Welcome to BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. On behalf the instructors and staff here at BOSS, let me say "welcome" to our school and to our website. For 35 years, people have come to BOSS to learn a field-based, hands-on curriculum of wilderness survival skills...

Sample 4-Day Program

The following course was created for a group of executives with "Leadership Development & Fostering Accountability " as their stated goal. This course was designed to be held from Thursday morning to Sunday evening at the BOSS headquarters in Boulder, Utah during the late summer / early fall.

Related Course Topics for this retreat include:

Because each course is custom-designed to meet your needs, the topics covered and the timing of the lessons will change. The following is offered just to give you a sense of what BOSS can create for you.

Day 1- Thursday
7 - 8am
Breakfast
8 - 8:30am

Orientation & Introduction to Your Team
Topic: The Translation and Relation of Wilderness Survival to the Survival of Your Business, led by Josh Bernstein, BOSS president & CEO.

8:30 - 11am
Discussion: Introduction to Survival Skills
We will discuss the basic needs of survival, including physical, mental and emotional aspects and how they play key roles in different group scenarios. Led by a senior BOSS field instructor.
11am - 12:30pm

Facilitation / Insight: Wilderness Survival vs. Business Survival
What can 'survival' in the wilderness teach us about the survival of a business? As a group, we will explore definitions of survival, leadership and teamwork and how these ideas will relate to our objectives during the retreat. Facilitated by BOSS corporate trainers.

12:45 - 1:45pm
Lunch Break.
2 - 3:30pm
Survival Skill: Survival Priorities - Assessing Your Needs
What's more important: shelter, fire, food or water? How do you decide if you should hike or stay put in an unknown environment? A BOSS field instructor will guide the group through the mental process of assessment and environmental / group analysis.
4 - 6pm

Facilitation / Insight: Evaluating the Corporate Culture
BOSS corporate trainers will use the lessons and insights from the afternoon activity to discuss how a business or management team must face the same assessment issues in the business world.

6 - 7pm

Dinner

7 - 9pm

Evening Survival Activity

   
Day 2- Friday
7 - 8am
Breakfast
8am - 12pm
Survival Skill: Shelter Construction
If the environment is a concern for your health or safety, you'll want to build a shelter. This morning we'll learn the basic rules of campsite selection, thermodynamics, human physiology, and wilderness shelters (debris, poncho, lean-to). Led by BOSS field instructors.
12 - 1pm
Lunch.
1 - 1:30

Personal Time.

1:30 - 3:30pm
Facilitation / Insight: The Importance of Creating Community
How does your business environment affect performance? What are the factors which influence employee performance? Led by a BOSS facilitator, the group will discuss how the perspective of management often differs from the perspective of the workforce, and how proper 'shelter' construction plays a critical role in team productivity.
3:30 - 5:45pm
Discussion: What Makes a Good Leader? - Part I
What does it take to inspire and motivate a workforce? How does management differ from leadership, and can one person do both? Open discussion led by the BOSS facilitators.
6pm
Dinner
7 - 9pm
Evening Survival Activity
   
   
Day 3 - Saturday
7 - 8am
Breakfast
8am - 12pm
Survival Skill: Making Fire
Fire has long been a critical tool for survival, and making a fire (without matches) is a critical skill to possess. A BOSS field instructor will guide each participant through the magical process of making his or her own fire using the bow-drill method.
12 - 1pm
Lunch.
1 - 1:30

Personal Time.

1:30 - 3:30pm
Facilitation / Insight: Creating a Vision and Establishing Leadership
What does it take to inspire others to follow? How can a spark of passion and enthusiasm be transmitted to a group. Led by a BOSS facilitator.
3:45 - 5:45pm
Discussion: What Makes a Good Leader? - Part II
Can leadership be transmitted through a management team? What are the indicators of poor leadership? poor management? Led by a BOSS facilitator.
6pm
Dinner
7 - 9pm
Evening Survival Activity
   
Day 4- Sunday
7 - 8am
Breakfast
8am - 12pm
Survival Skill: Orienteering, Map & Compass Reading
If you are going to spend any time traveling in the wilderness, you'll need to know how to read the land and your maps. BOSS field instructors will teach the use of topographic maps, compasses, and the art of navigation.
12 - 1pm
Lunch
1:00 - 3:00pm

Facilitation / Insight: The Importance of Accountability in Business
How does 'orienteering' in the woods relate to a company's desire to stay on track? When do you let someone go off course? How does one balance the need for good execution with the desire for discovery? Led by a BOSS facilitator.

3:00 - 5:00pm
Discussion: Attributes of a Well-Aligned Team
Case studies and open discussion on issues of communication, alignment, and accountability. Led by a BOSS facilitator.
5:00 - 5:30pm

Wrap up and Celebration
We'll take a look at what we've accomplished together and how we can continue to learn from these skills when we return to the workplace.

5:30pm
Group Departs Boulder, Utah
Optional
Dinner Banquet in Provo, Utah at Sundance Resort

Basic Program Information
Survival Skills = Business Skills?
Sample Program: 1-Day
Sample Program: 2.5-Day
Sample Program: 4-Day