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Colorado Rockies Alpine Backpacking & Rock Climbing

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LOCATION
F Colorado Rockies
EXPEDITION TYPE
Backpacking
Rock Climbing
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Alpine Backpacking, Rock Climbing
PRICE
$5,095 - $6,595
PROGRAM
High School
AGES
14-16 , 16-18
LENGTH
15 - 22 Days
START LOCATION
Denver, CO
END LOCATION
Denver, CO
i
SEASON(S)
Summer
SKILLS

TECHNICAL

  • Belaying a Climber
  • Campcraft
  • Food Preparation and Cooking
  • Knots
  • Leave No Trace Methods & Ethics
  • Map and Compass
  • Navigation
  • Rappelling

INTERPERSONAL

  • Character
  • Empathy
  • Independence
  • Leadership
  • Positive Risk Taking
  • Problem Solving
  • Responsibility
  • Self Confidence
  • Service
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Backpack and rock climb in the legendary Colorado Rockies—a world-renowned adventure destination.

Colorado has some of the best backpacking and rock climbing in the country. On this classic course you’ll experience the best of both worlds. Hike up to alpine meadows and camp below gorgeous cirques of peaks. As you transition to climbing, you’ll take on a whole new set of challenges. Physical, mental and emotional: both activities will provide insight into your strengths and abilities.

NOTE: This course requires that students submit proof of "Up-to-Date" COVID-19 Vaccination status as defined by the CDC. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.

UPCOMING COURSES

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What is this?

For detailed information on course availability statuses and what they mean, click here.

COURSE # DATES DAYS AGE COST
CCTE-241 6.10.22 - 6.24.22 15 16 - 18 $ 5,095 COURSE IS FULL
CCTE-251 6.17.22 - 7.8.22 22 16 - 18 $ 6,595 COURSE IS FULL
CCTE-242 6.26.22 - 7.10.22 15 16 - 18 $ 5,095 COURSE IS FULL
CCYE-242 7.14.22 - 7.28.22 15 14 - 16 $ 5,095 JOIN WAITLIST
CCTE-243 7.14.22 - 7.28.22 15 16 - 18 $ 5,095 COURSE IS FULL
CCYE-251 7.18.22 - 8.8.22 22 14 - 16 $ 6,595 JOIN WAITLIST

Thank you for your interest in Outward Bound! 

This course starts within the next week. Please call us at 866-467-7651 to assess the possibility of applying for this course!

APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.

APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!

JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date. 

Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.

CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.

COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.

CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.

Classic Courses

Are you ready to take a journey that will change your life? You won’t look at day-to-day drama the same way after you’ve summited a high mountain ridge, climbed a daunting route, or slept under the stars watching bats swoop overhead. Joining an Outward Bound expedition changes you. Your crew, your Instructor, your route and your adventures will have a profound and lasting impact on you as you rise to meet exhilarating natural challenges in some of the country’s wildest places.

  • Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork and leadership skills. Find connections with your crewmates based on support and respect (and fun too!), and in the thick of challenges, discover there is more in you than you know.
  • Value strengths and strengthen values: Uncover your unique character strengths, develop your leadership abilities and learn how to let compassion into everyday life by pushing your own limits and working alongside your peers.
  • Demonstrate mastery: As you gain confidence in new skills, take on more decision-making responsibilities. Work together to achieve team goals, solve problems and succeed both as individuals and as a group.
  • What you’ll learn: For High School students, the opportunities to carry more weight (literally and figuratively) and make impactful decisions with accompanying consequences fills the expedition as you go through numerous trials and triumphs. It’s all about independence.

After you come home, many of the character, leadership and service traits you uncovered on your expedition stay with you, helping you navigate your daily life with more resilience and success.

colorado backpacking course for teens
backpacking trip for teens in colorado rockies
high school backpacking trip in the rockies
Photo courtesy of Tyler Adams
colorado rockies backpacking trip for teens
outdoor leadership class for young adults
Photo courtesy of Tyler Adams

Backpacking

Backpackers carry everything they need – food, shelter, clothing and gear – allowing them to go deep into the wilderness where few people go. Students feel a sense of freedom from deadlines and task lists as they grow accustomed to eating when hungry, setting up camp when tired and having complete control over what they accomplish each day. The simplicity of hiking gives students the opportunity to focus internally on their own thoughts and self-reliance, as well as externally to connect deeply with others as they talk, sing, play games and spend time together without distraction.

This course begins with lessons in basic travel and camping techniques. Along the way, students learn Leave No Trace techniques, map and compass navigation and camp craft as they get a feel for the human and natural history of the area. Students backpack along valleys and ridges, camp in basins with views like the top of the world and stop along the way to explore microclimates and alpine ecosystems. Students spend time in an incredible area, sleep under the stars, feel the sunshine on their face and maybe watch a few sunsets over this magical landscape.

The expedition includes at least one peak attempt. Peak attempts are major enterprises and typically require early morning starts and take all day to complete. Weather or other factors including group dynamics and physical ability may preclude even an attempt to ascend a peak.

rock climbing in the colorado rockies
Photo courtesy of Griff Jones
rock climbing trip for teens in the colorado rockies
Photo courtesy of Hannah Trim
rock climbing class for teens in colorado
Photo courtesy of Griff Jones
teens learn rock climbing skills in colorado
Photo courtesy of Griff Jones
rock climbing camp for teens
Photo courtesy of Griff Jones
rock climbing class for teens
Photo courtesy of Hannah Trim

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is the ultimate opportunity to challenge oneself physically, mentally and emotionally. Students learn basic climbing techniques, helmet and harness use, climbing commands and belaying, placing gear, setting up top ropes and may have the opportunity to attempt multi-pitch ascents. Learning new body mechanics, balance and energy maintenance techniques help students climb efficiently and unlock the incredible feeling of flowing up a route. There are many ways to climb the same rock, allowing each climber to solve the puzzle in their own way.

Service

Service to people and the environment is a core value of Outward Bound and is integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as service to the environment and do acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. Designated service projects are coordinated with land managers like the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service to collaborate on land restoration projects. Some projects are more social services based, in which participants may visit a nursing home or hospital. Students develop a value of service, seeing the impact of their actions firsthand and transfer this desire to serve their communities back home.

Solo

In order for profound learning to take place, there must be time to reflect on the experience. Weather and time permitting, the Solo experience provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their experience. Many students use this reflection time to make decisions about their future, journal and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings unencumbered by the constant external stimulation of modern life.  Solo is that opportunity, and that time can range anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours or more, depending on the length of the course as well as the competency and preparedness of the student group.

With all the food, skills and supplies they need, participants are given a secluded spot to reflect alone and are monitored by Instructors at regular intervals, as safety is always a top priority.

Students find that Solo provokes profound and powerful learning in a short period of time and often becomes one of the most memorable parts of their Outward Bound experience.

Outcomes

Whether a 15-day or 22-day course, all Outward Bound expeditions are focused on building character and leadership skills.

Short courses are a great option for students looking for an introduction to the outdoors or for those who need a quick recharge. On shorter courses, students learn camping and expedition basics, as well as the skills specific to the course activity such as climbing or backpacking. Students get to know fellow crewmates surprisingly well as they share this immersive and intense experience. All along the way, students experience a wide variety of some of the most beautiful wilderness in the US.

Photo courtesy of Tyler Adams

Course Area

Sangre de Cristo Mountains

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The name means “blood of Christ” in Spanish and is thought to have come from the reddish hues seen on snowfields when the sun is rising or setting, known as alpenglow. The Sangres contain several wilderness areas such as the Green Mountain Wilderness Area, and are also known for some unusual geological features like the Crestone Needle or The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. This remote area is high and rugged enough to challenge any group of Outward Bound students.

The Sangre de Cristo mountain range lies within the ancestral lands of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), Tséstho’e (Cheyenne), and Jicarilla Apache nations.

Staunton State Park

This area is one of the most recent additions to the Colorado State Park system. Landscapes across its almost 4000 acres vary and allow for a variety of plants and wildlife to call this area home. Its granite formations provide many options for climbing—crags maintained by the climbing community.

Staunton State Park lies within the ancestral lands of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) and Tséstho’e (Cheyenne) nations.

SAMPLE ITINERARY
15-Day Course
22-Day Course
DAY 1
Course start, inspect and issue gear, meet Instructors
DAY 2-7
Backpacking and rock climbing at a backcountry undeveloped climbing site, technical peak attempt
DAY 8-13
Rock climbing camp: multiple days of focus on rock climbing will provide a thorough introduction to the sport and to progress in climbing skills
DAY 14
Personal Challenge Event and course end celebration
DAY 15
Transportation home
DAY 1
Course start, inspect and issue gear, meet Instructors
DAY 2-8
Backpacking and rock climbing at a backcountry undeveloped climbing site. Developing skills in backcountry travel and navigation, ropes systems, camp cooking, shelter building, and Leave no Trace.
DAY 9-17
Mountaineering and rock climbing, technical peak attempt. Learn about ecology, geology, and snow dynamics as you progress in your backcountry skills. Learn the basics of first aid for the wilderness.
DAY 18-21
Final expedition
DAY 21
Personal Challenge Event and course end celebration
DAY 22
Transportation home

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Getting Started

If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.

To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee. 

OR
ENROLL TODAY