Safety and risk management

We know that sending your child away from home and to an outdoor adventure camp can be more nerve-wracking for parents than for students.

Our students and instructors know that risk management is the foundation of everything that we do. The word “safety” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss.” Safety can never be 100 percent guaranteed in the outdoors—or at home. (Statistically, students are less likely to get hurt at Adventure Treks than at home; for example, the incidence of injury with basketball or soccer are higher than with rock climbing.) That’s why we talk about risk management, or how we examine situations and identify hazards to reduce the potential for an undesired outcome.

We are proud to say that in our 32 years, we have safely worked with tens of thousands of students.

To build independence and ensure normal teenage brain development, there has to be some element of risk. And from the moment your child leaves home until they return to you, minimizing risk is our first and foremost priority. As we consider ourselves partners in the parenting process, we make every decision as if you were looking over our shoulders. We have detailed policies and protocols for each activity and possible scenarios. By teaching students about judgment, probability, and consequences, we build a risk management–conscious “expedition mentality” within the community that helps students understand the “why” behind our policies. We help our students learn to make good decisions and to take intelligent, reasonable risks—habits that will apply for the rest of their lives.

Safety at Adventure Treks begins with experienced trip leaders and regional directors. Our leadership team facilitates an extensive 14- to 21-day instructor training where we review procedures and set the tone for a safe, fun summer.