A SNOW-COVERED SLOPE may be as quiet as a library, but until recently only the boldest of scholars would claim that hours spent there counted as study time. Some colleges, however, have embraced the outdoors as a classroom, offering such nature-inspired courses as avalanche science and backcountry skiing.

At St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, undergrads minoring in outdoor studies debate the merits of snowshoes versus snowmobiles and the ethical implications of ski lifts. Adventurers at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, can earn credit for rock climbing, telemark skiing, and kayaking, and undergrads can spend three months exploring environmental issues or take six- to nine-day adventure trips known as "Scrambles." And last September environmental politics professor Phil Brick brought seven Whitman students down Hell's Canyon to help research a book with author Mary O'Brien. "We couldn't have done it without the outdoor program," Brick says.