Tomorrow on January 10th, 2012 I’ll be heading to the Driggs, Idaho base of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). I’m participating in the NOLS Winter Outdoor Educator Course, in which I’ll receive outdoor educator training from the leading outdoor training orginization in the United States. In addition to a small amount of classroom learning, we’ll also be living in the backcountry of the Teton Mountains for a while, ski mountaineering up and down the rugged mountains.

NOLS Winter Outdoor Educator Course Description:

Designed for practicing and aspiring winter outdoor educators, this course gives you the skills to teach in any winter wilderness.

We begin with five days of workshops, including a Recreational Level I Avalanche clinic and two days of professional ski instruction at Grand Targhee Resort.

Then we’ll move into the backcountry for miles of skiing in pristine powder. You’ll build elaborate snow shelters complete with kitchen counters, benches, and a cozy bedroom. With coaching from your instructors, you’ll teach classes of your own and be taught by fellow students.

For educators of all levels, teaching in the winter will polish your presentation skills and hone your class management. The longest of our winter courses, these 21 days provide some of the best expedition training at the school, preparing you to camp and lead well in any cold, snowy environment.

During the course, I’ll be almost completely out of contact, including out of contact with my SPOT Satellite Messenger – by orders from NOLS. However, I’ll be keeping daily logs, and will post them all upon my safe return.

This will be my third NOLS course. Previously, I’ve done the NOLS Alaska Backpacking backcountry course in the Talkeetna Mountain Range, as well as the NOLS-WMI Wilderness First Responder training course in Leadville, Colorado.

General promo video for NOLS Teton Valley Winter Courses:

https://youtu.be/mH_MS2GswRg