Media Kit 2012

Operating for 40 years, Wilderness Ventures is the oldest and most experienced adventure travel program for young people. Their life-altering experiences in some of the world's most

magnificent outdoor settings are crafted for young adults who are just beginning their experiences in the outdoors or teenagers who are accustomed to outdoor life. Wilderness

Ventures provides fun and adventure in a non-competitive, supportive small group setting. The companies‘ trips offer unparalleled, educational opportunities in some of our world’s most

beautiful outdoor settings.

Trips Wilderness Ventures' adventures are not tours, but rather combinations of carefully planned activities in a wide range of wilderness and outdoor environments that are located in specific geographical regions.

The Wilderness Ventures' programs range from 2 weeks to 6 weeks, and the participants engage in multi-activity wilderness and outdoor adventures, including backpacking, whitewater rafting, whitewater kayaking, sea kayaking, rock climbing, canoeing, inflatable kayaking, mountaineering, fly fishing, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, sailing, surfing, canyoneering, bicycle touring, mountain biking, ice climbing, hiking, glacier trekking, community service and cultural immersion.

Trips by Region

From their founding trip in the Glacier Peak Wilderness area to the European Alps to the beaches of Tahiti and New Zealand, Wilderness Ventures offers the most comprehensive opportunities for young folks to explore world’s outdoors.

Wilderness Ventures’ trips are divided into the following regions:

• Rocky Mountains• Alaska• California• Southeast and

Northeast and Pacific Northwest United States

• American Southwest

• Hawaii• South America• Central America• Europe• Australia and South

Pacific• Africa

Trip Categories

Introductory AdventuresPerfect introductory adventures, with lot's of variety for our youngest students completing the 6th grade.

Leadership AdventuresEnjoy a variety of fun, beginner-friendly activities in these outstandingly beautiful outdoor environments.

Biking AdventuresCarefully crafted bicycling adventures from two to six weeks, designed for young adults who seek challenge and personal growth within a non-competitive, nurturing and wholesome environment.

International Adventures

Experience new activities, languages and cultures on these exciting adventures around the globe.

Community Service AdventuresEarn up to 80 service hours while adventuring in the most spectacular outdoor settings on the planet.

Family Adventures A family adventure in Yellowstone will be offered to older alumni, parents of alumni and former staff members as well as their children in 2013.

more on Bicycling Adventures

Wilderness Ventures Bicycling Adventures have been an important part of their program dating back to the first Puget Sound bike trip in 1982. These marvelous adventures are a wonderful way to explore a region.

Bicycle Touring AdventuresStudent groups will cycle the back roads of some of the most spectacular parts of our planet. Along the way, they’ll meet people full of culture, stories and tradition. These trips are a great way for youth to gain pride and self-confidence knowing they have reached their destination under their own power.

Mountain Biking AdventuresWilderness Ventures mountain biking trips open the door to a variety of trails through some of the most spectacular and pristine environments of our planet. These trips are planned to take advantage of the finest trails you may have read about and emphasize how to safely bike while protecting the environment. They are a wonderful way to gain self-confidence and to learn about a variety of natural settings from alpine to desert canyons

more on Family Adventures

Wilderness Ventures’ family programs sample some of the beauty and excitement they have been provided students for the past forty years.

These six-day, five-night adventures are designed for the adventuresome parents of family’s with children seeking an active vacation in one of North America’s most distinctive outdoor settings, Teton-Yellowstone country. At thesame time, families will get to relax and dine in comfortable inns and lodges.

What Sets Wilderness Ventures Apart?

When Mike and Helen Cottingham founded Wilderness Ventures 40 years ago, their program was a new and unique concept. Because of their extraordinary success, they soon became a model for others. Though it’s flattering so many others have attempted to duplicate the Wilderness Ventures experience, they remain the most widely recognized and respected program in this field.

• Family Atmosphere• Personal Attention• Unmatched Experience• Outstanding Leaders• Small Compatible Groups

• Exceptional and Exclusive

Destinations• Limited Vehicle Travel• Enthusiastic Participants• Minimal Use of

Subcontractors

Key factors that separate Wilderness Ventures from the competition:

Wilderness Ventures By the Numbers

21,000

2,200

2,100

17

20

40

Total number of students that have been on a Wilderness Venture trip

Number of participants that have climbed the Grand Teton in Wyoming

Number of participants that have climbed Mount Rainier in Washington

Number of years Wilderness Venture has been in operation

Number of national parks Wilderness Ventures has special permits to operate in

Number of designated wilderness areas Wilderness Ventures has special permits to operate in

Wilderness Ventures History

Throughout the last 40 years, Wilderness Ventures have spent many summers mastering the trips they first started with – but they’ve also set the standard for the industry by racking up many ‘firsts’ along the way.

1973: Camping at a hut (removed long ago) in the Glacier Peak Wilderness on Wilderness Ventures’ first eight-week adventure in the Rockies and Pacific Northwest. Since then, over 14,000 students have participated in a variation of this original Northwest trip.

In 1973, Mike and Helen Cottingham founded Wilderness Ventures, combining their love for teaching young adults with their passion for the American wilderness and adventure.

Wilderness Ventures History

2001: Backpacking the Jatbula Track in Australia’s Northern Territory. Wilderness Ventures becomes the first teen wilderness travel program for young adults to venture in to the ancestral homeland of the Mangarrayi aboriginal people.

2007: Wilderness Ventures becomes the first and only wilderness travel program for young adults to be awarded a concession license in Grand Teton National Park granting them exclusive access to overnight backpacking trips in the park.

**View a comprehensive look at Wilderness Ventures history over the years.

Safety

Over the past 40 years Wilderness Ventures has had nearly 21,000 students and an excellent safety record. This record is the result of their strict staff selection process, comprehensive staff training, highly detailed protocol for conducting their trips, and their low student to staff ratios. Their approach and commitment to safety and risk management requires an ongoing process of re-evaluation, learning, adjusting, and improving in order to enhance safety without losing the adventure qualities of their trips.

Leadership

You won’t find any other program with a more talented, dynamic and professional group of leaders than Wilderness Ventures. Wilderness Ventures’ leaders all have a proven track record when it comes to past achievements. They’re leaders are far more than guides or instructors.

Although their primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and well-being of every student, each Wilderness Ventures leader is a wonderful role model. The leaders are bright, dynamic, accomplished and charismatic adults who exude enthusiasm and inspire participants to achieve their highest potential in everything they do. 

Giving Back

Today, every Wilderness Ventures group, including all programs not focused on service, do their parts through small, but important clean-up projects on the lands they travel through. From constructing classrooms in the small villages of Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Fiji, to improving habitat for endangered sea turtles in the Galapagos Islands; Giving back is emphasized on every trip.

Additionally, Wilderness Ventures contributes to environmental sustainability through zero-impact camping, printing their beautiful catalog on soy-ink, recycled paper and supporting a variety of organizations dedicated to the sustainability of our planet.

Visit www.wildernessventures.com/givingback for more information on Wilderness Ventures’ green policies.

Media Contacts

Hailey McDonaldDirector of New Media, Adventure Mediahailey@adventuremedianews.com970.379.9363

Mike CottinghamFounder, Wilderness Venturesmike@wildernessventures.com307.733.2122