Colorado Rockies Winter Expedition for Veterans
« Back to SearchDesigned specifically for veterans, this winter expedition takes participants high above treeline during winter in the Colorado Rockies - surrounded by sweeping views of snow-clad mountains.
This winter expedition in the Colorado Rockies will take you to places where people seldom travel in the wintertime. The extra effort is well worth the rewards - dinners around campfires, sipping hot cocoa while stargazing, and navigating snowy peaks. You’ll learn how to camp in the winter, snowshoeing with everything you need on your back. You’ll begin course by learning the essentials of winter travel, including the basics of layering, packing, and setting up camp in snowy conditions. By the end of course, you’ll have skills in interpreting snowpack conditions, performing rescues in the snow, and navigating the backcountry in the winter. No prior winter knowledge or experience with skiing or snowshoeing is necessary; skilled Instructors will provide all of the training you need.
NOTE: Outward Bound strongly recommends that all students be vaccinated against COVID-19 and up to date as defined by the CDC prior to arriving to their course start. For all open enrollment courses beginning on or after April 15, 2023, Outward Bound will no longer require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.
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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.
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Snowshoeing sections allow students to travel through the snowy peaks of Colorado with opportunities for peak attempts, winter camping, and developing excellence in campcraft skills. This section begins at our mountain basecamp in Leadville, Colorado, with dormitory and dining hall-supported outings. After mastering the basics of winter living skills, you’ll embark on a backcountry snowshoe expedition. You’ll camp in tents, melt snow for water, and develop resilience while enjoying gorgeous views of snow-capped peaks. Winter in Colorado allows students to experience the mountains without the crowds and enjoy solitude and the pristine wilderness under a blanket of quiet snow. Evening dark skies are dotted with thousands of bright stars, obscured only by the steam from your hot chocolate.
Students will learn how to safely enjoy backcountry camping in a winter wonderland. You’ll learn how to scout a good winter camping spot, interpret snow conditions, and recognize winter weather patterns. Each day, your crew will work together to split firewood, set up shelters, and cook meals over the fire. After a hearty dinner and enriching conversation with crewmates, students often enjoy clear evenings stargazing before drifting off into a well-deserved sleep.
Stretching from Alaska to New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains are one of the most iconic and famous mountain ranges in the world. The Colorado Rockies have the greatest concentration of high peaks in the lower 48 states, with hundreds of mountains over 13,000 feet tall. The state is famous for its abundant wilderness and rugged terrain that is ideal for hiking, skiing, rock climbing, and mountaineering. Colorado courses may take place in The Gore, The Holy Cross, The Sawatch, The Elks, The Sangre de Cristos, the Rawah, or the San Juan mountains. Each of these mountain ranges present unique challenges, but they are all beautiful, wild and rugged. These regions are within the ancestral lands of the Ute, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Sioux, Eastern Shoshone, Jicarilla Apache, and Pueblos nations.
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