Ever considered being an instructor or guide in the outdoor recreation industry? Learn the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to instruct students 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.

NRRT350: Wilderness Leadership

Fall 2023: TWO COURSE OPTIONS – Tuesdays 4-7pm or Wednesdays 4-7pm

(3 credit course)

  • 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 9-10, 2023
  • Rock climbing October 7-8, 2023

Registration begins April 24th, 2023!

Register Here!

NRRT351: Wilderness Instructors

Spring 2023 – TWO COURSE OPTIONS Tuesdays 4-7pm or Wednesdays 4-7pm

(3 credit course)

  • Teaching in the outdoors
  • Avalanche rescue
  • Backcountry ski/snow travel
  • Raft, SUP, and Kayak technique
  • River rescue

Field trips

  • Backcountry ski/avalanche rescue: Feb. 25-26
  • Whitewater travel and rescue: April 29-30

Registration begins October 24th, 2022

Register Here!

NRRT 380A2: Wilderness First Aid and Risk Management

Fall 2023 – ONE COURSE OPTION: Thursdays 4-7pm

(3 credit course)

  • Wilderness First Aid Certification
  • Risk Management
  • Crisis Planning

Outdoor Learning

  • Considerable time will be spent outside to for WFA training and certification

Registration begins April 24th, 2023!

Register Here!

For more information on these courses contact Ethan Billingsley

Ethan Billingsley, an alumnus of Warner College

About Ethan

Ethan Billingsley is an alumnus of Warner College – earning his B.S. in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism and his M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. He served as director of undergraduate programs in the college from 2008-2018. Additionally, he is an instructor for the Adventure Tourism graduate certificate program in HDNR.

Prior to joining CSU, Ethan worked as both an educator and guide in various capacities. He has led single and multi-day whitewater rafting trips for the last 20 years and is currently a certified raft guide in the state of Colorado. He has climbed all 58 of the Colorado’s 14,000ft mountains and led many CSU groups to those summits as well. He also spent 7 summers working in summer camps where he gained considerable experience in group dynamics and leadership. Additional experience has included work as a rock-climbing instructor, backpacking guide, and sea-kayaking naturalist. Ethan loves learning about the ecology of an area as much as he likes adventuring in it. In his free time, Ethan loves spending as much time as he can with his wife and two sons in the outdoors.