Become a Leader in the Outdoors
Ever considered being a guide in the outdoor recreation industry or do you just want to be the most prepared out in the wilderness?
Wilderness Leadership teaches the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to instruct people in the backcountry and various outdoor recreation activities. These hands-on courses will give you the tools to instruct and lead in mountain, river, and desert environments.
3-Credit Courses
NRRT 350: Wilderness Leadership
Fall 2025: TWO COURSE OPTIONS – Tuesdays 4-7pm or Wednesdays 4-7pm
- Wilderness camping
- Leave No Trace ethics
- Leading sport and traditional rock climbs
- Map, compass, and GPS
- Expedition planning and group dynamics
- Mountain safety, accident awareness, and wilderness medicine
Field Trips
- Mountain climb, overnight September 13 – 14, 2025
- Rock climbing, October 11 – 12, 2025
NRRT 250: Wilderness First Aid and Risk Management
Spring 2026 – ONE COURSE OPTION: Wednesdays 4-7 pm
- Wilderness First Aid Certification
- Risk Management
- Crisis Planning
Outdoor Learning
- Considerable time will be spent outside for WFA training and certification
NRRT 351: Wilderness Instructors
- Teaching in the outdoors
- Avalanche rescue
- Backcountry ski/snow travel
- Raft, SUP, and Kayak technique
- River rescue
- Backcountry ski/avalanche rescue: Feb. 28 – March 1
- Whitewater travel and rescue: May 2-3
1-Credit Courses
These courses are a partial semester with 3 weeks of online content followed by two full days of field-based learning.
NRRT 280A3: Rock Climbing Leadership
Spring 2026
- Lead Climbing
- Rappelling
- Anchor building and cleaning
- Group management
- Dates and times for online sessions would be April 6, 13 and 20 from 5 – 7 p.m. each evening
Field Trips
- April 25 and 26, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Fort Collins
NRRT 280A4: Swiftwater Rescue
Spring 2026
- American Canoe Association Level 4 certificate of completion
- Live bait rescue
- V lower rescues
- Throw bag technique
- Group management
- Dates and times for online sessions would be April 20, 27, and May 4 from 5 – 7 p.m. each evening
Field Trips
- May 9 and 10, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. MT in Fort Collins
NRRT 280A2: Backpacking Leadership
Summer 2025
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Backpacking equipment
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Water filtration
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Camp set-up
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Leave No Trace
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Dates and time for online sessions are August 6th and August 13th from 5 – 7 p.m. MT each evening
Field Trips
- Overnight backpacking trip near Fort Collins, August 15 – 17, 2025
NRRT 280A5: Mountain Biking Leadership
Fall 2025
- Mountain bike equipment
- Riding technique
- Trail etiquette
- Bike maintenance
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Dates and time for online sessions are are September 10, September 17th, and September 24th, from 7 – 9 p.m. MT each evening
Field Trips
- Day trips near Fort Collins, September 27th and September 28th, 2025
Faculty
Ethan Billingsley
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.
Staff
Andrew Sampson
Professionally, Andrew has served as an outdoor instructor for the CSU Outdoor program and as a teaching assistant for multiple outdoor leadership classes at CSU. During the winter, he also teaches Avalanche Level 1 and Rescue classes as an AIARE instructor with Apex Mountain School.
Andrew's personal outdoor pursuits include summits of all of Colorado's publicly accessed 14ers, a thru hike of the Colorado Trail, a successful self-lead summit of Mt Rainier, summits of Cayambe and Chimborazo in Ecuador, an expedition to Mt. Logan, and 3 self-lead trips to Denali including a successful summit. He loves spending his time outside exploring the West, chasing animals through the woods, and climbing and skiing all of the snow, rock, and ice he can find.
Teaching Assistants
Kay Rampelt
I am a junior studying Human Dimensions of Natural Resources with a minor in Science Communication. I took NRRT 351 and 280 as a freshman and loved them so much that I became a TA. Throughout my time at CSU, I have developed a passion for connecting natural resources and science communication, whether that is telling stories that inspire people to care about the environment or encouraging others to spend time outside. Some of my favorite outdoor activities include whitewater kayaking, hiking, backpacking, and skiing.
Josie Farwell
I recently received my bachelor’s degree in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources with a minor in Conservation Biology. I took NRRT 351 my sophomore year and became a TA for 351, 350 and 280 shortly after, making this my third year working with the Wilderness Programs. I am super passionate about being outside and living a zero-waste lifestyle. Some of my favorite outdoor activities include backcountry skiing, climbing, backpacking, and highlining.
Maggie Pulsifer
I am a 3rd year Natural Resources Management student. I took NRRT 350 and 351 my sophomore year and had so much fun with the classes that I wanted to do it all over again as a TA. This is my first year as a TA, so I’m excited to see the next sections of these classes enjoy them as much as I did! I care a lot about about protecting our natural world and I like to spend my time appreciating it while skiing, hiking, fishing, and backpacking.
The Team
