Patagonia
Discover Patagonia, the land of extremes, from snow-capped volcanoes to whitewater rivers and breathtaking vistas….
Conferences
NCOAE Recommends — 2022 Outdoor Industry Conferences and Summits
The health pandemic has had an enormous impact on the outdoor education and adventure programming industries, not to mention those who thrive on If you’re an outdoor industry professional, check out the 2022 outdoor industry conferences and summits highlighted in this post. %…
Idaho
Situated in the breathtaking landscapes of Idaho, NCOAE’s Satellite Camp offers a unique opportunity for individuals seeking to become certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) through our Hybrid EMT Training program….
Adult Courses
Adult Education Courses & Adventure Vacations
…Thinking of an adventure-based vacation? NCOAE’s outdoor education courses offer backcountry travel and outdoor opportunities. Read more now….
NCOAE Blog
Read all of our latest blog posts and resource articles.
Cameron Francisco
…Cameron “Cam” Francisco spent 19 years as an independent school educator andadministrator prior to joining the team at The National Center for Outdoor & AdventureEducation in 2022 as Associate Director of Outdoor Education. Cam began his educationcareer as a middle school social studies teacher in 2003, moving into administrationseven years later as a middle school…
Working at NCOAE
Now Hiring Part-time EMT Course Instructors
…The economy is booming and we here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) find ourselves in the position of seeking a few part-time instructors. Specifically, we’re looking for instructors to supplement our expanding team of EMT professionals who teach courses at our North Carolina headquarters. Among the many courses we offer is…
Land Management
‘Free Range’ Mountain Bike Advocates Seek Access to Wilderness Areas
…Strange and interesting things are afoot in the human-powered outdoor recreation community, and if you’ve been paying attention to issues surrounding the use of wilderness areas lately, what follows here might not come as a surprise. What has emerged is a growing division among outdoor enthusiasts as to whether or not mountain bikes should be…
About Us
…Our mission is to design and deliver handcrafted outdoor and adventure education experiences that promote personal growth….
Backcountry Prep
Sleeping Out: From Cowboy Camping to Luxury Tents, the Choice is Yours
…Few things on Earth can match the unsurpassed contentment of sleeping outdoors. “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night,” Bill Watterson once wrote, “I bet they’d live a lot differently.” Amen to that! The stars above, the clouds floating by like sailing vessels, the trees whispering in the breeze. And, of…
EMT Training
Mental Health Issues for Emergency Medical Technicians
…Becoming a full- or part-time Emergency Medical Technician requires extreme and rigorous training, and it’s not a career choice to be taken lightly. That’s because emergency medical responders encounter patients in life-threatening situations, ranging from traumatic incidences of cardiac arrest and auto accidents, to drownings to drug overdoses. EMS techs like the ones we train…
AEE
AEE Announces Spring Regional Conference Lineup
…If you’re interested in advancing your career in outdoor and adventure-based experiential education, you really should attend one of AEE’s 2014 regional conferences. AEE (which stands for Association for Experiential Education) is a professional membership association with roots in adventure education that’s committed to the development, practice, and evaluation of experiential learning in all settings….
Wilderness Medicine
Managing Mass Casualty Incidents in the Backcountry
…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…
Wilderness
Celebrating 100 Years of North Carolina State Park History
…North Carolina’s more than 40 state parks are sharing a centennial anniversary with the National Park system this year, all offering an enormous amount of biodiversity and geographical features to explore. The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education’s (NCOAE’s) world headquarters and home campus is located in Eastern North Carolina, which has amazing biodiversity…
Zac Adair
As founder and executive director of NCOAE Zac ensures the proper caring of this growing outdoor and adventure education company….
Education Without Walls
Three-day Paddle Out to Masonboro Island is this Weekend
…Some lucky eighth- and ninth-graders are heading out for a three-day expedition to the remote and undeveloped Masonboro Island near Myrtle Grove, N.C., this weekend, joined by a pair of instructors and a course director from here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education. The eight youngsters are from the Wilmington, N.C., area…
Life At NCOAE
2015 Holiday Hours and How To Make a Year-End Donation
Those of us who work here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) are taking some time off for the holidays this week and next, and we’re also taking this last-chance of-the-year opportunity to seek donations, gifts and volunteer time from our partners and friends. First, we want to tell you about…
Outdoor Education
Wilderness Problem Solving Often Requires Response to a Question
…It’s the end of a long day trekking through the backcountry. Tents are being set up, water is being collected and brought to the campsite and everyone is tired and hungry. A conversation ensues: Student: The stove won’t light. Instructor: Okay. Student: Should we fix it? Instructor: Do you need it to cook dinner? Student:…
Wilderness Cooking
From Belly to Brain, Cognitive Shifts in the Backcountry
…During our latest Instructor Candidate (IC) course, I had the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful shifts in group dynamics I’ve seen in a long, long time. Our instructor candidates had just finished two days of challenging climbs — made all the more difficult by torrential rains, equipment challenges and late — very,…
EMT Training
Jump Start Your Outdoor Education or Emergency Medicine Career with EMT Training
…For those of us who work in the fields of outdoor and adventure-based experiential education and/or emergency medicine, the importance of professional medical training cannot be dismissed as merely “class time.” While it’s true EMT training and certification may not be a requirement for many backcountry jobs or outdoor education positions, possessing certification for EMT…


