PLANNING

After you enroll on a course, you receive a confirmation email from a Course Advisor, which contains links to your Course Web Page. The Course Web Page has specific information about your next action steps - based on course type, duration and location – and has links to the medical, liability, application and other forms which need you to complete and return.

There is limited space on our courses, and summer and semester courses usually see the highest demand. We recommend enrolling as early as possible in order to have the widest selection of activities and dates, and to allow time for the application process.

The total cost includes all tuition and fees for the course. Tuition covers the cost of food, instruction, permits, technical gear, and equipment while on course.

Not included in this total cost are personal expenses such as clothing, insurance (health and travel), airfare and baggage fees. If you are attending a course that involves travel to an international destination, you will be responsible for the additional cost of those flights.

Yes. Financial aid is based on need, motivation, and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and typically averages between 10% and 30% of the course tuition. Individuals should not expect to receive assistance that exceeds more than 30% of course tuition. The enrollment fee is fully refundable if you apply for financial aid and you do not receive the award necessary for you to attend course.

Thanks to Outward Bound’s partnership with Western Colorado University, we can accept AmeriCorps Education Awards through their Extended Studies program. You do not have to be a current Western Colorado University student – anyone can register. Click here to learn more and reach out to [email protected] or (970) 943-2885 with any questions.

Thanks to Outward Bound’s partnership with Western State Colorado University, we can accept 529 College Savings Plan through their Extended Studies program and anyone can register. You do not have to be a current Western State Colorado University student to take advantage of this opportunity. Please click here for more information about accepting 529 College Savings Plans.

Academic credit is available for Outward Bound courses by transferring credit through our partner colleges or by arranging your own independent study.

Please click here for more information about receiving academic credit.

After enrollment, your Course Advisor will be in touch to provide you with a link to your Course Page, where you will find a list of required clothing specific to your course - including items such as footwear, clothing and other personal equipment.

Outward Bound will provide technical gear that includes expedition items like sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents/tarps, packs and cooking gear.

Absolutely. Your motivation to learn new skills and work with others is just as important as what you already know. Many of our students have never spent an extended period of time in the wilderness. From the moment you arrive, your instructors will teach you and your group the skills necessary to be safe and successful.

Most Hurricane Island Outward Bound School courses start at a designated airport near the course location. It will be your responsibility to be at the airport by the designated course start time. Outward Bound staff will meet you at the airport and take care of transportation from there. You will receive travel information as part of your enrollment materials, but we ask that you do not book travel until you have completed the admissions process, and are approved for course.

Please contact your Course Advisor by emailing [email protected] or calling 855-802-0307. He or she will be happy to talk you through your options, and will be able to make any necessary changes to your enrollment.

All prescription medications must be approved by through HIOBS prior to the course start. On courses for teens 18 and younger, instructors oversee medication use. Please bring your prescription medications in the original containers. Students who would suffer severe consequences if they were to miss a dose of medication due to damage or loss should bring back-up doses of that medication.

Not until course end. During the course, toilet needs are met through more primitive techniques. In some areas, there may be an outhouse. Our sailboats have a basic toilet system on the boat. In many places, waste is buried or packed out.

Other hygiene needs are met through regular hand washing, and swimming.

At the end of most courses, you will have access to a shower before returning to the airport.

Maintaining health and well-being in the wilderness is important, and outdoor hygiene is taught on every course. You can download our Self-care on Course document to learn more.

Sometimes! In single, large shelters such as on the sailboats or in cabins, all students will sleep in the same place. In smaller shelters, like tents and tarps, the sleeping arrangements depend on many factors including the gender breakdown of the group and the maturity level and comfort of the crew. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Course Advisor.

Either glasses or contact lenses are acceptable on course. Contacts must be cleanable by a solution, without boiling, or can be disposable. Whether you wear contacts or glasses, you must bring an extra pair.

You may travel to and from your course with your cell phones, iPods, tablets and laptops. Once you arrive, you will leave it all in your luggage until course end, which will be stored in a locked area.

Cameras are welcome on course as long as they do not have phone or data capability. You might want to consider purchasing a waterproof bag or box for your camera, film, batteries and memory cards. A zip lock bag works well too. We also suggest disposable waterproof cameras.

At the beginning of course, instructors conduct what we call 'Duffel Shuffle' where instructors work individually with students to help them decide what should go into their Outward Bound pack and what should stay in the luggage. Students must leave behind all inappropriate items before beginning the expedition. Tobacco, alcohol and recreational drugs are not permitted. Valuables like plane tickets, passports, iPods, cell phones, computers, wallets etc. should be left in luggage. Please leave jewelry at home. Luggage will be secured in a locked, dry location. On longer courses that have re-supplies, there may often be an opportunity to pre-pack dry, clean clothes in a resupply kit that will make it out to the students at various stages of the course. Not all courses have resupplies.

Our courses intentionally expose students to risks that probably are, at first, unfamiliar. From the very first moment of course, the instructors teach hazard identification, safety awareness and safety management techniques and strategy.  Outward Bound programs are regularly reviewed and audited by both internal and external teams, and is often consulted by other organizations. Outward Bound has been a leader in wilderness safety and risk management for 50 years and is a co-sponsor of the annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC). This national conference brings together outdoor industry leaders to learn and collaborate with each other to advance safety and risk management in the outdoor education and wilderness adventure community.

Since 1962 over 650,000 students have participated in Outward Bound programs in cities, mountains, deserts, rivers, and oceans. Over the years, and throughout a wide variety of activities, Outward Bound has maintained an excellent safety record.

Outward Bound instructors are experienced and qualified outdoor professionals committed to their students’ well being and learning. They are certified Wilderness First Responders, Wilderness Advanced First Aiders, or the equivalent, and meet all Outward Bound, local, state, and federal requirements for their positions. Outward Bound staff are trained to identify, assess, and approach risk as a learning tool, to be managed but not avoided or eliminated, with the goal of providing students with opportunities to expand their capabilities through real responsibility and problem solving.