Is an Outdoor Leader Semester for you?

Wilderness First Responder

Is an Outdoor Leader Semester for you?

Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better. Bill Bradley Outdoor leaders have a number of soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills include good communication, decision making, delegation and mentoring. Hard skills consist of climbing, backpacking, setting up belay systems, providing wilderness medical care, and being certified (e.g. WFR). On our Outdoor Leader Semester, students […]

5 Reasons to Earn International Outdoor Certifications

Our programs, including Semester and Summer programs, give the opportunity to our students to earn internationally-recognized certifications. But why is this important? We’ve come up with the five most important reasons why you should consider earning your outdoor certifications, whether or not you want to be an outdoor professional: 1. Safety For you and others: going […]

Farewell To Our 2016 Spring Leadership Semester

Today we bid farewell to our 2016 Spring Leadership Semester Students. The group spent 70 days with us, earning internationally recognized certifications and learning to become leaders while participating in challenging outdoor activities through Costa Rica and Panama. “We just finished the three day expedition on the upper upper Pacuare river, it was probably the coolest thing […]

Outdoor Leader Semester Student Update: February 9th

Our Outdoor Leader Semester students have been in Costa Rica for more than a week, completing Wilderness First Responder training on our rainforest base. During their rigorous training, the group learned skills such as First Aid and CPR, practiced rescue scenarios in the wilderness, and studied for a technical exam. “I learned almost as much about myself […]

Leadership Semester Update: February 15, 2013

During the first part of their Leadership Semester course, the group of ten students bonded on a trek through Piedras Blancas. They backpacked their way to two homestays- one with the Lopez family and the other with the Granados family, finally ending with a couple days for a solo. During their solos, students are traditionally […]

Welcome, Spring Leadership 2013 Students!

Introducing the Leadership Students, 2013: Working together to climb to the top!     Hank hails from Malaysia, where he decided he wanted to obtain certifications in outdoor leadership. After doing an Outward Bound course in Malaysia, he developed a love for white water rafting. In Costa Rica, he hopes to learn more about the […]

Leadership Update Oct 26

The Leadership crew has finished their Wilderness First Responder training! They wrapped up on Sunday with a final practical exam.   We have to give our base staff some credit for getting into the role of the “victim”. It’s also works out pretty well that we’re coming up on Halloween! Since completing their WFR phase, […]

Meet the Team: Phil Perez

Many times students looking for Semester programs through outdoor leadership schools such as Outward Bound are looking for an opportunity to gain professional certifications with the hopes of working in the outdoor industry. For this reason, outdoor schools choose to employ leaders that excel in their particular area of focus to instruct and train these […]

Leadership Update Oct 19

Since their arrival to Costa Rica, our Leadership students have been tirelessly working and studying in pursuit of the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certifications. The group has already taken their exams for First Aid and CPR and are studying hard for Sunday’s written WFR exam.

Links We Like: October 17, 2012

Earlier this month, Costa Rica made the historic decision to outlaw recreational hunting. It will be the first country in the Americas to ban the sport. The law aims to protect the nation’s wildlife, an important move as Costa Rica is said to possess 4% of the world’s biodiversity. Costa Rica is a country with […]

Leadership Students Learn How to Save Lives

Last week, Leadership Semester students studied for their Wilderness First Responder certification, an essential component of their training here at Outward Bound Costa Rica that teaches them how to assess and take action in emergency medical situations. After days of studying, the students put the theory to use in a simulated emergency scenario. Check out […]

How to Treat a Burn Outdoors

Outward Bound Costa Rica Fall 2010 Leadership students act out burn victim scenarios during their Wilderness First Responder training. Burns are a common injury for outdoor aficionados. Between sun exposure, cooking accidents and campfire burns, knowing how to treat a burn can be invaluable if you plan on spending time outside. Here are a few […]

Wilderness First Responder Training

Executive Director Jim Rowe and Instructor Phil Perez Teach CPR Our Fall 2010 Leadership students have been here on base at Tres Ríos taking their Wilderness First Responder Training. Wilderness First Responders are individuals who are trained to respond to emergency situations in remote wilderness settings. Wilderness First Responder training is an 80-hour course covering topics […]