The CU School of Medicine has played a pivotal role in shaping wilderness medicine curriculum here in Colorado, offering various wilderness medicine courses and certifications through its Wilderness & Environmental Medicine section.

Under that umbrella, the school has partnered directly with the 10th Mountain Division Hut 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, and they also provide an opportunity for students to earn their Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Certificate.

The 10th Mountain WFA courses are taught by expert university faculty and offer the unique aspect of hosting classes at a backcountry hut, which provides the perfect setting to learn the specific curriculum and practice real-life backcountry scenarios.

Some of the topics covered in the 10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid course include: patient assessment, head injuries, spinal injuries, patient movement, wounds and burns, altitude, frostbite, heat and lightning, immersion, search and rescue processes, and much more…

“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.”

—Meagan Rivers.

The 10th Mountain Wilderness First Aid (WFA) courses are available three times this winter:

• December 10–12, 2025
• January 9–11, 2026
• January 23–25, 2026 

Each course takes place at the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut, and involves skiing to and from the hut, in addition to the course work.

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 15 & 16, 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.