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.

Learn more about instructor courses with NOLS here. 

APPLICATIONS FOR 2019 INSTRUCTOR COURSES ARE NOW CLOSED.

Check back in August for the 2020 instructor course application. 

Here is a sample of the instructor course questionnaire.

Dates

Dates

Stay tuned for upcoming course dates.

Specifics

All course information at a glance

Tuition

TBA
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

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

Start Your Experience Today

More Instructor Courses

Course participants white water rafting at the Gates of Lodore in Colorado.

River Instructor Course You’ll travel in rafts and ...

River Instructor Course

You’ll travel in rafts and kayaks through deep incisions of limestone, shale, and sandstone.
Learn More
A course participant crests a large wave with a sea kayak in the waters of coastal British Columbia.

Pacific Northwest Sea Kayaking Instructor Course Technical kayaking skills will be ...

Pacific Northwest Sea Kayaking Instructor Course

Technical kayaking skills will be emphasized on this course, from rescues and emergency procedures to navigation and weather awareness.
Learn More
Students prepare to round a river bend while canoeing in the Yukon.

Yukon Instructor Course For 24 days you'll explore ...

Yukon Instructor Course

For 24 days you'll explore this wild, remote, and beautiful place on foot and in tandem or solo canoes. With such vast wilderness areas in the Yukon, we are constantly exploring new travel routes and ...
Learn More

WFR Instructor Training Course

WFR Instructor Training Course

Learn More
Course participants backpacking in the distance through a field of tall grass in the Southwest.

Southwest Instructor Course This 24-day instructor course combines ...

Southwest Instructor Course

This 24-day instructor course combines foundational leadership training with a 16-day backpacking expedition and focused top-rope rock climbing.
Learn More