Program Soups Hit Town

This has been a week of reconnecting with folks from all around the NOLS universe. The annual NOLS Program Supervisor's meeting is in progress, bringing together staff from all of the far-flung NOLS locations.

Program supervisors act as the link between all of the expedition logistics support that is a critical element of every NOLS course and the NOLS field instructors who make the magic that happens in the field. They help with route planning and assure that NOLS curriculum and risk management protocols are consistently delivered wherever you take your NOLS course.

At NOLS you get the very best instructors, the support of the NOLS expedition planning team and 40 years of curriculum development. The Program Soups provide the glue to hold it all together and make sure our students receive the finest wilderness education available anywhere.

Welcome to Lander!

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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Outdoor Business: Want a job?

Are you interested in working in the outdoor education world? Are you more comfortable in a fjord than a Ford? Ever considered a career in the outdoors?  Have you always wanted to get in touch with your inner Rienhold Messner?

If you bellowed "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" to any of the above questions, or you're just interested in exploring career changes, NOLS has launched a new email list serve that may meet your needs and outdoor interests. Subscribe to our free jobs email broadcast and outdoor position openings will periodically zap right into yer electronic mailbox— no need to dial into a web site, or search the fine print in the classifieds. The list serve is environmentally friendly too— recycling is as easy as hitting "delete."

Not only does our list service connect high-test applicants (a.k.a. "NOLS Grads") with possible outdoor employers— there are also ways to subscribe to a whole series of regional or topical NOLS email lists. Wow, you can keep in touch with course-mates and find whole communities of NOLS and WMI folks who might be living just down the block— all by subscribing to our free service.

Go ahead. Give it a try. You'll be glad you did, and you might even start a new career.

Rich Brame
NOLS Alumni Relations Manager

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Happening NOW at NOLS Southwest!

At NOLS Southwest, we are just entering the most exciting part of our season. Check out what is going on with

Southwest Semester One
Southwest Semester Two
Semester on the Borders

Southwest Semester One
After a sunny river course on the Rio, students are hitting the rocks at Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains of the Coronado National Forest. During this, the third section of their semester, students are learning the basics and some advanced techniques of rock climbing... just as the weather is at its best in southern Arizona. The 2005 winter season has been warmer and wetter than usual, which translates to an early, colorful, and life-filled spring. Have a friend or family member on this semester? Make sure to ask if they saw snakes...

Next up for Southwest Semester One? Independent Student Travel Groups in the Gila Wilderness Area. In small self-sufficient groups, students will plan their own routes and rations for a two-week long journey as they utilize all of the skills and knowledge that they acquired over the course of their semester.

Southwest Semester Two
Following looks and crawls deep into the world-famous Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Southwest Semester Two students are hitting the waves hard on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, Texas. As they navigate the natural border between the United States and Mexico, students learn about hydrology, ecology, and biology. They also learn how to paddle a mean line in a canoe...

Next up for Southwest Semester Two? Jumping out of the water and onto the rock, as they climb the diverse routes of Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains. Students are bound to bask in the glory of a full spring bloom as they start their climb section in the Coronado National Forest.

Semester on the Borders
Excited individuals from across the country came together to form the first student group of Semester on the Borders. Group development started with a Wilderness First Aid course, in which students learned skills they would need to manage various safety situations in the backcountry. The end of Wilderness First Aid meant the beginning of an adventure in the Galiuro Wilderness Area. For three weeks, Semester on the Borders students will explore the canyons, cliffs, mountains, forests, savannahs, and woodlands that comprise this diverse area, and most likely spy the wildlife that fills it.

Next up for Semester on the Borders? Climbing at Cochise Stronghold! Like the Galiuro, Cochise is located in the Coronado National Forest. Spending time in two very different parts of this area will provide students with a vivid image and knowledge of what this border region has to offer both the United States and Mexico... and a good comparison to what they will see when they head to the Pacific Northwest to explore another border!

Soon:
Gila Wilderness Backpacking begins March 29th!
Southwest Instructor Course begins April 2nd!

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The National Society of High School Scholars and NOLS Join Forces

Today the National Society of High School Scholars and NOLS signed a partnership that will encourage members of NSHSS to pursue leadership development at NOLS. NOLS is offering an automatic $150 scholarship to the NSHSS members in recognition of the academic and leadership contributions they already make at their schools and in their communities.

Founded by Claes Nobel, the mission of the National Society of High School Scholars is to recognize academic excellence and to encourage members to apply their unique talents, vision, and potential for the betterment of themselves and the world. It's hard to imagine a better match for NOLS!

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS Expands College Credit Opportunities

NOLS this week signed affiliate agreements with two new colleges. Effective immediately students at the State University of New York-Plattsburgh and Paul Smith's College will be able to earn direct credit for their NOLS course. They join 14 other colleges that grant direct credit for NOLS. Eleven other colleges automatically transfer University of Utah credit earned at NOLS.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS Grad Pete Athans Honored

This past weekend renowned mountaineer and NOLS grad Pete Athans received the Tenzing Norgay Award at the annual dinner of the Explorers Club in New York City. In honoring Pete the club noted that his name has become synonymous with exploration of Mount Everest having participated in fifteen expeditions to the world's highest peak and achieving the summit seven times. Pete is also very interested in Sherpa culture and has begun exploration in Tibet and Western China.

NOLS executive director, John Gans was also at the banquet where he represented NOLS. While there he met a number of NOLS alumni including Britton Keeshan. Britton made history this past summer when, at age 21, he became the youngest person ever to achieve the highest summit on all seven continents.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS and Mountain Hardwear:Leaders in the Outdoors

After spending most of last week at Stanford I took some time on Friday to check out BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), traveling up to Richmond, California to visit with Phyllis Grove, Mountain Hardwear’s VP of Marketing.

I updated Phyllis on how NOLS fared during 2004: record enrollment year, record revenues and record fundraising. I also updated her on some NOLS marketing projects: several television opportunities in progress, the NOLS Bus and BzzAgent. We discussed opportunities for NOLS and Mountain Hardwear to work together on some projects.

NOLS has a long history with Mountain Hardwear. This year they have supported the NOLS Bus with clothing for the crew and gear for raffles. More importantly though, they supply us with high quality gear appropriate for extended backcountry expeditions. Their cutting edge gear helps keep NOLS the leader for comfortable, responsible backcountry expeditioning.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS Gets Schooled!

Sorry to have been "off the grid" for a bit. I joined the rest of the NOLS executive team at Stanford University for an executive education course called "Strategy for Non-Profit Organizations".

This was an incredible educational experience with fantastic teachers and a great group of students. NOLS was joined by seven other non-profit teams: Lutheran Social Services of Mid-America, Pidecafe, Marin Breast Cancer Watch, Trinity Church of Wall Street, Washington Dental Service Foundation, Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Coalition, Universidad de Monterrey.

Topics covered during the class were:
-Identifying strategy, including competitive advantage, scope and logic.
-Analysis of current environment.
-Integration of mission and strategy.

Really good stuff. Much of what was taught re-affirmed directions and methods NOLS is already employing. And we learned some great new tools for going forward.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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Alumni Climbing Trip 2005

The alumni climbing trip was a complete success for all of those involved.  In a nutshell, we climbed a ton, thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, had beautiful weather, ate great food, and developed or refined the fundamental skills set of high angle rock climbing.  Our course intentions that were set out at the start of the course were threefold; to re-connect with NOLS, to have fun, and to develop and enhance technical climbing skills.  We accomplished these goals with ease...

Our course was a week in length and took place in the Dragoon Mountains of southern Arizona at Cochise Stronghold.  We spent the first day issuing at the branch, driving out to the stronghold, installing our base camp, and doing a few "ground school" type classes.  The following day we spent together top roping as a whole group, honing in our belay skills, safety checks, and commands on the rock.  The following four days we broke off into smaller groups with 2 multi-pitch teams getting out each day.  A few of us were able to complete 3 multi pitch routes!  Folks who weren't multi pitching would go top rope climbing; work on improving their movement over rock, have small, informal lessons on fundamental climbing skills, and basking in the sun.  The top rope teams would have a slower start in the morning and extra curricular activities included two morning yoga sessions, slack lining, morning walks, personal time, and a raptors class.  Upon arriving back in camp we would typically congregate in our group kitchen, socializing, talking about NOLS, often hovering hungrily over the wine and cheese spread.  We cooked meals in a large group.  The I-team (Instructor-Team) spearheaded and facilitated the vision and execution of meals and had lots of help from everyone.  This worked well, as we ate quality meals and fostered an environment to spend time socializing as a group. 

The community of people who came out for the course were awesome!  11 Individuals came from all over the country, ages ranging from 20s – 50s, professional lives varying greatly, and a wide variety of NOLS experience that spans the entire globe.  While on the periphery we were all quite different, at the core we were much the same.  We all shared the common thread of having some type of NOLS experience and first handedly witnessing the effects that NOLS has had on our lives since.  That shared spirit of experience infused itself in all aspects of this course and made it as successful as it was.

A part of the excitement of the blogging experience is looking on the internet to see yourself or people you may associate with in life, I figured that I would drop a potporri of names.  Dan Harter and Patty Gude completed 3 radical multi-pitches.  Kim Smoyer shared a wonderful piece of poetry on the last night.  Dave Wild shared stories of his 78 ABW.  Augie Bering enjoyed multi-pitching and yoga...providing us a nice asana demonstration (Urdvha Dhanurasana), Richard Kwun and Debbie Capozzi completed their first multi-pitch climbs, Steve Haile and Marion Greenspan were able to climb a bunch and successfully complete anchor projects at TR sites, Tim Everett's kind manner and enthusiasm on the rock was contagious, and Barak was able to practice a wide variety of climbing skills and multi pitch as well. 

One entertaining and inspiring aspect of this course was seeing these folks go for it!  Many had bloody hands, bloody fingertips, cut up arms and legs, and had unwavering energy towards climbing.  Folks who were out multi-pitching on our last few days had tape all over their hands, fingertips taped, and smiles still on their faces.  We had tons of fun and everyone was super psyched on the course!  I think that the structure and approach used was appropriate and effective.  Thanks y’all.

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Alumni Survey Launched for Boston, Chicago, and DC Grads

The NOLS Alumni Relations Department is conducting a web-based alumni services survey for graduates in the Washington DC, Chicago, and Boston areas. NOLS' ultimate goal is offering valued alumni networking, outdoor trips and other services— the five-minute survey is a first step toward gathering feedback from the school's diverse and widespread graduates.

If you're a NOLS grad in the Washington, DC, Chicago, or Boston area, please take a few minutes to complete our anonymous, 18-question alumni service survey. Other NOLS alumni will be connected to the survey in the future.

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