Outdoor Leadership Hands-On Experience.

Learn outdoor leadership skills with pack on or paddle in hand. You will practice leading and following others while traveling on high mountain peaks, glaciatedvalleys, the canyons of the Southwest, wild rivers, and beautiful desert environments. Technical outdoor leadership skills include: rock, snow, and ice climbing; kayaking; rafting; canoeing; backcountry and telemark skiing.

Hands-on outdoor leadership courses will allow you to assess the skill levels of others, master winter camping survival, navigate whitewater and design outdoor programs for safety. You will also learn how to market and coordinate your activities, minimize environmental impact and coordinate with agencies who issue permits.

Being able to respond quickly to any emergency is an essential skill of any good leader. Your training will include mountain rescue, emergency response and water safety instruction.

Students have completed internships with the Forest Service, the Colorado Fourteener Initiative, adventure companies and outdoor organizations such as The Student Conservation Association.

For your internship, you will be well equipped with Wilderness First Responder, Life Guard and Avalanche certifications after your first year. Internships must have a leadership component to qualify. Because students are so well prepared, they are in high demand as raft guides, ski instructors, sea kayaking guides, park rangers, interpreters and camp counselors. These internships provide excellent leadership opportunities. By the time you graduate, you can be equipped with both skills and the real life experiencecan to find immediate employment, or transfer courses with high academic standards.