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| - I absolutely love Venture Outdoors. While most of my interactions with this group have been with their kayaking affiliates, I've also had ample opportunity to take advantage of other activities the group has organized and hosted over the years.
Firstly, I have to say that it's awesome how this group stays active year-round - it shows just how committed they are to their goal of getting people outdoors, even in the cold weather. That said, I am a much bigger fan of their summer activities than their winter ones. Hiking, kayaking and camping in warmer weather all appeal to me a lot more than any snow-related activities like snowboarding or whatnot; plus, enjoying their 21+ drink samplers after a great hike is one of the best ways to enjoy a summer day in my opinion. Of course, while I'm not as fond of the winter activities I'm definitely not complaining that they offer them, because this diversity in programs is a good thing - so is any effort to keep people up and about during the chilly months. And really, if an event is interesting even I'll go out and enjoy myself - I've definitely braved the snowy weather and gone on some interesting art walks and park hikes with this group in the winter.
Another nice thing about Venture Outdoors is that they don't limit themselves strictly to the city's limits. It does mean you sometimes have to carefully account for some travel time before you plan on going to an event, but this is definitely worth it. On a related note, know that programs with travel, food, etc. naturally end up costing a little more than a simple hike - so if you find yourself interested in multiple events at Venture Outdoors a membership is definitely worth it; you'll save some serious money if you're as active with Venture Outdoors as my family.
As awesome as Venture Outdoors' staff and organization overall is, I admittedly can't bring myself to give them 5 stars. While I've never had a problem at their actual events, I'm currently experiencing problems just getting into their events on an all-too regular basis. Thanks to a massive website overhaul I've encountered numerous website glitches online for several months on end. It's so bad that every time I want to sign up for an event, I have to call in to their main office - a main office where I've been having additional problems connecting with a real person as opposed to a voicemail; I once somehow got directed to their closed Kayak Pittsburgh office, which definitely wouldn't help me at all. Add in the fact that their team doesn't quickly respond to social media inquiries or even to my emails, and you have a totally disorganized customer service system that puts a real damper on the Venture Outdoors experience.
I'll continue to stand by Venture Outdoors because I really do love the organization and its programs. Hopefully once the holiday season has calmed down and passed by they can fix their website and customer service issues going into 2015 - doing so would definitely elevate them to 5 stars in my book.
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