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…
On the Creation of Bears Ears National Monument
The importance of the 2016 designation of Bears Ears National Monument.
How To Keep Your Feet Warm
Advice from the pros on how to take care of your feet when they get cold.
Potential Energy
NOLS alumni Rachel Dranoff explains how to harness the potential energy of a NOLS course.
An Astronaut Candidate’s Take on Goals and Leadership
Astronaut in training Shawna Pandya talks to us about pursuing big goals.
How Can I Support You? The Power of Expedition Behavior
“How can I support you?” It was maybe the best question I had ever been asked. It was expedition behavior in a sentence. Read more from NOLSie and writer Carolyn Highland
Preparing for a Miracle: WFR Training in Family Emergencies
Two parents tell the story of their family's worst day—and the happy ending that came as a result of being prepared.
Climbing Higher: The New NOLS Look
For the past year, we've been developing a new look and logo for NOLS. I'm glad to share the behind-the-scenes action that created this look and what's ahead.
2016 Holiday Gift Guide
Whether you're shopping for your favorite sustainability nerd or a backcountry fashionista, here are some gift ideas for anyone on your list.
Just Go for It: Making Gap Year a Reality
We caught up with NOLS grad Bailey Barnes to learn more about the challenges—and fun—of a gap year, and how she made her gap year a reality.
A Night in Norway: Why I’m Thankful for My NOLS Wilderness Medicine Field Guide
A WFR graduate recalls responding to a hypothermic patient while stuck in a hut in Norway's mountains.
