Tamra Hunt, a graduate of Southern Utah University’s Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism program, spoke at the latest Outdoor Education Series event for SUU Outdoors on Thursday, Jan. 30. She is now manager of the Red Rock Bicycle Co. in Hurricane, which specializes in the needs of mountain bike riders.
Growing up in Arizona, Hunt’s activities seldom included wilderness adventures except occasional fishing trips with her father. However, she transferred to SUU in 2018 after seeing its ORPT program online.
Until attending SUU, Hunt had never tried activities like mountain biking or canyoneering but quickly became involved in all that the university’s outdoor programs have to offer. She became a trip leader for SUU Outdoors’ weekly LEAP events and worked at the climbing wall in the P.E. Building.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing” is one of her favorite mantras. When she went backpacking for the first time in her life, she was on a class trip through the snow as part of the Winter Backpacking class led by long-time ORPT professor Jake Manning.
In 2019, Hunt accepted an internship position as a trail crew leader, which she found through IIC, SUU’s Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative, through which students can apply to all sorts of outdoor-related summer and part-time jobs. “IIC changed my life,” she said, recalling the six positions she held at different times through this program.
While in Cedar City, Hunt found her passion for mountain biking. She even stole her father’s mountain bike so she could begin riding, although, as she laughingly recalls, it was much too big for her. Another shenanigan involved losing both her front teeth when she crashed on a solo bike ride in Nevada. “My family was so mad,” she remembers.
Over the next few years, she began modeling for bike companies, competing in endurance bike races where she has frequently placed on the podium, and working for bicycle training clinics such as the Women’s Downhill Clinic at Angel Fire Resort. She has also started her jewelry brand, Venture Elements, featuring earrings handcrafted from old bicycle chains.
After graduating from SUU in 2021, Hunt began employment at Red Rock Bicycle Co., where she was promoted to manager of their Hurricane location two years later. She says that much of what she learned in the ORPT program at SUU has been critical for getting and keeping this position.
“So much stuff carried over from Outdoor Rec to now being a shop manager,” she said. “My Wilderness First Responder certification, and all these classes learning how to be outside and in the elements. I got to develop many leadership skills in school and on the internships, and now I get to apply it, I just have employees to lead instead of fellow students.”
Hunt enjoys hosting Red Rock Bicycle Co.’s group rides, where anyone with a bicycle can join her in exploring Southern Utah on road, gravel, or mountain bikes. She calls these events “no drop rides,” meaning that slower or less-skilled bicyclists will never be left behind.
Hunt says her biggest advice for students is to take full advantage of all the opportunities here at SUU. “SUU Outdoors, Brian Head, IIC, the Outdoor Rec program—go on all those trips, do what you can, talk to your teachers, be friends with them.”
OES, which SUU Outdoors hosts in their Basecamp in the Sharwan Smith Student Center, is a free, biweekly event open to all students. These presentations, led by professionals and experienced enthusiasts, help introduce students to new hobbies, interests, and career paths in all aspects of the outdoor lifestyle.
To stay updated on the latest SUU Outdoors events, including the OES speaker series, follow their Instagram or visit their website.
Author and Photographer: Emily Walters
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
outdoors@suunews.net
