At BOSS, we teach you how to survive with technique, not technology. We place an emphasis on the skills that can provide shelter, water, fire, food, clothing, etc. without the need to carry a 60-pound backpack. As the saying goes, 'Know more, carry less."

Technology is inescapable today. It used to be just a computer at the office. Then you got one at home. Soon, you bought a laptop for the road. The phone on your desk was fine, but then you needed a pager, a cell phone, a better cell phone. It seems to be happening everywhere: Notepads are turning into digital recorders. Calendars are becoming "mobile organizers." Everywhere we go, we plug in, boot up, log on. Even in the sacred wilderness, GPS navigators and satellite phones are becoming "necessities." Is there any place on Earth where we can appreciate life without all the beeping and buzzing? Life as it used to be?

Welcome to BOSS.

At BOSS, we understand that technology has an important position in our world, but you do have other options. There are places where you can put aside the gadgets, silence the phones, disconnect the faxes, and get back to the basics. Take the opportunity to appreciate the natural world on its own terms. At BOSS, we not only survive without technology -- we thrive. And we want to share this with you.

We’re often asked, "What do you mean 'traditional technologies?' Don't you use modern camping gear?" Actually, we usually don't. People sometimes forget that all the modern 'necessities' of backpacking are very recent inventions. And while it's nice to go camping with fancy sleeping bags, tents, lightweight stoves, GPS units, headlamps, etc. it's not really necessary. In fact, there are some good reasons to learn how to enjoy wilderness travel without all that gear.

This doesn't mean we run naked into the wilderness to freeze and starve — we do have equipment lists for our courses. But we do have a philosophical bent towards traveling lightly, walking gently, and listening carefully.

The result: you actually become part of the wilderness, rather than an intruder with a backpack.

For more information about our 40 year history, please click here.