DaytonDailyNews.com

Wright State University and Five Rivers MetroParks have forged a mutually beneficial relationship — and not just for their own organizations: This partnership is for all of us.

For four years now, the energetic staffs of Five Rivers Outdoors (the outdoor recreation department of Five Rivers MetroParks) and the Outdoor Resource Center at Wright State University have worked together to pull off a mid-winter Adventure Summit, during which kayakers can take a dunk, climbers can scale a wall, boarders can perfect some tricks and outdoor-sports novices can soak it all up. The event has grown enormously, from 1,500 participants in 2006 to 5,200 in 2008, all roaming the Wright State University Student Union, picking and choosing from the myriad offerings available.

"The Adventure Summit is kind of a catchall," said Debbie Angelos, public relations specialist for Five Rivers MetroParks. "It's for anybody who's so much as thought about doing something outdoors to people who've been doing things for years.

"There are so many different activities, so many different things to learn, it doesn't matter what skill level or experience you have."

On Friday, the expo opens at 5 p.m. with exhibitors from across the country; a "Showshoe Experience" outside on snow trucked in for the event; an indoor triathalon in the Fitness Studio and the keynote speaker, pre-eminent polar explorer Ann Bancroft, at 8 p.m. Saturday the expo continues, with the addition of instructional sessions and demonstrations, fitness session, a bouldering competition and a kayak challenge at 4:30 p.m. — among other things.

"We're really trying to focus on women outdoors," Angelos said. "There's been a large increase in the interest and levels of women participating in outdoor recreation, and we're trying to get more and more women involved."

The Adventure Summit is a chance for folks to become acquainted with the incredible outdoor possibilities right here in the Miami Valley, she added.

"We want to make sure everybody has the information about how to play, where to play, and how to do it in the best way possible to provide the most fun."

How to go

What: The Adventure Summit

When: 5 to 9 p.m., Friday,

Feb. 20; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,

Saturday, Feb. 21

Where: Wright State University Student Union, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Fairborn

Cost: Free

More info: www.theadventuresummit.com