The National Outdoor Leadership School, or NOLS, turns 50 years old this fall.
The organization was founded in Wyoming in 1965 and is still headquartered in Lander. But in its fifty-year history, the school has offered courses on all seven continents. NOLS teaches outdoor safety and wilderness medicine, and it also has programs for leadership, networking, and general adventure in the outdoors.
John Gans, the executive director at NOLS, says what sets the school apart from other programs is its staff.
"They’re great leaders. They tend to stay with the school a long time. The average age of our instructors and faculty is about 35 which is far older and more experienced than most outdoor programs than you run into across the country," says Gans.
NOLS will mark the occasion with a weekend full of talks, mini seminars on outdoor activities, music, and food. It takes place October 8th through 10th Lander.