In January 1983, the 1984 U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team embarked on a Colorado Outward Bound School expedition to hike one hundred miles across the Utah backcountry. The team ultimately went on to win the gold medal at the 1984... READ MORE

  Huge thanks to Doug for an awesome story and photo! “Bob?” “Bob?!” I called again. “Where are you?” I stood at the top of a slope frantically moving my eyes in search of the 55-year-old Vietnam veteran from Texas.... READ MORE

Conflict on the Mountain By Greg Giesen   The two most important days in your life are the day you are born… and the day you find out why.  -Mark Twain After a quick breakfast and pep talk by Christian,... READ MORE

This story comes from Emily, who went on a 15-day alpine backpacking course in the Gore Range of Colorado. It was 4:00 AM and the stars were glistening above my tarp with the shadows of mountains surrounding me. There we... READ MORE

Thanks to Manjika for writing about her 15 day Rafting & Mountaineering course! Fear, marvel, meaning, happiness, pain, community are all part of her story. She got the full course experience, and we hope she keeps always searching for answers... READ MORE

Thank you Vivian (recent alumna from CCWA-822, an all girls alpine backpacking course) for the eloquent and impactful letter! Many of us have returned home from a COBS course and struggled to find words to the question “how was it?”... READ MORE

Estimados OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL, Me gustaría expresar mis sentimientos respecto al paseo que hizo mi hija Sofía Leyva en la semana de junio 10 a junio 17. En un principio me tomó de sorpresa la invitación por parte de su... READ MORE

“Pain is temporary, savor joy, all we have are the moments that create memories” This quote is how I went through the course; the hours went by fast, but still the days were long. Going up a peak for the... READ MORE

  by Olivia Schneider, Southwest Program Marketing Intern It was the middle of the night in the mountains of Tennessee. The ground was wet, along with everything else. Boots that carried the feet of 14, 15, and 16 year olds... READ MORE

So much gratitude to Elsie for this heartwarming guest blog! If you were to walk onto the Outward Bound base in Leadville, you would see something that resembles a “uniform” of well-loved approach shoes, Melanzana hoodies, and brightly colored puffy... READ MORE