Practical Guiding Experience

What makes Chilkoot High Adventure Base world class…

The high quality wilderness education, world class technical skill development, and professional outdoor leadership that define the Chilkoot High Adventure Base, are grounded in the collective experience of our directors, instructors, and administrative team. The breadth of practical experience, range of programming, well developed curriculum, effective educational model, and dedication to the highest standards make our courses the choice for Boy Scouts of America troops.

Whale watching while sea kayaking along the shore of Haines, AK. -Nathaniel Stephens

INSTRUCTORS: Chilkoot High Adventure Base instructors are exceptional outdoor leaders. Every Haines High Adventure course draws on decades of experience with technical instruction, outdoor leadership training, high altitude guiding, and countless expeditions in Alaska, Utah, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, China, Russia, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Bolivia, Antarctica and Mexico. Haines High Adventure Base leaders are technically skilled, passionate about wilderness, and committed to each and every scout. Their dedication insures each scout an educational experience that will exceed their expectations!

In addition to the hard technical skills, Chilkoot High Adventure Base instructors are expert in the softer skills of risk management, client care, and group dynamics. Not only will they insure a quality experience for each scout, but will also work to impart this judgment to them.

Chilkoot High Adventure Base leaders are committed professionals who are exemplary instructors. They are enthusiastic for what they do and the places that they do it in!

LEADERSHIP & PRACTICAL GUIDING EXPERIENCE: Chilkoot High Adventure Base is a division of The International Wilderness Leadership School. No other leadership organization has the technical background, scope of programming, and the hands on leadership and guiding experience of IWLS. The uncompromising safety consciousness, technical competence, and leadership ability of Chilkoot High Adventure Base instructors come from their substantial practical guiding experience. Chilkoot High Adventure Base instructors are experts at teaching the hard skills and risk management required for leading and adventuring in some of the most demanding environments on the planet.

EDUCATION & CURRICULUM: Learn by leading, by teaching, by doing. These tenets define the Chilkoot High Adventure Base experiential education model. IWLS is fully accredited by the Association of Experiential Education (AEE). This places us among the ranks of 47 elite organizations that meet the highest standards for safety, risk management, instructor training and programming. The AEE accreditation process is widely recognized to be the definitive standard in the field of outdoor leadership education. IWLS meets the rigorous standards for excellence in program governance and oversight required for AEE accreditation.

Practical guiding experience is the foundation of the Chilkoot High Adventure Base. We have been teaching wilderness education for over 16 years in the mountains, oceans, and rivers around the world. The combination of quality instruction, a well-developed curriculum, and substantial professional experience is essential for creating the best outdoor experience for the Boy Scouts of America.

EQUIPMENT: Chilkoot High Adventure Base uses only the best outdoor gear available.  To this end we have formed corporate partnerships with Sierra Designs, Mammut, Sealine, MSR, Thermarest, and Black Diamond Equipment to supply all of our climbing and camping gear.  This guarantees that any gear you get from us will be of the highest quality.

PERMITTED & INSURED: Chilkoot High Adventure is permitted and insured in: Glacier Bay National Park, North Cascades National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Great Basin National Park, Klondike Historic National Park, BLM, State of Alaska Division of Lands, The Tongass National Forest, and Department of Natural Resources.  Internationally, Haines High Adventure Base is permitted and insured for Ixtaccihuatl and Popocateptl National Park, Cotopaxi National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, Torres del Paines National Park, Sagarmatha National Park.  Haines High Adventure Base is also registered and permitted to operate in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory in Canada.

A scout learns the figure-8 knot to tie in to a harness for ice climbing. -Bryan Hinderberger