Outdoor Skills at Pacific University

Ready to turn your love of the outdoors into leadership, teaching or guiding?

Outdoor recreation training builds the skills, confidence and credibility you need to lead trips, teach effectively and care for natural spaces. Whether you are preparing for a career in outdoor recreation or elevating your weekend adventures, outdoor skills training helps you manage risk, support diverse participants and navigate complex environments with ease.

Outdoor skills courses at Pacific University are designed to prepare students and members of the public to work with parks, camps, guiding companies and outdoor education programs. Pacific offers courses in outdoor skills in three categories:

Course Series (open to current Pacific students)
Professional Climbing Instructor Association (PCIA) Climbing Certifications (open to Pacific students and members of the public)
Wilderness Medical Training Center (WMTC) Wilderness First Aid Certifications (open to Pacific students and members of the public)

Pacific students can take these outdoor skills courses for credit. Members of the public can also take the outdoor skills courses as non-credit classes. Students and members of the public register by different processes via the buttons below.

For-Credit Student Registration

Non-Credit Public Registration

Course Series

Jump to Outdoor Adventure Series | Rock Climbing Series | Mountaineering Series | International Adventure Tourism Series

Pacific University students soaking in autumn while backpacking through North Cascades, Washington.

Outdoor Adventure Series

Enjoy outdoor adventures in our awe-inspiring Northwest landscape while learning to manage the risks associated with wilderness travel. You’ll also develop judgment, group facilitation, grit and adaptability skills that can be applied in graduate school or almost any profession. This series is designed for people with beginner to intermediate outdoor adventure experience. This is the recommended course sequence:

OL 101 Intro to Outdoor Skills, 4 credits
OL 217 Wilderness First Aid, 2 credits or OL 317 Wilderness First Responder, 4 credits
OL 340 Risk Management in Rec and Sports, 2 credits

Rock Climbing Series

Experience the joy and challenge of moving in the vertical world by completing the Rock Climbing series. Pacific students and community members who take this series work in indoor climbing gyms, as outdoor adventure guides, and as climbing instructors at camps. For those seeking nationally recognized certifications, there are also opportunities to become certified by the Professional Climbing Instructor Association as a Climbing Site Belayer (CSB), Sport Climbing Instructor (SCI), and Single Pitch Instructor (SPI).

This series is designed for people with beginner to intermediate rock climbing skills. This is the recommended course sequence:

OL 101 Intro to Outdoor Skills, 4 credits
OL 158 Intro to Rock Climbing, 2 credits
OL 318 Intermediate Rock Climbing, 2 credits
OL 418 Advanced Rock Climbing, 2 credits

Pacific instructor demonstrates rock climbing technique

Pacific University students learn how to place rock protection from their instructor at Smith Rock State Park.

Pacific University student Ted Wogan making camp during Fundamentals of Alpinism course in North Cascades.

Pacific student summiting Eldorado Peak in the North Cascades.

Pacific student Shaun Ludford bouldering near Leavenworth, WA.

Pacific student Alex Hays Cleaning Sport Anchor at Smith Rock State Park.

Pacific University Student Takes Time to Reflect on Backpacking Trip to Canyon Lands National Park Utah

Pacific University student takes time to reflect on backpacking trip to Canyon Lands National Park in Utah.

Without the experiences that I had in outdoor leadership classes at Pacific, I never would have developed the interpersonal skills that have become such an important piece of my job, the technical skills that allowed me to step into climbing programming smoothly, or the risk management skills I use in the field every day.

— Tailor Dolgin '18, Program Manager at Mountaineers

Mountaineering Series

Learn crucial mountaineering skills such as how to use an ice axe, move as a rope team across a glacier, and navigate in the mountains. This series is designed for people with beginner to intermediate outdoor adventure skills who are interested in hiking and endurance activities like trail running.

This is the recommended course sequence:

OL 101 Intro to Outdoor Skills, 4 credits
KINES 350 Endurance Sports Coaching, 2 credits
OL 260 Intro to Mountaineering, 2 credits
OL 360 Fundamentals of Alpinism, 2 credits

International Adventure Tourism Series

This series is designed for people with beginner to intermediate outdoor adventure skills who love to travel. Learn how to embrace cultural differences, plan an expedition, manage risks and create a positive team experience in challenging environments. Students who have completed this series lead outdoor activities for diverse groups, start programs serving marginalized communities, and have worked abroad as outdoor adventure guides.

This is the recommended course sequence:

OL 101 Intro to Outdoor Skills, 4 credits
OL 110 Expedition Planning, 2 credits
OL 310 International Expedition, 2 credits
OL 330/SLAM 330 Team Dynamics & Culture, 2 credits

Pacific University students developing their passion for Adventure Tourism in Patagonia Chile Torres Del Paine National Park. — Pacific University students developing their passion for adventure tourism in Patagonia Chile Torres Del Paine National Park.

Professional Climbing Instructor Association (PCIA) Climbing Certifications

Sport Climbing Instructor

Gain the foundational skills to successfully instruct and manage groups in an outdoor sport climbing setting. This course is designed to bridge the gap between indoor climbing instruction and outdoor climbing instruction and is useful for people with significant indoor sport lead climbing teaching experience and those who are solid at outdoor lead climbing at a minimum grade of 5.8. It is recommended that Pacific students take Intermediate Rock Climbing (OL 318) if they are interested in completing this certification. Learn more.

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Sport Climbing Instructor Assessment and Refresher

The purpose of this course is to allow CWI-Leads, who already have the teaching and risk management skills, to be evaluated in outside instruction in a sport climbing setting. It is designed to provide supplemental knowledge and specialized skills that will allow the Sport Climbing Instructor to effectively operate at outdoor climbing sites. To take the Sport Climbing Instructor Assessment or Refresher you must have completed the PCIA Sport Climbing Instructor training. Learn more.

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Single Pitch Instructor (SPI)

Gain an in-depth understanding of the skills essential to teaching climbing in an outdoor setting, including based and top managed sites. The SPI course prepares instructors to set-up and manage groups of climbers on technical terrain with non-technical access.It is recommended that Pacific students take Advanced Rock Climbing (OL 418) if they are interested in completing this certification. Learn more.

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Single Pitch Instructor Assessment

This course is an exam for students that have completed one of the PCIA outdoor trainings, including Top Rope Climbing Instructor, Top Managed Climbing Instructor, and the Single Pitch Instructor. During the exam, students will be tested at differing levels depending on their previous training and experience. Learn more.

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Wilderness Medical Training Center (WMTC) Wilderness First Aid Certifications

Through lecture, lab and practical application, students will be introduced to the necessary skills for assessing and treating common medical problems in remote settings. Successfully completing this course also offers a two year certification by the Wilderness Medicine Training Center.

OL 217 Wilderness First Aid Certification and Class Learn more.
OL 407 Wilderness First Responder Certification and Class Learn more.