NOLS Blog
Case Study: Chest Injury with Fall
The Setting You are on a climbing trip in Red Rocks, Nevada. You’ve spent the last week dialing in your climbing, swapping beta with new friends at the crag and soaking up the desert sun. Today, you decide to take a break from long routes and focus on bouldering. You’re chalking up, eyeing a new…
Backpacking the Vilcabamba Valley to Machu Picchu Alumni Trip: Inaugural Trip Reflection
An Interview with Kellsie Forbes, NOLS Alumni Trips Manager Where did the idea to create an alumni trip ...
Alumni Spotlight: How my NOLS Course Impacted My Career
Almost exactly 10 years after coming to Alaska for the first time to take a NOLS course, Asa ...
The Wilderness Risk Management Conference: a Conference and a Community
An interview with Elyse Rylander, Wilderness Risk Management Steering Committee Chair The 33rd annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) will be held this fall, October 20 – 22nd, in Portland, Oregon. If you haven’t attended yet, the WRMC was developed from the work of multiple outdoor programs who wanted to create a space to foster…
Case Study: Bear Spray in the Face
The Setting You are almost done with a 3-day backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountain Range of Wyoming with two of your friends. You only have a couple miles left to get back to the car, and you’re already dreaming of the cheeseburger and milkshake you’re going to have once back in town. Prior…
Case Study: Fishhooks
The Setting You’re on the first day of a twelve-day whitewater canoeing expedition down the Green River. Your group consists of fifteen students and four instructors. Everyone is paddling close together down a stretch of flat water practicing strokes, building skills, and getting to know one another. Spirits are high. People are laughing, chatting, and…
When Everything Came Into Focus — Hiking Patagonia’s Torres del Paine O Circuit Alumni Trip
I first learned about the O Circuit in 2025, a year before I actually did it. My wife and I were in Patagonia on a Road Scholar trip. It started with a cruise through the Strait of Magellan and the Darwin Passage, followed by a few days in Torres del Paine National Park doing short…
Case Study: Heat Illness on an Early-Season Wildland Fire Assignment
The Setting You are working on a Type 2 initial attack handcrew in the Deschutes National Forest during the early part of fire season. It’s one of the first assignments of the year, and while conditions aren’t extreme yet, temperatures have climbed into the mid-80s°F with full sun exposure on a south-facing slope. The crew…
Rothberg-Birdwhistel Expedition Fund: Panchachuli III Peak Climb
In May 2025, Bharat Bhushan, Prerna Dangi, and I took on a challenge to climb Panchachuli III (6,349m), believed by local residents to remain unclimbed. We aimed to approach it via the northeast route through the Meola Glacier. Despite occasional visits by military and paramilitary personnel, there was no recorded mountaineering information or documented route…
“Exploration Film Tour” challenges stereotypical norms on the outdoors
NOLS will bring a series of eight independent films to the big screen for this year's Exploration Film Tour at Ohio State University.
My Drowning (And Other Inconveniences)
Thrown from a raft in Grand Canyon’s Lava Falls, Tim Cahill was trapped underwater. His heart stopped for several minutes. He decided to try Lava again.
Why it’s a Real Mistake To Count on a Cellphone When You Go Hiking
“The classic behavior when you get lost is to speed up,” said Jamie O’Donnell, a field instructor with NOLS, a nonprofit based in Wyoming.
Recreation economy accounts for 50,000 Wyoming jobs
Recreation continues to play an important and growing role in Wyoming’s economy, according to a report released July 26 by the Outdoor Industry Association.
Renowned Astronomer Jill Tarter Says Eclipse Reminds Us We’re Earthlings
Tarter said she’s seen two other total solar eclipses in her life but she chose to see this one in Wyoming because her daughter works for the NOLS in Lander.
Genius Tips to Master Campsite Baking
A week into her NOLS class in the wilderness, Katherine Boehrer experienced the biggest shock of the trip, at dinnertime. "They made this chocolate cake."
How to Ford a River
To learn how to safely ford a river, we called Marco Johnson, a NOLS field instructor who for over 30 years has traveled the globe teaching wilderness courses.
Outdoor Recreation Bolsters Wyoming’s Economy with $5.6 Billion Annually in Consumer Spending and 50,000 Jobs
Outdoor recreation in Wyoming generates $5.6 billion annually in spending, contributes a whopping 50,000 jobs, and $514 million in state and local tax revenue.
Veterans group uses the outdoors, mountaineering to prevent suicides
When the Iraq combat veteran Andrew Collins realized every time he felt lost, or the noise grew louder in his head, he grabbed his backpack and headed outside.
Getting Kids Into the Outdoors Starts in the Backyard
A guy who’s required to know all of them is John Gans, the executive director of NOLS, which teaches survival skills, risk management, and leadership.
NOLS Joins “We Are Still In” Paris Agreement Coalition
On July 17, 2017, NOLS joined the “We Are Still In” coalition of Paris Agreement supporters within the United States.
Should You Become a Wilderness First Responder?
Many park rangers, guides, and outdoor enthusiasts become wilderness first responders, a certification offered by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
