FAQ

Learn more about our health and safety in our Participant & Family Handbook

Absolutely!  Women’s Wilderness offers a robust financial aid program.  Find out more and apply here.  Please note, we do not offer financial aid for all programs. It will be listed in each course’s description if we do.

This varies between courses and programs. 

Our Trailblazers program does not offer refunds, as your registration cost will be counted as a donation.

Girls Lead for Life and Outdoor GIRLS are free programs, so refunds don’t apply.

Our Youth and Adult Open Enrollment courses have different refund policies, which are included in the registration forms and Participant + Family Handbooks.

That depends on you and your group mates!  Typically, groups hike between 2-7 miles per day depending on age and trip length.  Women’s Wilderness encourages participants to take leadership of their own experience.  Often, instructors will offer a few route options for the day and allow the group to choose from those options. We encourage people with all body shapes and sizes and fitness levels to join. 

 

We cater to all abilities, so rock climbing can be as hard as you want it to be, but can also be relatively mellow. Our courses are very safe. All of our rock climbing guides carry a minimum certification as a Single Pitch Instructor through the American Mountain Guiding Association.  Our rock guides give youth participants a chance to challenge themselves on beginning level climbs; adults will challenge themselves on beginning and intermediate level climbs.  All participants are belayed (on a rope) during their climb.

We typically have a zero-technology policy for our youth students. Instructors carry satellite phones on every course that can be used in case of emergency. We encourage participants to unplug during the course in order to foster greater community and connectivity with the experience. By the end of the course, almost all of our participants express how good it felt to disconnect and not be scrolling through social media. It may be uncomfortable at first, but trust us, it feels good at the end!

Yes, you can bring a camera – as long as it’s not attached to a phone, iPod, or tablet.  Old-school digital, film, or disposable cameras only. Note that instructors will take pictures during the course to share with participants and families afterwards. 

We do not give updates while programs are in session- no news is good news. At the end of the course, staff will share pictures and a program summary via a Google Drive folder.

Definitely! We encourage it! If you decide to come with friends, be prepared to interact with all your groupmates, not just the ones you already know. Instructors will intentionally shape group activities in order to avoid cliques from forming. 

In most cases, you do not need any prior experience. Our courses are designed for beginners and experienced outdoor people. Participants often get the chance to influence routes and plans for the day, so programs can easily fit the experience level of the group. Some courses (such as Gym to Crag rock climbing) assume you have some previous experience. It will always be noted in the course description if you need to have any particular experience. 

Yes, you can. Please note that instructors will go through all participant gear at the beginning of the program to ensure that it is appropriate for outdoor activities.

Women’s Wilderness has LOTS of gear that participants can borrow for the duration of their course, free of charge. This includes: tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, warm clothing, rain layers, backpacks, helmets, harnesses, climbing shoes, hiking books, etc.

That depends on how long your course is. The Admissions Coordinator will work with you and your family to help complete the required paperwork. Email registration@womenswilderness.net with questions.

Yes. Our women’s, girl’s and youth programming is open to anyone who identifies as woman, female, femme. This includes cisgender, transgender, and non-cisgender women. We also welcome any gender-non-conforming and non-binary individuals who are comfortable and want to participate in female spaces. 

If there is anything pertaining to your gender or gender performance that you would like us to know, please contact us at registration@womenswilderness.net.

We can accommodate almost all dietary restrictions including many anaphylactic allergies.

All Women’s Wilderness are trained Colorado Medicine Administrators. Instructors will collect all medications (both prescription and OTC) from parents/caregivers at drop off. Instructors will carry and administer all participant medications for the duration of the course. The Admissions Coordinator will talk to you about medication requirements.

Getting your period during a course is totally normal! Instructors will have a conversation with the group about backcountry hygiene and have to stay healthy on your course. Menstruating in the backcountry is very manageable and should not deter you from enrolling.

Email info@womenswildernses.org or text or call 303-938-9191 M-F 8-5pm MST.