RMI is proud to partner again with the Colorado Mountain School and Boulder Rock Club in offering the Wilderness First Responder. This year’s dates are May 11-21.

Last year’s training was a success, and it was great to be in Boulder. I was fortunate to assist with the training, which brought me back to the town I called home for over ten years. Boulder’s outdoor opportunities are endless: rock climbing, kayaking, running, biking, mountaineering and skiing are among the things that you can do right out your front door. There’s a strong outdoor community as well, and the Boulder Rock Club has established itself as a leading resource for climbing, mountaineering, and fitness.

The classroom at the BRC has windows looking onto the upper part of the climbing routes in the gym, as well as windows on the other side that look onto the Flatirons and Long’s Peak, the highest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. There were some days during last year’s course where you could see climbing legend Lynn Hill (first person to free the Nose on El Cap, then later first person to free the entire 31 pitch 5.13c route in under 24 hours!) sending routes in the gym, and out the West windows see virtually miles of high quality rock routes, all while learning about wilderness medicine. Our night session presented our students with a realistic mass casualty scenario in a remote setting that required them to manage medical and environmental challenges, establish and maintain group cohesion, and ended with an extended evac over rough terrain. When you’re in a mountainous setting such as the one we held our scenario in, the exercise takes on a sense of realism and really brings out the best in our rescuer teams.

At the end of the course we were able to have a valuable debrief about the scenario and plans for our students going forward. We were amazed at the different places our students were taking their training, and also gave students advice for how to get into outdoor industry jobs, many of which we the instructors had held. Speaking for myself, my first step was WFR certification in Boulder back in ’95!

Guides and responders who need to gain your cert, the dates are great for getting the training in before the summer season. First time students, it’s hard to pick a better place to dive into wilderness medicine! We hope you can make it.

For more info:

Wilderness First Responder Course on the RMI Website

 

Course Announcement on the Colorado Mountain School/Boulder Rock Club Website