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…
Find Your Next Adventure in the City
Call it a microadventure or a day out of the house—just get out and explore what’s around you.
9 Hygiene Tips for Your Camp Kitchen
Telling your friends about the peak you climbed or the rapid you ran are the things you want to bring home from the backcountry—not a foodborne illness.
Camping Recipe: No-Bake Energy Nuggets
These no-bake snacks are an easy recipe to keep in your fridge so that, when it's time for your next adventure, you don't need to scramble for a snack.
Decision-Making Traps to Know and Avoid
When you know your tendencies, you can avoid the traps that come with making decisions based on incorrect or incomplete information.
Make Your Gear Have Multiple Purposes
Packing enough to be prepared without going overboard and letting your worries hijack your decision making takes practice.
The Alaskan Tundra Jumpstarts New Adventures
Alum Dave’s NOLS course jumpstarted a new life of activity and adventure—at age 49.
Camping Recipe: Potato Pancakes
Fill up for breakfast or dinner with this tasty camping recipe for potato pancakes.
How to Create a High-Functioning Team in the Outdoors
For first-time trip leaders or seasoned explorers, here are some tips to encourage a high-functioning team on your next excursion.
How to Fix Your Outdoor Gear
Fixing outdoor gear isn’t complicated, as long as you have a few of the right tools.
6 Lessons I Did Not Expect to Learn from NOLS
After dropping my pack and pulling out a much-needed Snickers bar, I sat on the ground and tried to digest what had happened over the past few days.
Instant Camping Recipe: Geikie Curried Rice
Prepare this instant meal at home before hitting the trail, then just add boiling water when you’re ready to eat.
New Courses for Winter and Spring 2018
Do service work at a school in Tanzania, explore remote cave paintings in Baja California, and grow your avalanche awareness with a winter ski training.
