The history of ASI Peak Adventures begins with a wonderful story
about two students who utilized grassroots leadership to make a
positive impact for the greater good of the campus.
In the early 1970s, two Sacramento State
students felt that the campus needed a tool co-op; a place for
students to share tools in order to fix their bikes conveniently
and affordably. This idea quickly gained momentum throughout the
campus, and so they purchased a metal shed and established a tool
co-op. This was essentially the campus’s first bicycle
shop. The operation was basic, but nevertheless a success.
After some time, the need for expansion forced the bike “shed”
into a temporary building, not far from the University
Union. This new location began to rent out outdoor gear and
sell bikes and bike parts to the campus and the surrounding
community. The name Mountain Wolf Sports was adopted somewhere
along the way.
Then, in 1989, the program was picked up and
designated a program of Associated Students Incorporated
(ASI). It was at this time that ASI hired a full-time
program director, and the program became known as Peak
Adventures. The program began running backpacking trips to Point
Reyes National Seashore, various day hikes, and rock-climbing
classes. The bike shop soon began to be utilized by more of the
students and staff of the University, and finally, this era saw
the early stages of what is now the Peak Adventures Challenge
Center. The Challenge Center is in its third location. Each time,
it was designed and constructed by the Peak Adventures’ student
and non-student staff.
Today, Peak Adventures employs eight
professional staff members plus over 50 student and non-student
staff members to act as outdoor adventure trip leaders, ropes
course facilitators, bike shop mechanics, and front desk staff
who serve thousands of customers each year. While we continually
strive to enhance the quality of our services and focus on goals
for the future, we continue to value the ‘grassroots’ nature of
our history and regard our staff as the creative force that makes
Peak Adventures the wonderful place that it is.
