By Alumna Barbara Checknoff, Blue Ridge Mountains Backpacking, Rock Climbing and Whitewater Canoeing Course, 1971 When I was 17, I went on a 26-day wilderness course with North Carolina Outward Bound School. It was an all-female crew and one of the... READ MORE

By Alumna Deborah Coleman, Outdoor Educator Course, 2016 “It’s great that you like us so much, Deb, but you should buy a backpack and try hiking on your own too,” said my Outward Bound Instructor after my seventh course. You... READ MORE

It has been four months since Hurricane Irma’s storm surge slammed Southern Florida’s little town of Everglades City, and everyday life, while making tremendous strides, has not yet returned to normal. For North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS), an outdoor education... READ MORE

So, you went on an Outward Bound course and it was amazing and transformative. So much so, that now you want to work with us? At NCOBS, we are always on the look out for vibrant, diverse and accomplished educators to fill our ranks.... READ MORE

There are so many great reasons to work in the outdoors, and even more if you want to work with an outdoor education nonprofit. Here are just a few: 1. Hard Skills. You will learn a lot of useful technical skills. When... READ MORE

Gap year programs are by no means a new idea. In many countries it is the norm for students to take a structured break from formal education between high school graduation and a higher degree. These ‘gaps’ are meant to... READ MORE

By Staff Member, John Watkins, 1967-1974 Fifty one years ago (!), I received a phone call from a man named Lance Lee. I was 16 years old and living in Chapel Hill, NC at the time. He asked, “How would... READ MORE

Asheville Citizen Times, July 26, 2017 ASHEVILLE – Andrew Williams Jr., 66, recounts each day of an outdoors adventure he took 50 years ago as if still living it. He describes scaling mountains in the winter, trekking a half-mile through... READ MORE

By Ryan Wilusz Staff Writer, Morganton News Herald He looks behind him and then straight ahead — not a soul in sight. He sits on the ground all alone, with a couple quarts of water and a tin can of... READ MORE

Title: Lead Instructor, Course Director, Whitewater Paddling Specialist Years with North Carolina Outward Bound (NCOBS): 5 What inspired you to become an Outward Bound instructor? Did you know before you went on your Instructor Development Course? I started my first year at NCOBS... READ MORE