighter than the holiday lights. Grab your coats, hot coffee or hot chocolate, friends and family then come to PARI for an unforgettable winter night. The greatest number of meteors typically fall in the wee hours after midnight. Astronomers and telescopes will also be available earlier in the evening to view the dark skies. For additional information please email PARI at... Read More
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