Training and Trips

Courses, trips, and expeditions are always subsidized and often are free or have financial aid available through Student Access and Support (SAS) grants. Sign up for training and trips offered by Middlebury Outdoor Programs in Ideal-Logic.

Wilderness Medicine Courses

Wilderness First Aid skills are essential knowledge for all of our outdoor leaders, and is a standard requirement of becoming a student-guide at Middlebury. Those non-guides interested in the course for their personal adventures are always welcome to participate as well! MOP sponsors both the 16-hour Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course and the 72-hour Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course taught by SOLO. 

Look for WFA course offerings in both the fall (mid-October) and spring (mid-March), and for the WFR annually during the college’s February Break.

Avalanche Education

In a split second, an avalanche can turn a day of winter fun into a nightmare.

The winter back-country is complex. If you’re venturing into it, you need avalanche education so you can understand the hazards and learn how to manage risk. MOP has offered both the single-day Avy Rescue and the multi-day Avy 1 courses in the past as part of it’s J-term programming.

Swift Water Rescue

For student guides looking to increase their knowledge-base in water safety and to be able to competently lead higher level paddling trips for their peers, swift water rescue training is crucial. MOP has partnered with local outfitter Zoar Outdoor in the past to provide these essential courses. Individual non-guide students wanting to recreate on their own safely are also able to sign up and are encouraged to participate in these trainings.

Bike Maintenance Sessions

Bike maintenance sessions will cover a variety of topics, and introduce and teach participants how to properly care for, maintain, and keep their bikes in good working order. 

AFC Outdoors

AFC Outdoors is an initiative in collaboration with Anderson Freeman Resource Center (AFC) that aims to foster engagement with the outdoors, provide resources for outdoor recreation, and host diverse outings for underrepresented students on campus who want to explore outdoor spaces at Middlebury in a safe community where they feel empowered, represented, and celebrated. 

Break Trips

In addition to weekly, local-based outdoor trips offered by MOP, MMC, and FIRE, several regional and (inter)national trips will run throughout the school year. These typically fall on designated academic breaks so we can travel to far-flung places and spend an extended amount of time in one area that has much more to offer that a single overnight would warrant. These trips offer a variety of unique experiences in our main realms of outdoor exploration: paddling, rock climbing, backpacking, and backcountry skiing. 

AY 2025-2026 Lineup

See below for the places we explored on break trips during the 2025026 academic year!

• Fall Break Weekend - Rumney, NH - Rumney Rock Climbing
• Thanksgiving Break - Moab, UT - Green River Canoeing
• February Break - Monticello, UT - Bears Ears Backpacking
• Spring Break - Mont Albert, QC - Chic Chocs Backcountry Skiing