Eau Claire hit the top 10 for coldest college campuses in America last year, and a lot of students take that as a sign to stay inside over the winter months.

While the indoors promise comfortable temperatures, action outside awaits during the long Wisconsin winters.

“I want to spend more time outside, but I never know what there is to do around town,” junior Stephanie Cisewski said.

Students with limited transportation may look no farther than Hilltop Center — home to UW-Eau Claire’s Environmental Adventure Center. The EAC hosts activities and trips throughout winter.

Jacob Brunnquell, EAC student manager, said EAC provides equipment for students “to be outdoors with a purpose, knowing you’re doing something you like.”

Activities outside for Eau Claire students abound, as a blustery winter continues:

— The Winter Carnival, sponsored by the University Activities Commission, starts Feb. 10 and features sledding and cross country skiing.
— If you can’t make that, the EAC rents cross-country skiing gear for use on trails around town.
— Frozen lakes and rivers means ice fishing.
— The Annual Candlelight Ski Event, at Brunet Island State Park, Feb. 7 features skiing, a sledding party and lit trails after dark.
— Levis Mound and Pinehurst Park offer snowboarding and sledding.
— The EAC will sponsor ice climbing trips to the North Shore in Minnesota Feb. 6 through 8 and Feb. 27 through March 1.