MEMBERSHIP HAS BENEFITS CYBER CLUB LINKS OUTDOORS ENTHUSIASTS WITH ACTIVITIES.

Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News

Never get asked out? Friends flake at the last minute before your planned hike? Want to sample rock climbing or sea kayaking on a budget?

There are answers in cyberspace.

Sign up for membership at outdoorsclub.org, and you'll get e-mail invitations to hike, bike, climb, kayak, snowshoe, backpack, raft or participate in many other outdoors activities. Or you can check out the activity calendar on the club's Web site at www.outdoorsclub.org.

Although the club is national, it began in Southern California and is most active here.

Tim Bui, a software engineer who is an avid hiker and mountain biker, started the cyber club when he was a graduate student at UC Irvine in 1999 as an e-mail list for friends who enjoyed the outdoors. The list grew into the Web site, now managed by Bui's company, Ndex Technologies Inc., of Irvine, which provides technology consulting, Web site design and specialized software for businesses. Bui is currently on an outdoorsclub.org snow-boarding trip in New Zealand.

The club is operated by its members, and there is no cost to join. There also are no board meetings or officers. Most activities are free or on a shared expense basis. T-shirt sales help defray operating expenses for the Web site.

I joined an outdoorsclub.org hike at Zuma Canyon organized by Charlotte Farrens, who also leads mountain bike trips.

The hike was described on the Web site as very beautiful and very difficult, with some sections of bouldering.

It was as advertised - Zuma Canyon is an improbable hidden green glade in the midst of dusty coastal scrubland. It has sections of exposed trail where a slip could be disastrous, waterfalls and even a swimming hole. If poison oak was a cash crop, you could make a lot of money here.

Joey Chong, 26, of Monterey Park and a veteran of two dozen outdoorsclub.org trips, went on the Zuma Canyon outing. He had found the club while searching the Web for people to go hiking with who would actually show up.

``Most of my college buddies always flake out,'' said Chong, who also enjoys mountaineering, backpacking, scuba diving, skydiving, kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing and caving.

Chong said through the club he can always find people willing to go hiking and has met many people who share his varied interests.

``Sign up for something you have always wanted to try but didn't know who could teach you,'' said Chong, who first tried rock climbing on an outdoorsclub.org trip.

A note of caution: The club doesn't monitor the activities posted or the qualifications of the trip leaders.

A disclaimer on the Web site says in part, ``Outdoor sports are inherently dangerous, and accidents will happen. By joining the club or participating in any events posted on the Outdoors Club Web page, you are taking responsibility for your own safety and well-being. Anyone with an Internet connection can post a trip on the Outdoors Club Web site. It is your responsibility to determine if this person has the experience and competence to lead the trip.''

As members post profiles, you can check out the trip leaders' experience and what trips they have led in the past. The Web site also tracks who signs up for trips. There's a discussion forum linked to the trips if you have questions or want to comment. You can also post after-trip reports and photos.

If you want to be notified by e-mail about upcoming outings, you can specify activities in which you are interested and how far you are willing to travel.

Here is a sample of some the 11 activities listed for this weekend at outdoorsclub.org. Check the Web site for more details.

On Saturday, beginning mountain bikers can try the ``Semi-Wimp'' Mountain Bike Ride in Sullivan Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains near Brentwood. The ride is 10 to 12 miles round trip depending on how far the group decides to go. Steven Han, who is leading the trip, says the trail's difficulty ranges from easy to upper moderate depending on conditions and that participants should have a basic familiarity with riding on dirt and be able to do some climbing.

Also Saturday, you can enjoy an 18-mile round-trip hike along the Pacific Crest Trail to the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399-foot elevation).

The trip's leader, Richard Nyerges, 51, says next to Old Baldy, Baden- Powell is probably the most popular mountain climb in the San Gabriels.

``The trail is long, with few level stretches, but it is well-maintained and easy to follow,'' Nyerges says in his trip description. ``We will pass through areas burnt during the 'Curve Fire' of 2002 and through an open forest of magnificent ponderosa, sugar and lodgepole pines. Near the summit of Baden-Powell are a handful of gnarled, weather-battered limber pines. The views along the ridge and on the summit of Baden-Powell are truly breathtaking!!''

On Saturday morning, up to 15 intermediate kayakers can join trip leader Ken Francis on a 7-mile paddle from Seal Beach Pier. The trip is training for Channel Islands kayaking excursions later in the year.

Francis, 41, of Long Beach, says, ``We will NOT be stopping at Starbucks. Instead, bring a snack and water and we will have a floating snack break just beyond the Seal Beach Pier. We will be paddling about 2.5 hours.''

Or you can stay home, play solitaire on you computer, drink beer and then read the trip reports posted on the club's Web site.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Jack Feldsher of San Dimas takes a refreshing plunge during an outdoorsclub.org hike, one of many activities offered through the Web site.

(2) Anne Kirkpatrick of Marina del Rey takes part in an outdoorsclub.org hike. Members can find fellow enthusiasts in an array of activities.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News