Rocky Mountain Instructor Course

Credit: Adam Swisher

Rocky Mountain Instructor Course

The Wind River mountain range is the place Paul Petzoldt chose for the first NOLS course in 1965, and we have trained instructors here ever since. Your Rocky Mountain Instructor Course will build on the technical outdoor skills you already have as you fine-tune your teaching skills through an in-depth examination of the NOLS curriculum. This 24-day course includes leadership training, a backpacking expedition, and basic training for setting up and managing top-rope climbing and rappelling with students. Successful completion of the instructor course will prepare you to work wilderness backpacking courses for NOLS.

APPLICATIONS FOR 2019 INSTRUCTOR COURSES ARE NOW OPEN.

The deadline to apply is November 15, 2019. Take a look at the FAQs to learn more about instructor courses with NOLS.

Here is a sample of the questionnaire that will appear on the instructor course application.

Dates

Dates

2020 Dates

April 28 – May 21, 2020

Tuition: $2,995
Apply now

Specifics

All course information at a glance

Tuition

$2,995
Learn about Financial Aid & Scholarships

Equipment Deposit

$250

Duration

24 days

Minimum Age

21 yrs.

Academic Credit

4 College Credits
  • 2 Outdoor Educator
  • 2 Leadership
Learn about Academic Credit

Certifications

Leave No Trace - Master Educator

Downloads

Course Description

Equipment List

Travel and Logistics

Start/End

Lander, Wyoming

Fly in/out

Casper, Wyoming

Skills learned

Backpacking

Rock Climbing

Additional Details

Prerequisite: Minimum of a 70-hour Wilderness First Responder and current adult CPR certification

See Photos and Videos from Students and Instructors

Students work with an instructor to determine their location on a map.
A student smiles from inside a slot canyon while canyoneering.
Student rock climbing in Wyoming's Fremont Canyon.
A NOLS Adventure student group tents on a scenic bluff in Wyoming's Wind River Range.
Two students rest on the side of Mt. Woodrow Wilson after climbing a pitch up a couloir in the Wind River Range.
Students cook marshmallows around the campfire at night.
A course participant lowers themselves into a canyon while canyoneering in Utah.
A student looking out over snowy peaks while mountaineering in the Wind River Range.
A sweeping view from a peak in the Wind River Range.
Instructors look toward snow-capped peaks, pointing out the route down Flagstone Peak in the Wind River Range.
Students backpacking past wildflowers towards mountains in the Wind River Range.

What Our Grads Say

“The most amazing aspect of NOLS wilderness expeditions is they function like little microcosms of life. Put people together for an extended period of time, with internal and external stresses, and see how they react. The lessons gleamed from those interactions are not only applicable to the moment; they are transferable to life back at home, work and with friends”

– Kori R., NOLS Instructors Course grad

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