Think, Act, Experience!
“You cannot create experience. You must undergo it.” — Albert Camus
Expeditionary studies offers a course of college-level study that integrates a way
of thinking and acting in dynamic outdoor settings. By developing advanced skills, experiencing the demands of outdoor leadership, and
understanding the environmental and historical contexts of adventure sports, you will
come to understand what we mean when we say expeditionary thinking is “thinking in
action.”
Become Prepared
Everything we do in our courses, expeditions, and advising prepares you for the standards
of professional work in adventure settings, no matter your specific goals. As early
as your first year you’ll start planning your first EXP class expedition. Maybe it
will be kayaking in Maine, or skiing in Quebec’s Chic-Choc mountains. The goal, as
always, is to get you "thinking in action.” When you’re actually out there, you’ll
be analyzing what’s in front of you. Are clouds moving in? Is the temperature rising? Why are your teammates slowing down?
Where can we ascend the slopes we want to ski? How do we know they’re ski-able? When
do we have to start paddling to avoid “wind over wave” when we round a headland?
The ability to answer these and other questions requires planning, training, skills
and thinking. That’s what we offer in the expeditionary studies curriculum.
If this sounds like a course of study you’d like, check out the expeditionary studies
curriculum.
“Being Expeditionary”
“If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.” — Unattributed (quoted in Exploring New Frontiers by Dave Edwards)
If there is one word that captures the challenges of “Being Expeditionary” it’s planning. In EXP you’ll experience planning in different ways throughout our curriculum, until
finally you conduct expert planning for your own, independent Senior Expedition. If “thinking in action” defines expeditionary adventures, “thinking before action" defines expeditionary planning. Expeditionary studies is where the two come
together.
Becoming a Competent Expedition Leader
“Exploration was the physical expression of an intellectual passion.” — Apsely Chery-Garrard in The Worst Journey in The World
The two things required to travel competently in the outdoors are skills and experience. That’s why the EXP curriculum is designed to give you a high level of both. By the
time you take the highest level climbing, skiing, or paddling classes you will have
the skills of an competent expedition leader. Though it takes years to build a substantive
log book of experiences, you’ll have a substantial resume by the time you finish the
EXP degree.
Most upper-level EXP courses include extended trips. For example, if you take the
upper-level rock classes, you will climb in the Adirondacks (of course!) and in other
exciting places, such as Joshua Tree, California, Red Rocks, Nevada, and Granite Mountain,
Arizona. If you take the junior- and senior-level paddling trips, in addition to practice
time on Lake Champlain, you will paddle in places as far afield as the New England
coast, Baja, Mexico, Puget Sound, and the Canadian Maritimes. Skiers ski locally,
but also in Canada, the Rockies, the Sierra, or the North Cascades. One goal of our
classes is to get you ready for your own trips.
Mandatory Requirement: your commitment. Beyond class trips, you’ve got to spend time outdoors, pushing your limits, expanding
your horizons, and increasing your experiences. When you have an open weekend, you
should be perfecting your outdoor living skills. When you have an afternoon, you might
be working with map and compass to improve your navigation skills. At night, after
homework, you might take a stove apart or read books like “Three Cups of Tea” or
“Climbing in North America,” to mention but two titles of thousands.
If you are beginning to see yourself and your goals in our program, we invite you
to take the next step by visiting the campus for a tour and Admissions discussion.
You or our Admissions Office can also arrange a meeting with the chair of expeditionary
studies. If you’re already a step beyond, we invite you to apply for admission now.
The degree integrates study of such topics as the history of exploration, environmental
ethics, and environmental justice, with experiences in leadership, planning, and risk
management, to name a few. And always, you’ll be spending huge amounts of time advancing
your skills in paddling, climbing, or skiing. In fact, the classes in those areas
have more time in the field classroom than in the traditional classroom.
In classes that are often as small as five or six students, you’ll be studying with
world class faculty who have traveled and guided around the world. Our innovative
curriculum guarantees you will have constant and close contact with them in the field
throughout your studies. The faculty can’t do it alone, though, and EXP students must
take seriously the intellectual, physical and experiential commitments required of
aspiring outdoor professionals.
Expeditionary studies is sending its graduates into a variety of professional positions.
They enjoy fulfilling careers as sea kayak and mountain guides, professional ski patrollers,
park rangers, and leaders in eco-tourism and adventure-based counseling.