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Back to General Information
Page The Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS) was founded on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains above the small community of Marble, CO in 1961. The following year COBS ran the first Outward Bound course for youth in America. As with the original Outward Bound School in Aberdovey, Wales, COBS was founded as a result of a collaborative effort between educators and industrialists. Businessmen in Colorado, concerned about youth who were unwilling to accept responsibility and challenge, wanted a "school" that would provide character-building experiences to young people. They worked with educators Charles Froelicher, John Holden, Jack Snobble, Joshua Miner and Captain Fuller from the Aberdovey School to help establish the first Outward Bound school in the United States. Over forty years later, COBS continues to instill a sense of leadership, service and self-discovery in each of its students. Courses are offered in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, Arizona, California and Baja, Mexico and range in length from 5 to 81 days. COBS prides itself on offering courses for people ages 14 - 65+ from all walks of life. Throughout its history, COBS has expanded its course offerings to include courses for adults, business professionals and community groups. Course activities include mountaineering, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, sea kayaking, backpacking, canyoneering and backcountry snowboarding. COBS continues to support the principle created by Kurt Hahn to train those "who would not shirk from leadership and who would, when called upon, make independent decisions, put right action before expediency, and the common cause before personal ambition" bettering the world, one person at a time. Pacific
Crest Outward Bound School Since it's founding, PCOBS has emphasized the mobile wilderness course. Students arrive straight from the airport to the base of granite mountains, the mouths of rivers or the entrance to forests. There they learn how to carefully pack their backpacks, float safely down river or navigate through desert scrub without getting caught by cactus. At Pacific Crest Outward Bound, the wilderness is a tool for personal growth with youth, adults, professional organizations, women, schools and other organizations. To promote diversity and personal development for all students, they have a strong scholarship program for urban youth from the cities of the Western United States. Most courses are between 5 and 25 days and they also have 78-day semester courses. The technical challenge of the terrain utilized by PCOBS helps nature do the teaching. Even so, the instructional staff at PCOBS are constantly looking for innovative new ways to bring out leadership and teamwork in their students. This might look like a group learning how to rescue themselves in the midst of whitewater rapids or belaying each other to the top of an 11,000 foot peak. The philosophy and practices of the Pacific Crest School are nicely encapsulated by the words of Willi Unsoeld, one of the early leaders of the school: "Why not stay out there in the wilderness the rest of your days…? Because that's not where men are…The final test for me of the legitimacy of the experience is 'How well does your experience of the sacred in nature enable you to cope more effectively with the problems of mankind when you come back to the city?'" What
students say about Outward Bound West: "I remember all the memorable challenges my group and I had
to go through in order to come to this point where I am sitting
now. Waking up at 3:30 in the morning; taking the next step up the
loose talus field on the mountain; supporting each other when they
fall; each of the steps, each drop of sweat, added character to
each of us. The beautiful landscape that we trekked across, many
are strange to me, awed me every single moment and inspired me again
and again…" "The first crossing to Isla Coronado was very exciting. It
was our most challenging paddle and we were forced to use all of
our skills had learned." "Disaster Falls was awesome. Our whole group came together
as a team, went 110 percent and pushed through the rough water." "I learned about the immense but great rhythm of nature in
the canyons. There were similar canyons inside me that needed to
be found and explored." "I'm a stronger person now: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I think it's an experience that everyone should have." --Leah Peterson, 15, Portland, OR "This really was a growth experience for me, and one of the greatest in my life. I loved everyone and they all touched me in their own special way." --Alicia Peterson, 15, La Pine, OR "Anybody doubting whether to come here or not should come and see for yourself. I doubted it but now I'm sad to see it go." --Geoff Powell, 16, Corvallis, OR "Jeanette came back last week and announced this was simply
FABULOUS! She couldn't say enough about the fantastic leaders. You
know how to choose them! ... As parents, we were impressed with
the safety and precautions that you all take in getting it together
and executing it all." "Being out in the wilderness is like medicine for the soul. Because of this trip and really learning and taking care of the environment, I feel a connection between me and everything around me." --Alexa Riesland, 16 "The activities, though frightening and challenging, have
taught me to be more confident in my own capabilities. I will be
a stronger person, both mentally and physically because I completed
this course!" "Without question this is the greatest 8 days of my life.
Outward Bound allowed me to be challenged physically, emotionally
and to share those emotions with total strangers - strangers no
more." "All of my friends thought that I was a little crazy for actually wanting to do this. When I get home, I am going to tell them that it was a real challenge but that I had a great time. It was a wonderful experience that I am very glad that I did."--Mariah Hoffman, 15, Effland, NC "It has been almost a year now since I spent a month in Central
Oregon....Not a day goes by where I don't think about the incredible
friends I met and the person inside me that came out for the first
time ever. Because of Outward Bound I feel that I have become not
only a healthier, better person, but I have also found my true identity."
--Alex Orr, 19, Asheville, NC Most rewarding aspect of working for Outward Bound West: "On longer courses, seeing students change from the beginning to the end of a course - how they glow and how much strength they get from a course. They can create a simple community that's difficult to create in the 'real world' with all of its distractions and societal pressures." --Ken Miller, age 33 Favorite moment on course: "Eating medium rare yellow fin
tuna steaks and garlic mashed potatoes on course. The thing was
so huge we had to strap it to the outside of the boat!" Favorite moment after course: "Getting and seeing and hearing
about letters from students long after they've left course about
how impactful their Outward Bound experience was - seeing the long-term
effects of their learning experience." "I really believe it changes people's lives. I get letters
from students on almost every course - they tell me how Outward
Bound changed their lives for the better, how they're improving
their lives, how they're more environmentally aware. What I do makes
a positive impact - even if it's only on one student at a time.
I find that very personally rewarding. And the lifestyle is important
too - humble, simple and healthy." "In the summer of '95 I was the only female instructor on
a course with 10 men. We topped out on a peak and did push-ups on
the summit." |
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