They skied, they dug for avalanche beacons, they slept in quigloos. What’s a quigloo?
The Outdoor Education program at Timberline, sits at 10,000 feet with stunning views of Colorado’s highest peak, Mt. Elbert.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KszjkgF7KFo&w=640&h=390]
The program has been developed to offer the aspiring outdoor educator first-class experience in backcountry travel through mountains, canyons, and rivers. Students simultaneously take general education courses on campus while spending multiple weekends in the field learning basic outdoor educator skills such as leadership, communication, risk management, and navigation. The program is designed to enable students to join the outdoor education industry with the baseline set of skills potential employers are seeking.
The 2011 Snow Orientation trip involves students and professors spending two weekends winter camping: the first in tents and tarps and the second in Quigloos (snow shelters), shown in the video. Students also built a kitchen complete with a dining area that also served as an outdoor classroom. Students taught classes on Leave No Trace, Natural History, Beacon Searches (shown), Snow Pits, Cold Injuries, etc… as a part of course.
This 2-credit course on Winter Camping and Travel techniques is offered at Colorado Mountain College’s campus in Leadville and fulfills program requirements for both the Outdoor Education and Outdoor Recreation Leadership degrees.