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Ever wonder how to navigate through timber to a rocky point above tree line? Are you willing to spend the night out under the stars in the company of others exploring the value of wilderness experiences? Or would you like to learn to rock climb and lead climbs?
The Wilderness Leadership course may be the right choice for you. The mountains of Colorado become the classroom for this exploration of wilderness leadership. Being safe and competent in the outdoors requires more than technical skills; it involves a deeper understanding of yourself and others in an adventure context. We will learn technical skills and then apply them in the field attempting to summit a high mountain peak and leading sport rock climbing routes.
Topics include: Technical skills like rock climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, wilderness first aid, and Leave No Trace camping. We also explore expedition planning, group dynamics, mountain safety, accident awareness and teamwork.
This is an in-person course held in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Field Trips
Please check the CSU Bookstore for textbook information. Textbook listings are available at the CSU Bookstore about 3 weeks prior to the start of the term.
9704914994 | ethan.billingsley@colostate.edu
Ethan Billingsley is an alumnus of the Warner College of Natural Resources – earning his B.S. in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism and his M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. He served as Director of Undergraduate Programs in the college from 2008-2018. He currently leads and instructs in the Wilderness Leadership program at CSU.
Prior to joining CSU, Ethan worked as both an outdoor educator and guide in various capacities, primarily with youth. He has led single and multi-day whitewater rafting trips for the last 25 years. He has climbed all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000ft mountains and led many CSU groups to those summits as well. He has also spent many seasons working at summer camps and environmental education centers. Additional experience has included work as a rock-climbing instructor, horse-packing guide, backpacking guide, and sea-kayaking naturalist. He carries certifications in wilderness medicine, swiftwater rescue, avalanche rescue and whitewater travel. Ethan loves learning about the ecology of an area as much as he likes adventuring in it. He believes that time spent outdoors contributes to positive attitudes and behaviors related to the environment, as well as, enhanced physical and mental well-being. In his free time, Ethan loves spending as much time as he can with his wife and three kids in the outdoors.