Explore the best of Utah and Nevada in a series of exciting adventure courses! Designed to challenge students in a beautifully diverse setting, backcountry skills and outdoor education combine for a complete wilderness experience!

Imagine climbing towering limestone crags, hiking through blood-red canyons, or using your ice axe on the snowfields in Great Basin National Park. All of these – and more – are part of our specialized youth program.

Your adventure begins in the outdoor hub of Salt Lake City, Utah – your basecamp for adventure. From there, launch into a series of courses that will defy even your wildest dreams.

This comprehensive multi-sport course is the perfect setting to achieve your goals, whether you are looking to hone your technical abilities for a lifetime of outdoor exploration, expand your leadership skills, or have an exciting adventure with friends.

Our educational model nurtures leadership development and creates a fun learning environment for students to grow and excel together in the outdoors. Students develop leadership skills used to face challenges and solve problems in unique wilderness environments. The self-confidence and self-reliance garnered from these experiences last a lifetime.

We offer a range of custom programming in the region for school groups, scout groups or other groups looking for a custom program, different trip length or different activities. Don't hesitate to reach out to receive more information about a custom program for your group.

Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City, Utah, is a premier destination for mountain sports. Featuring immense amounts of public wilderness land- skiing, rock climbing, canyoneering, mountaineering, and ice climbing within a days drive make it the ideal hub for IWLS Utah. The Backpacking and Canyoneering course will stat here.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: The land is among the most remote in the country; it was the last to be mapped in the contiguous United States. At over 1,000,000 acres the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a maze of slot canyons, arches, and rivers. It is an ideal classroom for backpacking and canyoneering pursuits.

Escalate River: Often the forum of the backpacking portion, the Escalate river cuts through the colorful layers of the Colorado plateau. The canyon it carves winds through vertical cliffs with sandy bars and rocky outcroppings forming its bed. It is a dreamy and exciting place to develop backpacking and canyon skills alike.

Great Basin National Park: The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known tree species, and 13,063-foot (3,982 m) Wheeler Peak, as well as Wheeler Peak Glacier. The park is rarely visited in the winter and offers incredible solitude. Additionally a diverse range of terrain allow for an ideal venue to build from basics to challenging objectives.

The Snake Range: The Snake Range rises dramatically from the great basin of the inter-mountain west. This chain of picturesque desert peaks offer some of the highest vertical relief in the US outside of Alaska. Due to their high elevation they receive ample snowfall in the winter- great for developing skills like crampon use, creating anchors and more.

Our Instructors: IWLS instructors and guides are highly-trained professionals recognized as some of the best in their field. They have a wealth of experience from guiding throughout Utah, Nevada, Alaska, Canada, and the world. They genuinely enjoy sharing their knowledge of the outdoors in the wild places that they love. Their experiences and leadership help our students to have the best possible experience during their course. Students' safety, education, and enjoyment are their primary goals. The International Wilderness Leadership Schools’ educational model nurtures leadership development and creates an awareness of the guiding mentality that is essential for leading safe, fun adventures in the mountains. The combination of technical skills training, experiential education and practical leadership experience make the IWLS curriculum world-class.

Experience Level: No previous experience is necessary for this course.

Course Itinerary (printable PDF)

Day 0: Meet and greet with your instructors and fellow students at 6:00 PM, usually held at your hotel, unless otherwise noted. Please bring your personal gear and clothing for a gear check. Afterwards, we will discuss group and course goals & expectations.

Day 1-3: Rock Climbing After final gear and food preparation we will drive to Notch Peak Wilderness Area for the extent of the climbing during the course. We will cover a wide spectrum of rock-climbing skills including but not limited to: top-rope site selection, belaying, rock climbing technique (face climbing, crack climbing, etc.), rock assessment, and rock anchors. If time allows, we will delve into more advanced climbing techniques like mock leading, emergency protocols, rappelling, rescuing a fallen leader, and more.

Day 4-7: Mountaineering We will head to Great Basin National Park for the mountaineering portion of our course. We’ll arrive in the evening and establish our first camp beneath Wheeler Peak. The first portion of the trip focuses on expedition camping, and general travel techniques. Skills will include but are not limited to avalanche awareness, safe winter travel techniques, general mountaineering skills, belaying, and anchor building. Once we’ve covered the basics, we’ll move on and apply these skills to some of the ascents in the area. Additionally, we will cover more advanced skills including route finding, navigation, emergency protocols, high angle rescue and more. Utilizing the great weather of western Utah, we will attempt some exciting summit climbs above 12,000 feet. On the evening of the 7th day, we will return to Salt Lake City.

• Leadership: We not only exemplify leadership – we teach it and implement it. Students will have opportunities to lead the group through a variety of activities, objectives, and responsibilities.
• Safety and Risk Management: Safety is always our #1 consideration. As the course progresses, students will develop an awareness to appropriately assess risk and make safe decisions in and out of the field.
• Expedition Behavior and Group Dynamics: Because this course is a true wilderness expedition, interactions between group members need to be supportive and contribute to the efficacy of the group. The daily dynamics of the group, combined with guided instruction, will teach students not only how to be a member of a cohesive team, but how to influence and lead an expedition.
• Environmental Ethics: As adventurers in some of the most pristine environments on the planet, it is our duty to respect the natural world. All of our courses practice and teach Leave No Trace® principles.
• Communication Skills: Speaking in public, managing a personal conflict, or leading a group in the wilderness - all of these situations require effective communication. Students will gain confidence in their communication abilities while developing personal leadership styles during this course.

Course Documents:

• Course Overview- Printable detailed course overview & itinerary.
• Equipment List - Overview of personal clothing and equipment that you'll need for this course.
• Rental Gear List - List of gear and personal items available for rent
• Registration Form - Outlines policies, and essential information. One required per participant.
• Health Form - This form enables our guides to have accurate health information in the event of an emergency.
• Land Based Activity Waiver - One required per participant. Guests under the age of 18 may go on one form.
• Utah Travel Info - Helpful information on how to get to/from Salt Lake City, UT.

What is included in the course price:

• Food & Lodging during the course - We will provide group camping equipment and all meals during the course.
• Transportation during trip - Travel to trail and climbing access.
• Climbing & Safety Equipment - We will provide harnesses, ropes, and the necessary climbing equipment.
• Professional instructors - Our instructors and guides have extensive knowledge of the area, and a passion for climbing and mountaineering in wild places.

 
Students are responsible for the following:

• Personal clothing & Equipment - Review the equipment list included under "Documents."
• Food & Lodging outside of the course - Students are responsible for food and lodging before and after the course.
• Travel insurance - We recommend travel insurance for all of our programs.
• Airfare - Review the "Travel Information" under "Documents" for more details.
• Reviewing course policies - Please reference our policies page for policies regarding payment, cancellations, refunds and student responsibilities.
• Gratuities.

 
To Book your adventure, follow the steps below:

• Please call to confirm availability at 1-800-766-3396 or fill out an online form to request more information: Request More Info
• Place a deposit of $500 or 25% of trip cost (whichever is less) to reserve your spot: this can be place over the phone by credit card, check in the mail, or through our payment gateway.
• Once you've reserved your spot, you'll receive a welcome packet with all the necessary registration forms and trip information.
• Be sure to submit all trip registration documents at least 45 days prior to your course. This includes information on your arrival/departure, lodging, dietary, and medical information.

 
Feel free to call or email anytime if you have questions about your upcoming trip. Our team is excited to help you prepare for your adventure!