10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid Course is Open!
10th Mountain Huts
August 15, 2025
If there’s one tried-and-true constant about backcountry recreation, it’s that it is unpredictable. Conditions can change in an instant, plans can quickly go awry, and – most significantly – injuries and medical emergencies can happen to even the most expert backcountry travelers. That’s why preparation is so important when heading into the wilderness, and knowledge is our most powerful tool. If you’re a hut-goer who wants to expand your own backcountry preparedness and ability to respond to medical issues in the field, read on to learn more about our partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Wilderness First Aid courses offered each year at our huts.
CU School of Medicine x 10th Mountain Division Huts Association
The CU School of Medicine has played a pivotal role in shaping wilderness medicine curriculum here in Colorado, offering a variety of wilderness medicine courses and certifications through the Wilderness & Environmental Medicine section of its Department of Emergency Medicine. Under that umbrella, the school has partnered directly with the 10th Mountain Division Huts Association to offer hut-centric wilderness medicine courses geared specifically toward backcountry first aid and the high altitude winter environment of Colorado, hosted at the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut outside of Leadville. These 10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid courses are open to anyone in the community who wants to become more informed about how to handle wilderness emergencies and have more control in the backcountry, said Meagan Rivers, coordinator for the Wilderness and Environmental Medicine section at the CU School of Medicine. They also provide an opportunity for students to earn their Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certificate.
©Todd Miner
About the Course
Two of the things that really set these courses apart are the fact that they are taught by expert university faculty, and the unique ability to host the classes at a backcountry hut, which provides the perfect setting to learn the specific curriculum and practice real-life backcountry scenarios, as faculty teach through a combination of lectures and practical skills.
“We really focus on hands-on experience with these courses, so having the hut available is very helpful for facilitating that, and more conducive to learning the material,” said Rivers.
Some of the topics covered in the 10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid course include:
- Assessment
- Head injuries
- Spinal injuries
- Patient movement
- Wounds and burns
- Altitude
- Cold
- Heat and lightning
- Immersion
- Search and rescue processes
- And much more…
“The 10th Mountain course is very much tailored to what people are actually doing here in Colorado,” said Rivers.
©Todd Miner
Registration Details
The hut-based 10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid course is offered three times each winter. For this coming winter season, the dates are as follows:
- December 10th – 12th, 2025
- January 9th – 11th, 2026
- January 23rd – 25th, 2026
Each course takes place at the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut, and involves skiing into and out of the hut, in addition to the course work. The duration of the trip is two nights and three days, departing Friday morning and returning on Sunday afternoon on the respective dates. The courses are open to the general public (ages 18+), so attendees do not need to be affiliated with the University of Colorado, and there is no prior medical training required.
Additionally, CU Wilderness Medicine is also offering a classroom-based WFA course, hosted at the Anschutz Medical campus, November 15th & 16th, 2025. To register, and to learn more about the 10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid courses and the full scope of offerings from CU Wilderness Medicine, visit www.coloradowm.org.