What's on your outdoors learn-to-do list for 2010? Here's where to start

2010. A new year. A new beginning. The year you're finally going to take up rock climbing. Or mountain biking. Or train for a marathon. Or learn to tell the difference between tundra swans and trumpeter swans, brant geese and Canada geese, greater scaups and lesser scaups.

But how do you get into these activities — how do you take those first steps that lead you on your way to becoming a full-on rock jock, snowboard shredder or someone who can look skyward and determine with certainty whether they're eyeing a rough-legged and not just another red-tailed hawk? To help get you on your way, here's a guide to getting started in some of the Northwest's abundance of outdoor activities.

Rock climbing

With Vantage, Index, Leavenworth and I-90 Exit 38, Washington is blessed with some top spots for rock climbing. But with winter in full swing, most of these places are coated with snow, ice, or just general winter wetness and all-around slippery ickiness.

Luckily, the Seattle area is blessed also with a number of indoor climbing gyms — as well as that 65-foot indoor rock baguette at the REI flagship store — most of which offer one-time intro sessions and multiweek skill-building courses where one can learn in both a group and private basis. It's a great way to learn the ropes (literally) and knots and terminology as well as to determine if rock climbing is something that suits you.

"Starting off indoors is a great way to learn the basics and definitely the most common launchpad for outdoor climbers these days," says Kevin McCluskey, head instructor at Vertical World in Seattle.

Says Anique Johnson, director of programs at Vertical World in Everett: "It also gives you an outlet to meet other rock climbers who might eventually become future climbing partners."

Prices range from about $50 for two-hour intro sessions to $125 for four-week courses that delve deeper into various skills and techniques.

Vertical World has four locations around Puget Sound: Seattle, Redmond, Everett and Bremerton, with a fifth one set to open in Tacoma. verticalworld.com.

Or try Stone Gardens, at 2839 N.W. Market St. in Ballard. stonegardens.com.

Mountain climbing

Throughout the region, six chapters of The Mountaineers offer two different climbing courses for beginners. The Basic Climbing Class readies budding alpinists for summit adventures that might require glacial travel and the use of ropes and other technical gear. The Alpine Scrambling course prepares folks to reach the summits of nontechnical climbs. (That is, no ropes, harnesses, etc., required.) Both courses include mountain-oriented first-aid and navigation training.

All chapters offer their climbing classes in winter or spring. Prices vary among chapters but range from about $125 to $200 for the scrambling class; $300 to $400 for the climbing class.

To find out course dates of the club nearest you, see the following Web sites:

Seattle: mountaineers.org

Tacoma: tacomamountaineers.org

Everett: everettmountaineers.org

Kitsap: kitsapmountaineers.org

Olympia: olympiamountaineers.org

Bellingham: bellinghammountaineers.org

Birding

With more than two dozen chapters of the National Audubon Society — about half of which are located somewhere in the Puget Sound region — Washington state is a true birder's paradise. Then there are the birds themselves: the eagles, swans, snow geese, brant geese, raptors, waterfowl, shorebirds and others that take turns throughout the year descending upon the region and becoming the main obsessions for the Puget Sound binocular- and spotting scope-toting set.

If you're new to birding, find your local Audubon chapter and tag along on one of the many outings they offer. Most Audubon chapter memberships cost about $25, however most chapters don't charge for newcomers to join outings.

"It's difficult and often frustrating for people just starting out to identify birds by themselves," says Susie Schaefer, vice president of the Everett-based Pilchuck Audubon Society.

"It really helps in the learning process to go out with people who are more experienced. And on our field trips, most people are more than willing to share information and help newcomers."

Upcoming outings for area Audubon chapters include day trips to the Upper Skagit River, Discovery Park, Vashon Island, Skagit Flats, Nisqually Delta and many other birding hot spots.

For a complete list of Washington state chapters of the Audubon Society, go to the Audubon Washington Web site: wa.audubon.org/chapters.html.

Running a marathon

OK, 2010 is the year of the marathon. Your marathon. And while several Puget Sound cities host races that pay homage to Pheidippides' 26.2-mile run from Marathon to Athens those many years ago, let's just say your plan is to finish the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon (www.seattle.competitor.com) on June 26, roughly six months from now.

If you're looking for a training program, coaching and are interested in fundraising for a great cause, hook up with Team in Training (www.teamintraining.org), which raises money for leukemia and lymphoma research and treatment. Five-month training programs tailored to a wide range of runners from total newbie never-evers to elite runners begin in late January.

"One of the great things for me is to see someone that can barely walk 3 miles at our first practice cross the finish line of a marathon five months later," says Jeff Peterson, who's campaign coordinator for the Washington/Alaska chapter of Team in Training.

"Our basic principle with our training program is to get everyone to the start line as healthy and prepared as possible."

Visit Team in Training's Web site for details and information on Puget Sound area information sessions. Registration is $75.

Seattle Fit (www.seattlefit.com), which doesn't require fundraising, is another training program that's gearing up for June's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Cost is $120.

Mountain biking

"Mountain biking can be intimidating at first," says Fredrika Sprengle, volunteer education coordinator for the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.

"Especially when you don't know how to handle riding over slippery roots, through a rocky patch, or down steep hills."

True, that. Personal testimony: Bruises and bumps are the end result of picking up mountain- biking skills the hard way. To ease entry into the sport, EMBA (formerly Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club) offers Basic Skills 1, a three-hour class tailored toward newcomers to the fat-tire scene. Along with safety and basic maintenance, the class covers topics such as riding position, balance, shifting gears, descending and getting over obstacles.

"It gives students the rudimentary skills so that they're confident when they start riding," Sprengle says. "People's skills improve vastly in that first three-hour class."

Basic Skills 1 will be offered twice a month throughout winter. Cost for nonmembers is $60; club members pay $35. Membership begins at $30. Check the club's Web site (www.evergreenmtb.org) for dates and to sign up.

In May, EMBA will expand its course offerings to include follow-up basic skills classes, and intermediate classes for those who want to learn how to go off jumps, drops and to ride man-made features. Kids' mountain biking courses, too.

Road cycling

Perhaps Lance Armstrong's comeback has inspired you to rock the skinny tires and spandex shorts. Or maybe the economic picture has you considering bike commuting. Or maybe you just want to get into bicycling for no particular reason other than it looks like a whole lot of fun. (It is.)

Whatever your reason, a good place to start is with Cascade Bicycle Club (www.cascade.org), which is not only the largest bike club in the United States but also a kind of multitentacled bike beast (and by that I mean a good beast) that caters to every type of cyclist.

Along with hundreds of group rides offered seven days a week — a great place to meet like-minded two-wheelers — Cascade boasts a strong and varied education program with classes and multiweek courses geared toward complete beginners, urban cyclists, commuters, seniors returning to cycling, those who want to learn bike maintenance, wannabe racers and lots more.

Check out the club's Web site and take a ride; you almost can't help but find what you're looking for. Most classes range from $35 to $60 for nonmembers, $5 less for Cascade members. Join online today at the old $25 rate; in 2010 individual dues increase to $35.

Alpine skiing/

snowboarding

All Washington's ski areas offer ski and snowboard lessons, no real surprise there. But if you're trying to learn a new skill, here are some things that might make your life easier: Go during the week or at night when there are fewer folks on the slopes zooming by at what seems (to newbies) like warp speed. Sign up for intro lessons that also include rental gear; it's usually the most cost-effective way to go.

Consider a multiweek plan, or consecutive-days plan, so that you can really dial in your new skills. Take a private lesson so that you can concentrate specifically on those areas that might be giving you fits. Nothing is more frustrating than having everyone else in your group master a skill and move on to the next thing while you're still struggling with the previous one.

Here's a sampling of programs at nearby ski areas:

Stevens Pass (www.stevenspass.com) has six-week programs for youth (5-12) and teens, and three-week programs for adults. (Great way to meet riders and skiers of similar abilities.) Prices start at $189 for six-week; $109 for three-week.

The Summit at Snoqualmie (www.summitatsnoqualmie.com) offers EZ2 Learn, which includes three days of lessons, three days of beginner lift tickets, and three days of equipment rentals for $119. Also has weekly programs lasting from four to 10 weeks.

Crystal Mountain has a similar Learn to Ski/Ride 1-2-3 program for $180; lessons are longer and the final two lessons include all-mountain lift tickets. Also offers six-week programs for youth and adults.

Sea kayaking

Seattle's Northwest Outdoor Center (www.nwoc.com) helps first-timers get their paddles wet with easy two-hour guided day trips and lessons on Lake Union wherein all necessary equipment and instruction are provided for $70. NWOC also offers advanced instruction and multiday kayak trips for those who find themselves smitten with the sport and want to learn more.

Another option is to join the Washington Kayak Club (www.washingtonkayakclub.org) which, along with camaraderie, offers numerous clinics and workshops as well as indoor pool sessions in which participants learn rescue techniques.

"WKC has great classes all year long," says Brent Sund, the club's president. "From learning how to roll to advanced classes on the ocean — it never stops."

Because the club also specializes in whitewater, slalom, and surf kayaking — as well as kayak polo — it's a good option for those who want to broaden their paddling experience and maybe pick up a new sport.

Cost for the club's Basic Sea Kayaking course, which starts in May, is about $150.

Sailing

With water just everywhere, Seattle and the whole Puget Sound are a sailor's dream. But how do you get started? I mean, it's not like the average person who's never sailed before has a sailboat just a-sittin' in their garage waiting to put in the water.

A great way to feel the wind in your hair and get some sailing experience is with Seattle's Windworks Sailing Center (www.windworkssailing.com), which most weekends offers a three-hour Introduction to Sailing course.

"It's for people who are totally new and just want to get their feet wet, so to speak," says Windworks' Laura Barry.

On a 38-foot keelboat with a licensed skipper aboard, up to six participants head out onto the waters of Puget Sound, where they gain experience, learn the basics of sailing, and even take the helm for a bit.

"Each person can be as involved as they want to be."

Cost for the class is $55, and for those who catch the sailing bug, Windworks offers a wide range of more advanced sailing and navigation courses.

Mike McQuaide: mikemcquaide@comcast.net