NOLS Blog
Outdoor Leadership Programs for High School Students: Why Wilderness Matters
Parents searching for summer opportunities face an overwhelming marketplace of camps, programs, and experiences. Sports camps, academic enrichment, traditional summer camps, leadership programs—the options seem endless. But among all the choices, one category consistently produces deeper, longer-lasting outcomes than the rest: outdoor leadership programs for high school students. These programs combine the transformative power of…
Why Teens Need Leadership Skills: A Guide for Parents
Every parent wants their teenager to succeed—good grades, college acceptance, a fulfilling career. But there's something that predicts ...
Ship’s Log: Sailing in Greece’s Ionian Sea Alumni Trip
Photo by Nick Braun After a few days of moderate winds, good introductory sailing and island exploring while ...
Teen Gap Year Programs: Adventure-Based Options for Before College
The traditional path says: graduate high school, start college immediately, don’t look back. But a growing number of families and college admissions advisors are questioning this formula—and discovering that what looks like a detour often becomes the most valuable part of the journey. Gap year programs for teens have moved from the fringe to the…
Best Backpacking Trips for Teens: Wilderness Adventures That Build Character
Something happens when a teenager shoulders a pack, leaves cell service behind, and walks into the wilderness. Something that organized sports, academic programs, and traditional summer camps—though these experiences have their benefits—simply cannot replicate. Backpacking trips for teens offer more than adventure. They offer transformation. And for parents searching for experiences that genuinely change their…
Leadership Programs for High School Students: What Parents Need to Know
Your teenager stands at a pivotal moment. The skills they develop now—how they handle challenges, work with others, and step up when it matters—will shape their path through college, careers, and life. But here’s what many parents discover too late: traditional classroom settings rarely build the kind of leadership that matters in the real world.…
The Poley-Poley: A Chronicle in the Himalayas
It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop. —Confucius The air was thick. My strides were slow and purposeful, careful not to disrupt the group’s cadence. The thrill of spotting Everest Base Camp, still two hours away, motivated me to maintain the syncopated rhythm of deep breathing. Hypoxia…
Case Study: Injury on the Grand Canyon
The Setting You’re on day 12 of a 21-day Grand Canyon expedition, enjoying a well deserved stretch of flat water, staring at the canyon walls and not paying attention to what’s downstream. While enjoying the last of your morning coffee, you hear someone cry out from a nearby raft. You look over and see a…
NOLS Releases Newest Edition of Leadership Educator Notebook, an Instructor’s Toolbox
NOLS is pleased to introduce the newest edition of the Leadership Educator Notebook, a collection of the educational tools NOLS instructors use to incorporate leadership ideas and activities into courses. What is the Leadership Educator Notebook?Filled with activities, lessons, prompts, frameworks and quotes, and edited by Zach Taylor, Liz Tuohy, Phoebe Gebright, and other members…
5 Things You Learn from Climbing (That Also Matter in Real Life)
5 Things You Learn from Climbing (That Also Matter in Real Life)
3 Months in the Rockies to 30 Countries in a Year: How a NOLS Alum Went Worldwide
NOLS alum Erica Levine Weber takes her experience on a NOLS semester and turns it into a lifetime of international travel with her family, taking her daughter to 30 countries before her first birthday.
Why Wildlands Studies Attends the Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC)
Why Wildlands Studies Attends the WRMC
Which Wilderness Medicine Course Is Right for You? [Infographic]
Take a look at all your options for wilderness medicine courses
Gado-Gado Spaghetti: A Classic NOLS Recipe
This recipe for a classic noodle dish with peanut sauce is a treat at the end of a long day of adventuring!
6 Secret Ingredients to Try on Your Next Camping Trip
6 Secret Ingredients to Try on Your Next Camping Trip
Ready for Anything
Vital tips for cyclists including: what to do if you break a spoke, what to do if you bonk, what to do if you come across an injured person, how to avoid dangerous weather, how to get un-lost, and what to do if you're in an accident.
6 Reasons Wilderness First Aid Is for Everyone
Take charge of your adventures, your safety, and your life—take a course. Preferably, before you crack your tailbone snowboarding or have a close call with a bear (like I did...)
Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph on Leadership and How to Learn It
Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph on Leadership and How to Learn It
