January 2025

In the safety and comfort of the modern world, we often forget that the natural world can be a dangerous, unforgiving, and uncaring place. For many of us who love wilderness and the backcountry, that’s large part of its attraction. 

We choose to explore areas where some fear to go,  and we participate in activities that  may straddle the line between the safe and perilous. But we do so, backed by best practices and training in wilderness risk management.

Mountaineering, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting can be dangerous undertakings, but even a leisurely hike through the backcountry carries risk. Examples can include entering an area teaming with unpredictable wildlife, crossing paths with a venomous snake, getting swept up in a flash flood, or encountering other unpredictable dangers.

Here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE), we take many precautions to mitigate the risks. Education, training, planning, and preparation can all limit the risk of injuries and preventable illnesses, and wilderness medicine training can help mitigate the fallout when injuries and illnesses do occur in remote settings. 

But when we venture out into wilderness and engage in extreme activities, accidents can and do happen, sometimes the result of life-ending episodes. Unfortunately, we need to be prepared for that, too.

Gauging the Risk of Fatality

A quick check of the American Alpine Club’s periodical Accidents in North America Climbing shows that of 8,000-plus accidents covered over the more than 75 years the club has been gathering data, more than (more…)

Most people think of wilderness medicine as providing medical care in a remote setting where access to conventional healthcare resources is limited or unavailable. They imagine someone treating a wound, applying a tourniquet, performing CPR, or fashioning a splint out of sticks and a bandana enabling a hiker with a broken leg to hobble to safety. 

Few rarely consider the role of wilderness medicine in mass casualty events such as earthquakes, flash floods, wildfires, and other natural and manufactured disasters. These incidences result in multiple injuries that can overwhelm the resources available to treat the injured.

In the context of a mass casualty event, wilderness medicine providers fill all their traditional roles — caring for the injured and improvising to overcome the lack of medical equipment and supplies. However, their role often expands in scope as they face the challenges of assisting multiple patients at the same time suffering from diverse injuries. 

Meeting this challenge requires knowledge of the system and resources available, along with an ability think and act quickly and rationally in order to triage patients. That means  sorting and prioritizing patients on larger scale, based on the severity and urgency of their medical needs — again in the context of available resources.

Defining “Mass Casualty Incident”

A mass casualty incident (MCI) is any (more…)

The year 2024 was another great one for The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). From groundbreaking program launches to prestigious accreditations, we’ve continued to grow, innovate, and strengthen our commitment to education and adventure. Here’s a look at our top milestones from 2024:

Celebrating 15 Years of Excellence

In 2024, we celebrated a major milestone: our 15th anniversary. Over the past decade and a half, NCOAE has grown from a vision into a leading outdoor education and adventure programming organization, impacting thousands of lives through our innovative programs. This achievement reflects the passion, dedication, and trust of our community, as well as the vision of our founders and faculty and staff that continue to buy into the NCOAE educational framework. 

Here’s to the next 15 years of adventure and growth!

Cognia Accreditation

This year, we learned that our accreditation from Cognia — an esteemed global organization representing the largest network of accredited institutions — is in its final stage of approval. Cognia is (more…)