Risk Management for Outdoor Programs
Comprehensive, in-depth safety training acclaimed by adventure, travel and experiential professionals worldwide
The Risk Management for Outdoor Programs-Awareness course by Viristar provides essential safety guidance for managers of adventure, wilderness, travel and experiential programs.
The course covers human factors, emergency planning, equipment management, safety standards, documentation, legal considerations, and much more.
This 16-hour classroom-based training takes place over two days. The course includes lecture presentations, case studies, small group discussions, and other activities.
The training runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 each day, with a one-hour lunch break. Raksi, chyang and water will be provided.
Graduates receive a certificate good for three years, and leave with knowledge and skills that can help them build high-quality risk management systems and Improve safety outcomes.
The course is provided in cooperation between Viristar and Freedom Adventure Treks of Kathmandu, Nepal.
Course Overview
Course Cohert
- January 2026
- Course # 260105
Dates
January 1 –
January 2
Location
Lukla, Nepal
Course host
Freedom Adventure Treks
Registration deadline
December 31
Tuition
USD 121
Language
English
Registration Handled By
Viristar
Syllabus
Download SyllabusDay 1
Safety Theory and Concepts
Day 2
Safety Practice & Application
Instructor
Jeff Baierlein
Jeff A. Baierlein (he/him) has been working professionally since 1987 with outdoor education, environmental education, adventure education and experiential education organizations in the USA and around the world. He led remote wilderness expeditions, worked as a naturalist-educator, served as an Emergency Medical Technician with ambulance services, led search and rescue missions, and was appointed to the Washington State Governor’s Council on Environmental Education.
Prior to founding Viristar, Jeff served as Executive Director of both the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education and the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center. His writing and lectures have been translated into Vietnamese, Russian, Marathi, and Chinese.
Textbook
Participants receive access to the course textbook, Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure, in online e-book format. Paperback copies are available separately.
This acclaimed 218-page textbook provides detailed descriptions of good safety practices, along with background information, case studies, and numerous example forms and document templates.
FAQ
Yes. The course curriculum is designed to be applicable to outdoor, adventure, and experience-based programs anywhere in the world. The principles of incident causation and prevention taught in the course, and the standards of good practice covered, are relevant everywhere. Participants are provided resources to identify locally-relevant legal, insurance, activity-specific, and other resources specific to their circumstance.
Yes. Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course has been recognized as a valuable professional credential by government agencies, higher educational institutions, outdoor programs, and industry bodies worldwide. Government entities in nations including the USA, Singapore, Canada and Australia have enrolled employees—or entire teams of employees—in the course, and the training is recognized by the Association for Experiential Education, the Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education, the International Schools Experiential Education Network, the California Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education, the American Camp Association, the International Outdoor Education Federation, the South African Adventure Industry Association, and the Outdoor Council of Canada, among other industry bodies. The training has been educationally endorsed by the American Camp Association in 2021, and graduates are eligible for Continuing Education Units from Colorado State University Pueblo (USA). Outdoor, adventure and experiential programs in over 60 countries on six continents have enrolled their staff in the Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course. The outdoor risk management training sector is generally not regulated by government bodies, however; consequently, no formal accreditations by government authorities are known to exist for trainings such as Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course.Â
It’s not necessary to be working for an outdoor, adventure or experiential program in order to enroll in and learn from the training. Part of the course involves participants evaluating risk management practices at an organization with which they are directly familiar. Therefore, it is helpful if you are working for (in a paid or volunteer capacity) or have recently worked for an outdoor, adventure-based or experiential learning organization, but this is not required.
Syllabus
Download SyllabusDay 1
Safety Theory and Concepts
Day 2
Safety Practice & Application
Instructor
Jeff Baierlein
Jeff A. Baierlein (he/him) has been working professionally since 1987 with outdoor education, environmental education, adventure education and experiential education organizations in the USA and around the world. He led remote wilderness expeditions, worked as a naturalist-educator, served as an Emergency Medical Technician with ambulance services, led search and rescue missions, and was appointed to the Washington State Governor’s Council on Environmental Education.
Prior to founding Viristar, Jeff served as Executive Director of both the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education and the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound Center. His writing and lectures have been translated into Vietnamese, Russian, Marathi, and Chinese.
Textbook
Participants receive access to the course textbook, Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure, in online e-book format. Paperback copies are available separately.
This acclaimed 218-page textbook provides detailed descriptions of good safety practices, along with background information, case studies, and numerous example forms and document templates.
FAQ
Yes. The course curriculum is designed to be applicable to outdoor, adventure, and experience-based programs anywhere in the world. The principles of incident causation and prevention taught in the course, and the standards of good practice covered, are relevant everywhere. Participants are provided resources to identify locally-relevant legal, insurance, activity-specific, and other resources specific to their circumstance.
Yes. Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course has been recognized as a valuable professional credential by government agencies, higher educational institutions, outdoor programs, and industry bodies worldwide. Government entities in nations including the USA, Singapore, Canada and Australia have enrolled employees—or entire teams of employees—in the course, and the training is recognized by the Association for Experiential Education, the Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education, the International Schools Experiential Education Network, the California Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education, the American Camp Association, the International Outdoor Education Federation, the South African Adventure Industry Association, and the Outdoor Council of Canada, among other industry bodies. The training has been educationally endorsed by the American Camp Association in 2021, and graduates are eligible for Continuing Education Units from Colorado State University Pueblo (USA). Outdoor, adventure and experiential programs in over 60 countries on six continents have enrolled their staff in the Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course. The outdoor risk management training sector is generally not regulated by government bodies, however; consequently, no formal accreditations by government authorities are known to exist for trainings such as Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course.Â
It’s not necessary to be working for an outdoor, adventure or experiential program in order to enroll in and learn from the training. Part of the course involves participants evaluating risk management practices at an organization with which they are directly familiar. Therefore, it is helpful if you are working for (in a paid or volunteer capacity) or have recently worked for an outdoor, adventure-based or experiential learning organization, but this is not required.
