Find the right course for you

14-Day Field

The 14-Day Field course is one of several 14-Day courses BOSS offers. It contains all of the phases of the longer 28-Day "Standard" Field course – they're just compressed into a 2-week period. This makes the 14-Day Field course the perfect option for those who want to challenge themselves in a big way, but without the longer month-long commitment. Other 14-Day courses include Skills, Hunter Gatherer, and Desert Navigator courses.

About the Course

Join up to 11 other students and three staff members for 14 days to explore Southern Utah's breathtaking Boulder Mountain and glorious canyon country. Leaving the high-tech, modern world behind, you explore the desert washes and mountain trails with little more than a knife, a water bottle, a blanket, and a poncho. You can't get much more immersed in the natural world than on this course. The mental, physical, and emotional challenges may leave you 10 to 20 pounds lighter at the end of the course, but the wilderness competency and the greater sense of self that you gain are priceless.

About BOSS

Since 1968, BOSS courses have set the standard for low-technology camping and hiking techniques, where instruction is conducted with minimal intrusion of modern technology in environments that allow course content to be experienced first-hand. Our commitment to quality and to our core philosophies has earned BOSS its reputation as the survival school to go to when you want to learn from the best in the industry.

Less is More

In line with the BOSS Positive Impact Camping philosophy, the 14-Day Field course has a decided emphasis on using renewable, natural resources. Tents, sleeping bags, stoves, backpacks and many other "required" pieces of outdoor equipment are replaced with their low-tech counterparts: a poncho, a blanket, a campfire, etc. The motto here is "Know more, Carry less" and we'll explore how traditional cultures lived comfortably without all the modern gadgets (which are not allowed on our courses). Come learn how back-country travel can be a less intrusive and more harmonious experience.

The BOSS Challenge

The BOSS 14-Day Field course provides, among many other things, a physical test for its students. Students hike long distances over the rugged terrain found in Southern Utah's mountains and desert canyons, sometimes as much as 15 to 30 miles in one day. The combination of high exertion and moderate rations usually leaves students 10 to 20 pounds leaner at the end of the course. BOSS REQUIRES THAT ALL FIELD COURSE APPLICANTS UNDERGO A COMPLETE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION AND RECEIVE THEIR PHYSICIAN'S APPROVAL IN WRITING PRIOR TO FINAL ACCEPTANCE ON THE COURSE.

In addition to the physician's approval, students are asked to complete a 1.5-mile run during course orientation. Please keep in mind, despite your physician's approval and BOSS's acceptance of you on the course, there are no guarantees. Health and participation risks (inherent and otherwise) remain. It's up to you and your physician to determine if a BOSS course is an appropriate choice. All participants must be aware of these risks and embrace them. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Age

Because of the physical aspect of Field courses, students younger than 18 are not allowed. Historically, the average age of BOSS 14-Day Field course students has been in the mid-20's, but plenty of students in their 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's have successfully and enthusiastically completed the course.

Learning by Doing

At BOSS, we strongly believe in learning by doing. While at times instruction will be done in lecture format, it will be done in the field where students can see what they are learning in situ and can practice their skills in a natural environment. BOSS course enrollment is designed to provide each course with a student-teacher ratio conducive to hands-on instruction. Our courses typically have 9-12 students and 3 staff. This ensures that our staff are available to students to help guide them through the lessons as needed or sought.

Course Phases

PHASE	DESCRIPTION
Orientation	Welcome to BOSS, gear review & purchase.
Impact	A fast-moving, minimal-equipment hike through the wilderness. No food except what you find. No blankets or ponchos until Group Ex.
Group Expedition	A time for on-the-trail instruction, as our staff teach you the skills you need to comfortably survive in the desert.
Survival Camp	*Large game processing is taught within the context of traditional wilderness living and the realities of the physical needs of the human body.
Solo	Placed in your own Solo site, you will put your skills to the test and enjoy some solitude.
Student Expedition	Time and route permitting, you and your coursemates may be given the opportunity to travel instructor-free to a specific destination.
Final Challenge	Just when you think it's over, it isn't....
Celebration/Graduation	You've earned it.

Please note: Because each course is different and will experience different combinations of weather patterns, student abilities, and ground conditions, phases may be adjusted before or during a course.

*On 28-Day and 14-Day Field courses, large game processing is taught within the context of traditional living skills and the needs of the human body. For more information, please read this page.

Skills Covered

Skills taught on Field courses are directly relevant to the group's needs in a traditional-living environment. Issues dealing with the effects of physical stresses and extended travel on the human psyche are just as important to the students' experience as how to make a fire without matches. All courses are designed to cover these basics: desert ecology & travel, fire construction, campsite selection, trail hygiene, shelter location and construction options, water location and purification, nature observation skills, and basic edible & medicinal plants.

Co-ed vs. Single Sex

BOSS courses have been co-educational (men and women on the trail together) since the very beginning, in 1968. While the 14-Day Field course is offered as only a co-ed course, BOSS is excited to offer an all-female 7-Day Field course for intrepid females (on Women Only courses, all BOSS staff members are female, too).

Dates and Prices

Course dates, prices, and availability are listed to the right, at the top of the page. You can also download our complete course calendar in Adobe Acrobat PDF by clicking here. If you have any questions, please submit them via the Contact BOSS page or call us at 800.335.7404 or 303.444.9779.

Scholarships Available

BOSS offers tuition discounts to qualifying applicants. For more information, please click on the information to the right.

What you need to know

Date:

05/27/2012 - 06/09/2012

Course Code:

J-91

Price:

$2350

Limited Space	Apply
Contact us for options

Date:

06/24/2012 - 07/07/2012

Course Code:

J-92

Price:

$2350

Limited Space	Apply
Contact us for options

Date:

07/15/2012 - 07/28/2012

Course Code:

J-93

Price:

$2350

5 slots available	Apply
Contact us for options

Date:

08/12/2012 - 08/25/2012

Course Code:

J-94

Price:

$2350

10 slots available	Apply
Contact us for options

Date:

09/30/2012 - 10/13/2012

Course Code:

J-95

Price:

$2350

7 slots available	Apply
Contact us for options

Course Basics

To help you choose which BOSS course is right for you, below you'll find a brief summary of each course type. When you've found one that interests you, click on the appropriate link for more detailed information.
Course Basics
Who Goes to BOSS?

So who exactly goes to "survival school?" Normal people? The kind of people you'd want to hang out with? Well, if you're anything like our alumni, you'll be happy to know that the people who go to BOSS are normal, healthy people looking for an adventurous experience and you'll probably fit right in.
Who Goes to BOSS?
Travel Information

Since 1968, BOSS has operated in one of the most beautiful and remote parts of the USA: the area surrounding the small town of Boulder, Utah. It is here where we begin and end all courses, using the surrounding public lands as our classroom.
Travel Information
Health and Safety

When you're known for being "the toughest survival school in the country," people sometimes wonder what that means. Actually, people usually read that and then go on to something else, something that doesn't sound as intimidating. After all, this is your vacation time, right?
Health and Safety
Food at BOSS

There's a survival mantra at BOSS that advises people "Eat to live, don't live to eat." In a survival situation, choices for food must be based on caloric (and perhaps psychological) benefit more than taste. However, you'll be happy to know that students on BOSS courses aren't expected to dine on maggots and roadkill (unless they really, really want to).
Food at BOSS
Animal Processing

Many elements on a BOSS Field Course are designed to test your limits and give you new insights into yourself, the environment and your place in the world. There is one specific phase on our 28-Day and 14-Day Field Courses that we want to call your attention to, as it's important that you understand the realities of this phase and the philosophies that support it.
Animal Processing
Medical Information

It is your responsibility to help us assess your medical health and your ability to successfully complete a course. Therefore, you must undergo a medical examination and receive approval from your physician in order to take a BOSS course. Any and all medications that you plan to be taking on a course must be stated clearly on your course paperwork and any issues, allergies or concerns you may have should be noted and discussed with us prior to your arrival.
Medical Information
Tuition Discounts

BOSS offers a number of ways for people to apply for discounted rates on its courses. For more information on these or to download an application form, please see below.
Tuition Discounts
Risk on Courses

At BOSS, we hope to provide you with a wilderness experience that seeks to minimize your exposure to unwanted risks or injuries. However, this does not mean that we can eliminate these risks, for many of them are intrinsic to the types of experiences we offer. Many of the risks you experience on the trail (those related to hunger, thirst, weather, etc.) are, in fact, a critical component of your course. These may even be why you've come to BOSS in the first place.
Risk on Courses
Weather on Courses

Weather is. That's about as much as we can tell you. It's not "good" or "bad" - it just is, and we work with it depending on the situation we find ourselves in. As a result, our courses and lesson plans adapt to current conditions, trying to make the most of whatever Mother Nature gives us.
Weather on Courses
Fitness and Training

One of the major factors affecting your enjoyment and learning during your participation on a BOSS course will be your degree of physical fitness. We strongly encourage all of our students to arrive in good physical condition and offer the following words of wisdom as you consider how to best prepare for your course.
Fitness and Training