STAFF

BOSS Staff

We are extremely proud of our staff. It is common for a field team to have 25 years or more of cumulative BOSS field experience, and to include survival experts who have traveled and taught around the world. 

At BOSS, we ask a lot of our survival instructors and they ask a lot of their students. Every BOSS instructor—as well as members of the Board of Directors—is a BOSS alumni.

survival camping trips
To find out more about some famous survival experts who once called BOSS home:
Larry Dean Olsen
Larry Dean Olsen

Larry started the program at BYU that became the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. He is the author of Outdoor Survival Skills, and also founded the Anasazi Foundation, which was one of the first wilderness therapy organizations. 

Dave Wescott
Dave Wescott

A long-time instructor, Dave owned and operated BOSS for fifteen years. He has been instrumental in starting and running many primitive skills gatherings, and still runs the Rabbitstick Primitive Skills Gathering. Dave has written extensively, and published three books, including most recently Camping in the Old Style.

Cody Lundin
Cody Lundin

After his tenure as a BOSS instructor, Cody went on to found the Aboriginal Living Skills School and author several books, including 98.6 Degrees, The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive and When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes. Cody hosted the Discovery Channel show Dual Survival, and has worked with and appeared on a multitude of other programs.

Lynx Vilden
Lynx Vilden

Lynx now operates Living Wild, a stone age living skills program in North Central Washington. Lynx has been featured in articles in Outside Magazine, the New York Times, and many others. She is the subject of the National Geographic documentary Living Wild.

BOSS
Joshua Sage

After teaching with BOSS, Joshua has continued his work in outdoor education and primitive living skills. He now hosts the Winter Count gathering.

Dave Holladay
David Holladay

Dave Holladay was and is an institution at BOSS. He has worked on countless other projects as well, including consulting for films and programs like Cast Away, Survivorman, Man vs. Wild and many more. David now travels and teaches primitive skills around the world, and is an artist and musician as well. See his website for more.

Josh Bernstein
Josh Bernstein

After teaching with BOSS for many years, Josh became owner and operated the school for more than a decade. He has been the host of the History Channel show Digging For the Truth, among others, and works in science education and media production. See his website for more.

Matt Graham
Matt Graham

After his many years teaching with BOSS, Matt has gone on to appear on many survival-focused TV shows, including Dude, You’re Screwed, Dual Survival, Live Free or Die, Ed Stafford: First Man Out, and more. Matt wrote the book Epic Survival, and continues to teach primitive living skills.

Dave Nessia
Dave Nessia

After many years teaching with BOSS, Dave went on to spend 73 days surviving alone in Patagonia, Argentina during the History Channel’s Alone show Season 3. He made it to the final four. He also participated in Season 5 in Mongolia. 

Curious?

 

Find out more about working as an instructor at The Boulder Outdoor Survival School.

 

BOSS
BOSS™ is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.