Yes Crew Competitors

The leader in wilderness education since 1965. NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that will help you step forward boldly as a leader. We believe that anyone can be a leader; it's our role to provide the environment and training to help you discover your full potential. We do that in classrooms close to home and in remote wilderness areas around the world. We're an organization with heart, expertise, and wildness, and these qualities help us support powerful, authentic experiences. Our mission is to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. Our community—staff, students, trustees, and alumni—shares a commitment to wilderness, education, leadership, safety, community, and excellence.

Outward Bound, founded in 1941 by educator Kurt Hahn, is a non-profit educational organization that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through challenging learning expeditions that focus on character development, leadership and service. As the pioneer and leading provider of experiential and outdoor education in the U.S., Outward Bound offers over 1,000 courses throughout the year, across the U.S. and internationally. Outward Bound helps individuals and teams discover strength of character and an aptitude for leadership needed to serve others in their community and care for the world around them. Outward Bound serves 70,000 students annually, many of whom receive scholarship support, and has a nationwide community of more than 1 million people.

Big City Mountaineers (BCM) offers free, fully outfitted outdoor experiences for youth ages 12 to 18 that support social-emotional well-being and promote positive youth development. Through close partnerships with community-based youth agencies, BCM removes systemic barriers to outdoor access, creating space for young people to experience belonging, growth, and shared challenge while building confidence, resilience, leadership skills, and a lasting relationship with the outdoors. BCM operates youth programs in five major metropolitan areas nationwide: Birmingham, AL; Denver, CO; Minneapolis, MN; the San Francisco Bay Area, CA; and Seattle, WA. Over thirty-five years young, the BCM idea and organization has shown staying power beyond the norm, and has a stable operating budget to match. Headquartered in Arvada, CO, Big City Mountaineers is an organization with a dedicated team of full-time staff, seasonal trip instructors, and volunteers.