Program Description

Wilderness Ventures

Wilderness Education and Expeditions
North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, Australia, Europe, Central and South America, and the South Pacific


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For More Information, Contact
Mike and Helen Cottingham, Directors
Wilderness Ventures
P.O. Box 2768
Jackson Hole, Wyoming 83001
800-533-2281 (toll-free)
http://www.wildernessventures.com
E-mail: info@wildernessventures.com

Type of Program: Teen adventure programs, peer leadership, cultural immersion, and community service
Participants: Coeducational, ages 13–20, grouped by age
Enrollment: More than forty different expeditions with 10 to 15 participants each; multiple sections grouped by age are offered for each expedition
Program Dates: Sixteen- to thirty-nine-day expeditions in June, July, and August
Heads of Program: Mike and Helen Cottingham, Owners and Founders

Location

Wilderness Ventures offers experiential adventures throughout the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, Peru, Central America, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, and Europe. The expeditions are hands-on and multienvironmental, enabling the participants to experience a variety of some of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the world.

Background and Philosophy

With more than thirty-five years of experience, Wilderness Ventures has become one of the most recognized and experienced teenage adventure programs.
Each summer, a variety of expeditions embark upon sixteen- to thirty-nine-day programs designed to teach wilderness skills with real-world applications, leadership techniques, and respect for the natural landscape. These goals are accomplished within a noncompetitive, nurturing, and fun environment in which students gain self-confidence through challenging activities, learn about themselves and others, and attain a lifelong appreciation for the spectacular beauty of wilderness.
Wilderness Skills All Wilderness Ventures expeditions teach a variety of wilderness skills, including, but not limited to, expedition planning; backcountry safety; meal planning, purchasing, and preparation; navigation; minimum-impact camping; and landscape and natural history interpretation. Specific programs also include instruction in sea kayaking, rock climbing, mountaineering, snow and ice climbing, canoeing, surfing, white-water rafting, white-water kayaking, mountain biking, road biking, canyoneering, sailing, snorkeling, surfing, and scuba diving. The acquisition of these skills develops self-confidence and prepares young adults for a lifetime of enjoyment in the outdoors.
Leadership Wilderness Ventures believes that leadership involves much more than leading a group safely through a wilderness or to the summit of a peak. All Wilderness Ventures expeditions emphasize the importance of learning how to make decisions and solve problems within a group. These skills are useful throughout life and well beyond the wilderness environment. The small-group format and the emphasis on the group experience require that all expedition members learn to place their personal needs behind the needs of the group. This group focus creates intimate bonding among expedition members and provides each individual with a valuable understanding of group cooperation that enhances social skills for success in life.
Wilderness Appreciation In 1973, access to the most spectacular wilderness environments was still available. It is a privilege for Wilderness Ventures expeditions to visit these natural treasures. Travel through these wilderness areas instills in students a responsibility for their future survival. On the expeditions, students not only learn the methods of minimum-impact camping, but also gain a love for these places and a burning desire to see them saved so that future generations might someday have a similar experience.

Program Offerings

Students may choose an expedition based upon age appropriateness, level of prior experience, degree of physical challenge desired, and geographical areas of interest. The expeditions are divided into four distinct categories: Domestic Wilderness Adventures, International Adventures, Advanced Leadership Expeditions, and Service Adventures.
Domestic Wilderness Adventures Conducted for the past thirty-six years, these classic adventures range from two to six weeks and offer varying degrees of challenge in a variety of outdoor environments. Participants do not need prior experience for any program. Those who do have experience still find challenging offerings. Backcountry trips range from three to eight days, depending on the program.
International Adventures These exciting adventures range from two to four weeks, offering varying degrees of challenge in a variety of exotic wilderness and outdoor environments around the globe. They are excellent choices for both beginners and experienced students who thrive on outdoor adventure and cultural immersion.
Advanced Leadership Expeditions Ranging from two to four weeks in length, these wonderful programs offer the highest degree of challenge and are conducted in only one or two environments. The programs are open to both beginning and experienced students seeking extended wilderness travel with a thorough focus on outdoor skills.
Service Adventures Students can complete between 40 and 80 hours of community service by working with local communities and assisting in environmental projects while adventuring in some of the most spectacular outdoor settings found in North America, Central America, South America, and the South Pacific. These service adventures combine the elements of adventure, cultural immersion, and service for high school students.

Enrollment

Participants enroll from almost every state and several countries each year, with an even distribution of students coming from the Eastern Seaboard, the Midwest, the South, and the West. All expeditions are coeducational. A thorough screening process allows students to travel with others who are highly motivated to succeed and who will contribute positively to the group experience. Each expedition offers multiple sections, which are grouped by age and experience compatibility.

Daily Schedule

The majority of time is spent in the backcountry. Because Wilderness Ventures holds so many wilderness permits throughout the United States and several other countries, expeditions are able to offer a variety of backcountry experiences and activities with minimal travel between areas. The daily schedule is flexible and varied, depending upon the expedition. Besides learning a wide variety of outdoor skills, participants have opportunities to relax by cooling off in a refreshing lake, soaking in a natural hot spring, basking in the mountain sunlight, or photographing or sketching wildlife.

Extra Opportunities and Activities

Each expedition is conducted in a specific geographical region. During the brief travel between wilderness areas within each region, itineraries are planned to take advantage of worthwhile scenic, cultural, and historic sites. The leaders’ knowledge of the areas traveled through prompts frequent informal discussions dealing with each region’s particular history, economy, and geography. These discussions, together with the evening campfire programs and the comprehensive mobile libraries, enable students to gain a better understanding of local regions and instill within them a sense of place.

Facilities

When not sleeping under the stars, participants use lightweight mountaineering tents. Participants enrolled in international expeditions may also spend some evenings sleeping in hostels or high alpine huts or aboard a boat.

Staff

Wilderness Ventures staff members average 26 years of age, with a minimum age of 21. All are experienced leaders and educators. When not working with Wilderness Ventures, many teach at the secondary school or university level or pursue full-time careers in other environmental or outdoor occupations. All staff members are certified Wilderness First Aid Providers, Wilderness First Responders, or EMTs. All expeditions operate with low student-staff ratios, allowing for the highest level of personal attention. A man and a woman accompany each trip. Every summer, Wilderness Ventures averages a 60 percent return rate for staff members.

Costs

Tuition ranges from $2600 to $6700, depending on the length and location of the expedition, the activities engaged in, and the geographical region. Tuition covers all expenses for the entire expedition except airfare to and from staging cities.

Transportation

All expeditions begin or end in Anchorage, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Denver, Colorado; Kona, Hawaii; Honolulu, Hawaii; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; Jackson, Wyoming; Miami, Florida; San Jose, Costa Rica; Quito, Ecuador; Barcelona, Spain; and Paris, France. Staff members meet participants at a central location in the airport on arrival day and accompany them back to the airport and remain with them until their flights depart.

Application Timetable

Applications are accepted after September 1. Expeditions fill at varying rates, depending on the number of spaces available; many fill by January 1 and most are full by March 1. Students should call for information on program availability, especially if applying late. To receive an extensive catalog describing all of the adventures, interested students can contact Wilderness Ventures.