Winter Field Studies Certificate

Additional information available on the Outdoor Leadership & Recreation Technology Department website.

This Winter Field Studies certificate is designed to prepare students to work in a variety of outdoor settings. Students will acquire skills in emergency medical care techniques useful in backcountry settings that enable them to respond correctly to medical and trauma situations, as well as basic search and rescue techniques. In particular, students will learn winter wilderness survival techniques in the nivean environment at or near timberline, backcountry cooking, and technical ice climbing skills. Students will learn about snow and avalanche phenomena, hazard evaluation, rescue, avalanche forecasting and mitigation.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Winter Field Studies certificate program, students should be able to:

• Build snow shelter and practice winter survival techniques
• Prepare for winter backcountry trips (e.g., ice climbing, snowshoeing, skiing)
• Respond to medical and trauma situations
• Practice search and rescue in various wilderness environment incidents, including avalanches
• Gather and interpret terrain information to assess avalanche hazard