About
Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) Survival Programs offers courses that include Field Expedition, Hunter Gatherer, Primitive Living, Wilderness Navigator, and Primitive Skills. Participants take part in backcountry navigation, trekking over 300 miles through the rugged landscapes of Southern Utah, hiking, bushcraft, traditional living skills, and primitive survival techniques. The program focuses on learning and applying skills hands-on while using as little equipment as possible and relying on the environment with minimal impact.
• Schedule: All courses start at noon on Sundays and end at noon on Saturdays, with options for 7, 14, or 28 days such as the 7-Day, 14-Day, and 28-Day Field Expeditions, 7-Day Primitive Skills, 14-Day Hunter Gatherer, 7- and 14-Day Primitive Living, and 14-Day Wilderness Navigator.
• Price: 7-Day Field Expedition May 31–June 06, 2026: $2,620; 14-Day Field Expedition June 07–June 20, 2026: $4,280; 28-Day Field Expedition June 14–July 11, 2026: $6,590; 7-Day Primitive Skills June 21–June 27, 2026: $2,620; 7-Day Field Expedition June 28–July 04, 2026: $2,620; 14-Day Field Expedition July 05–July 18, 2026: $4,280.
BOSS was founded in 1968 by Brigham Young University professor Larry Dean Olsen, and in 1977 Doug Nelson officially established the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. BOSS has been operating for over 50 years and in 2018 transitioned to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution. The organization describes itself as the world’s premier wilderness survival school and is not a military survival program, not a youth therapy program, and not a guide service, and it is not risk-free. BOSS’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that the wilderness is a powerful teacher, and that survival is a means to uncovering one's true potential, developing resilience, and reconnecting with a more natural way of being. Instructors are highly trained in wilderness medicine, and the Executive Director is Jay Carson, who also serves as an Apprentice Instructor. BOSS emphasizes bushcraft as a way of life, teaches traditional living skills and primitive survival techniques, and teaches students to thrive in the wilderness with minimal gear. BOSS is a nonprofit educational institution, and its tuition assistance program is funded entirely by donations. The program provides a shuttle service from the Holiday Inn and Suites Salt Lake City Airport West to Boulder on the morning courses begin.
Last updated July 2, 2026.
• Schedule: All courses start at noon on Sundays and end at noon on Saturdays, with options for 7, 14, or 28 days such as the 7-Day, 14-Day, and 28-Day Field Expeditions, 7-Day Primitive Skills, 14-Day Hunter Gatherer, 7- and 14-Day Primitive Living, and 14-Day Wilderness Navigator.
• Price: 7-Day Field Expedition May 31–June 06, 2026: $2,620; 14-Day Field Expedition June 07–June 20, 2026: $4,280; 28-Day Field Expedition June 14–July 11, 2026: $6,590; 7-Day Primitive Skills June 21–June 27, 2026: $2,620; 7-Day Field Expedition June 28–July 04, 2026: $2,620; 14-Day Field Expedition July 05–July 18, 2026: $4,280.
BOSS was founded in 1968 by Brigham Young University professor Larry Dean Olsen, and in 1977 Doug Nelson officially established the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. BOSS has been operating for over 50 years and in 2018 transitioned to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution. The organization describes itself as the world’s premier wilderness survival school and is not a military survival program, not a youth therapy program, and not a guide service, and it is not risk-free. BOSS’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that the wilderness is a powerful teacher, and that survival is a means to uncovering one's true potential, developing resilience, and reconnecting with a more natural way of being. Instructors are highly trained in wilderness medicine, and the Executive Director is Jay Carson, who also serves as an Apprentice Instructor. BOSS emphasizes bushcraft as a way of life, teaches traditional living skills and primitive survival techniques, and teaches students to thrive in the wilderness with minimal gear. BOSS is a nonprofit educational institution, and its tuition assistance program is funded entirely by donations. The program provides a shuttle service from the Holiday Inn and Suites Salt Lake City Airport West to Boulder on the morning courses begin.
Last updated July 2, 2026.
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