Hello and Farewell

A big Rocky Mountain WELCOME to our new summer intern, Abe Goodale!  Abe originally hails from the great state of Maine.  Recently, he's attended the University of Utah where he studied Parks, Recreation, and Tourism with an emphasis in Experiential Ed and a minor in ceramics.  We are thrilled to have Abe a part of our RM team.  From the sounds of it, he's got mad art, frisbee, photography, skiing and good human being skills.  Abe will be joined by two other interns, Sara and Chris, in early June.  Stay tuned. . .

Sadly, two weeks ago, we said goodbye to our spring RM interns, Sandy Bandhu and Jared Pangretic.  The RM is a better place because of these two and we already miss their daily shenanigans and positive influences.  Sandy is back in NYC and looking into a number of next adventures.  No doubt, he will find something interesting and contribute positively.  Jared will be joining the ranks of the NOLS bus crew!  We look forward to seeing his blogs as well as his face back in Lander in July.

Sandy and Jared would like you, our readers, to know that they are legends among legends. . .uh huh.

Risk Management Tips from NOLS Professional Training

Are you looking for the best ways to manage risk at your outdoor organization? Let NOLS Professional Training help you out! Our Risk Management Training programs will give you everything you need to create a comprehensive plan for your organization.

Here are a few tips from our risk management curriculum regarding waivers:

Participant agreements (also known as waivers)

A thorough participant agreement forms include two components that each are valid unto themselves:
1. A thorough description of risks in your program; and
2. A release of rights to bring legal action against the organization for acts of negligence.

Your participant agreement should be written in clear, easy to understand language. Have a legal counsel review your participant agreement. Ideally use a legal counsel who is familiar with recreation law.

Participant agreements are one of the most common questions by organizations who are working on their risk management plan.

To take part in one of our trainings, contact Liz Tuohy, Risk Management Senior Consultant at (307) 335-2217!

Learn more about NOLS through a webinar!

Do you want to learn more about NOLS through a fun, interactive presentation? Would you like to attend one of our events, but live too far away? A webinar just might be the perfect solution for you.

Last Wednesday, we hosted our first-ever public webinar and it was a total success! For those of you who have never attended one, it works like this: when you sign up, we give you the web address for the presentation. Then, at the appointed time, you call a phone number we'll give you when you register and direct your browser to the web address. From there all you have to do is sit back and relax while Semester in the Rockies grad Matthew Copeland gives you an in-depth look at the NOLS world, telling you who we are, what we do, and what the outcomes are.

One participant in last week's webinar gave the following feedback:

"This has been a great event, I hope you continue to offer such innovative opportunities for those of us not fortunate enough to live in Lander."

We'll be hosting another webinar this coming Tuesday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (that's 9:00 a.m. for those of you on the West Coast, and 12:00 p.m. for you East Coasters). You can register for this upcoming webinar here. We hope to see you there!

NOLS Grad's TV Show Airs Next Week

On Tuesday, May 13, check out NOLS grad David Breashears’ new film, “Storm Over Everest” on PBS’ Frontline. Breashears came to NOLS at the age of 15 to do a Rocky Mountain adventure course and has since summited Everest five times. He has spent his life climbing mountains and credits NOLS with getting him started.

“Storm Over Everest” tells the story of climbers trapped on Everest by an intense storm in May 1996. Breashears was filming the first-ever IMAX movie on Everest at the time and aided in the rescue of climbers stranded by the storm. Hear survivors discuss the remarkable stories of those that made it down and the unfortunate loss of those that didn’t. We’ll be watching here in Lander, and we hope you will, too.

To find out what time it’s on near you, check out your local listings.

Check out the trailer here:

Grad finds a new career with NOLS

Elyse Guarino wasn't necessarily looking for NOLS when she found the school. "I was in transition in my life and was looking for a direction," she said. "I overheard a conversation that helped me decide what to do."

As it turns out, that conversation was pretty influential. A little more than a year after taking a course at NOLS Southwest, Elyse finds herself employed there full-time. It began with a three-month internship after completing her course. This fall, she'll return to the Southwest as Outfitting Manager.

Read Elyse's full story in her home paper, the News Transcript!

Woolly Buggers

On April 26th and 27th NOLS Rocky Mountain (RM) held the annual fly-fishing seminar. It was instructor by Jim Ferguson, George Hunker, Molly Semenik, and Alan Pirie. George owns and operates his own guiding service, Sweet Water Fishing ; in the summers Alan lends a hand.  Jim co-owns Patagonia Fishing, and Molly runs Tie the Knot Fishing.  With the combined effort the 25 students were in for a highly energetic and informative class. Half of the class was spent inside and the other in the field.  On Saturday afternoon the course took it to Lucky Pond for some hands on experiece.  Catching one fish, since NOLS thoroughly supports catch and release, they were taught how to clean and cook the fish on a whisperlite stove.  Also, involved was sifting the water to find what insects live there. The insects were identified in an entomology class and matched closely to the tackle box.

On Sunday, the majority of the day was spent learning how to fish rivers.  The students were split up, matched with an instructor, and brought to various fishing locations.  There the cast, reading rivers, finding holes, and LNT principles were perfected.  Several students caught fish, but like any angler many did not!

Earth Day Festivities

For Earth Day, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) was delighted to have Tom Reed, from Trout Unlimited, and Jen Lamb, NOLS Public Policy Director, speak about protecting the Wyoming Range.  Tom Reed, who was a previous NOLS Instructor and worked in the Admissions Department, discussed the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which is currently working through Congress.  The Act is attempting to protect 44,000 acres in the Wyoming Range, which includes some NOLS operating areas. The event was held at the Noble Hotel and open to the public. 

In addition, Tom was representing the Sportsman for the Wyoming Range, which is a coalition of outfitters, guides, and conservation groups. NOLS is proud to be a member of this organization. They are on the forefront of protecting natural areas and strive to prevent oil drilling in these lands. Kevin Bergstom stated, “It was great to see community members come together for this important conservation effort.” 

After the speech the floor was open to ask questions, discuss the future of Wyoming’s namesake mountains, and make individual comments directed to the Forest Service.  It was a great Earth Day turnout and fantastic to see the community devotion to protecting our beautiful landscape!   

River Rats

Spring Semester in the Rockies – 3 (SSR-3) returned from Vernal Utah Base yesterday after several weeks on their river section.  They were able to get the full spectrum of water sport experience, traveling down river through they canyons in white water kayaks and in a paddle raft/ oar rigged vessel.  They were able to learn vital skills as they paddled through class three rapids. A good amount of the students were able to learn and master their rolls and some were even able to learn play boating moves such as stern squirting, cart-wheeling, and stalling.

The students of SSR-3 are currently gearing up here at NOLS Rocky Mountain for their final component of their semester: climbing.  They will be first heading to the Needles and then to Devil’s Tower.  They leave with high expectations of learning new skills, having yet another awesome experience, and continuing to have “lots of man time” and bonding.

Canyon Star Gazing

The OES students just returned to NOLS Rocky Mountain (RM) from their canyon section.  As their hair and beards continue to grow so do the students.  They seem closer than the “Brady Bunch”.  On their canyon section they had the opportunity to test out recipes from the NOLS Cookery, master the fine art of the twiggy fire, and work on rappelling! A favorite recipe was baking bread, in more than one way and a highlight was “swimming and not swimming in Gravel Canyon”. 

As they made another appearance in the Gulch Food Store, they found this time would be unlike the previous ration processes.  Being an OES semester it is a vital learning component of their course.  The “Brady Bunch” did the math, figured out pounds per day, and made sure they would maintain the proper daily nutrient values.  Also, they are very excited to begin their rock climbing section where they will be at Split Rock and Sinks Canyon.  At Split Rock they will go over top roping and multi-pitching.  Then, they transfer to Sinks Canyon to learn how to sport climb, rescue methods, and lead climbing progression.  With spring weather finally on the way, their climbing classroom will be beautiful!      

NOLS Reunions: We're Coming to You

Here in the alumni department, we can feel it in the air – the smell of fresh posters, the sight of thousands of labels waiting to be stuck on reminder cards, the sound of RSVPs coming in from all over the country – it’s NOLS reunion time in Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston, Denver, and San Francisco.

What exactly happens at a NOLS reunion?  Glad you asked.  Not only does each reunion promise food, drinks, and a chance to network with other NOLS alums (New to the area and looking for someone to climb/hike/ski/whatever with?), they each feature a presentation about a NOLS grad’s recent expedition.

Want to get a friend hooked on NOLS?  Trying to convince Mom to go on an alumni family trip with you?  Bring them to a reunion to hear about the amazing expeditions NOLS grads and instructors are doing in Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, and India. See amazing photos, hear their stories, and get psyched for your next outdoor adventure.

             

But first - What is the best way to brush up on your wilderness first aid skills before that adventure and score some sweet WMI gear at the same time? Playing Wilderness Medicine Jeopardy with us for an hour before most reunions! Think you know the right way to tie a tourniquet?  Or how to warm up a hypothermic friend?  But can you answer in the form of a question?  Never taken a WMI class?  Come anyway and find out what they’re all about! What a concept— medical education and fun at the same time.

See the alumni reunions page for the full schedule of reunions and WMI Jeopardy.  And don’t forget – remember your expedition behavior and RSVP.

- Lauren Wetherbee
  NOLS Alumni Intern

(Photos: Alumni Archives, Dave Anderson, Brian Eustis)

Feature Film

NOLS Rocky Mountain (RM) has been steadily working on filming the new clip for the RM’s site about the issue room and the outfitting process. NOLS production assistant, Virginia Moore, followed the given direction and has been editing and finalizing the project before venturing off to NOLS Southwest to begin another filming project on her course. 

Between the experience of the outfitting staff and course instructors, and the wide range of new and top quality gear in stock in the issue room, prospective and incoming students should feel confident and assured that they can get everything they need for their course.  The goal was to create a clip that was short, informative, and entertaining.  It should be posted soon, so keep an eye out for it on the NOLS Rocky Mountain webpage.  Also, coming soon should be an extraordinary once in a lifetime clip of a dance scene that you may or may not have heard about.  Keep your eyes and ears open, for it should be a mind blowing experience!

A Glimplse from the Field

This week at NOLS Rocky Mountain (RM) instructors returned from the Spring Semester in the Rockies (SSR) canyon section.  Tanned, toned, and beaming with excitement, we were able to hear a few of their stories and highlights from their excursions in the field. 

SSR-3/4 B was instructed by Muthoni Muriithi, Drew Seitz, and Silas Schrader.  Muthoni has instructed many backpacking trips for the RM and lead other courses out of several of NOLS’ international bases.      Drew has been instructing courses for sometime now and was more recently part of the Teton Valley staff.  Silas Schrader completed his Outdoor Educator Semester in the fall and was a first time instructor for this canyon section.

Highlights included the passing through and by of Robber’s Roost, Blue John Canyon, and the exact location at which Aaron Ralston amputated his arm from a boulder using his pocketknife.  The group traveled a total distance of ninety-seven miles, experienced a forty-eight hour solo, and endured a four-night small group expedition.  One reoccurring theme on the course was cutting hair with trauma sheers.  The range of style included a Mohawk and a “skullet” (the combination of a shaved head and a mullet).