School of Lost Borders

What School of Lost Borders does

School of Lost Borders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by Steven Foster and Meredith Little, headquartered in Big Pine, California (Payahuunadü, Owens Valley), that delivers nature-based rites of passage programs rooted in the three archetypal phases of severance, threshold, and incorporation. Its core product is the Vision Fast — a multi-day solo wilderness ceremony — supplemented by four additional program branches: Training (guide development, including month-long intensives priced on a sliding scale from $3,500 to $9,000), Living and Dying (death-and-rebirth symbolic work), Living the Practices (daily-life integration of ceremonial perspectives), and International Programs (delivered through partner organizations such as Transalquimia in Spain). The underlying "technology" is methodological rather than digital: a proprietary curriculum stack including the Four Shields of Human Nature model, the Mirroring Practice, and the Vision Fast architecture, all delivered in-person by a collective of 50+ guides across basecamps in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Washington.

The organization's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, with participants registering 6–12 months in advance through the School's own website, supplemented by word-of-mouth referrals, a newsletter, and journal content. Revenue is generated through two streams: per-program tuition (sliding scale, one-time payment per program) and tax-deductible donations that fund a scholarship program ($27,000 granted in 2025, with 50% allocated to BIPOC participants). The School holds special use permits with the Pike San Isabel and Inyo National Forests, operates under a representational governance model adopted in 2020, and is governed by a Board of Directors and a three-person executive team (Strategic, Operations, and Relational Directors). Its primary customer segments are adults seeking life transitions, youth and young adults, LGBTQ2IA+ participants, veterans, gender-specific cohorts, and guide trainees — all served via individual enrollment rather than institutional contracts.

Name

School of Lost Borders

Legal name

School of Lost Borders

Website

https://schooloflostborders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Short description

School of Lost Borders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 in Big Pine, California, that delivers nature-based wilderness rites of passage programs (vision fasts, guide training, living-and-dying practices) to individual adult participants across multiple U.S. states and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Experiential Education / Wilderness Rites of Passage

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental Interpretation & Ranger-Led Education Programs (Visitor Education) (THAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Wilderness rites of passage
• Nature-based programs
• Vision fast ceremonies
• Adult experiential education
• Transformative wilderness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Big Pine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition and Fees: Revenue from vision fast programs, training programs, and living practices programs. Sliding scale pricing model with tuition ranging from $3,500 to $9,000 for month-long training. Additional fees for camping and deposits apply.
2. Donations and Scholarships: Tax-deductible donations from individual donors supporting scholarship programs. In 2025, $27,000 in scholarships were granted, with 50% going to BIPOC participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

School of Lost Borders delivers nature-based rites of passage programs for personal transformation, life transitions, and guide training. Core offerings include the Vision Fast wilderness solo ceremony, multi-week guide Training intensives, the Living and Dying curriculum, Living the Practices daily-integration programs, and International programs delivered through partner organizations and trained guides. Programs operate in wilderness settings across multiple U.S. states and select international locations.

Product overview

School of Lost Borders is a non-profit organization offering nature-based rites of passage programs. The organization provides five interconnected program branches: Vision Fast (core ceremony involving wilderness solitude), Training (guide development programs), Living and Dying (death and dying practices), Living the Practices (daily life integration), and International Programs (global expansion). Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Big Pine, California, the programs follow anthropological three-phase rites of passage structure (severance, threshold, incorporation) and operate primarily in wilderness settings across California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vision Fast Nature-based rite of passage ceremony involving 3-4 days alone in wilderness with minimal food, structured around three archetypal phases (Severance, Threshold, Incorporation), for individual participants marking significant life transitions.
• Training Programs teaching participants how to guide rites of passage and support their communities, including two-week trainings, month-long intensives, mirroring training, and the Four Shields of Human Nature curriculum; sliding scale tuition $3,500-$9,000 for the month-long training.
• Living and Dying Curriculum exploring living and dying practices, including symbolic death work, hospice wisdom, and initiatory processes focused on the dying-in-between-rebirth cycle for individual participants and professionals.
• Living the Practices Programs integrating ceremonial perspectives into daily routines, life, and work, including The Four Shields, Solo Time in Nature, Nature as Teacher, and Storytelling and Mirroring practices.
• International Community & Programs Global expansion of rites of passage offerings through partnerships with international guides and organizations in countries including Spain, supporting vision fasts and month-long trainings worldwide.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and supporting.

• TransalquimiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Transalquimia's Retreat Center in Northern Spain (Les Guilleries Park) for month-long training programs and nature-based rites of passage. The School supports international guides to offer wilderness rites of passage in their countries through this collaboration. Programs include month-long training (April-May 2026) and Great Ballcourt Initiation (May 2027).
• TrailhavensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Trailhaven for nature-based rite of passage programs in Spain (Pyrenees), with School of Lost Borders guides Kelly McClelland and Will Scott leading a 10-day program including 3-day solo ceremony.
• Youth Passageways/Restoring LifewayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe School has adopted Youth Passageways'/Restoring Lifeways' Cross Cultural Protocols (CCP) for Rites of Passage work as a powerful resource and map for cross-cultural work and ceremony.
• International Wilderness Guides CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe School is a sponsor of the International Wilderness Guides Council Gathering, founded by co-founder Steven Foster in 2001. These cross-cultural gatherings continue in various countries worldwide.
• German Speaking Guides CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe School supports international guides through training and mentorship resources including the German Speaking Guides Council as a good resource.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rites of Passage Journeys: Offers wilderness-based rites of passage programs for youth, adults, and families including vision quests and initiation ceremonies; overlaps with School of Lost Borders on core wilderness rite-of-passage practice and target audiences.
• Animas Valley Institute: Colorado-based wilderness rites of passage organization offering vision fasts, guide trainings, and nature-based initiatory programs. Directly comparable in mission, methodology, and customer base to School of Lost Borders.
• Youth Passageways: Network and resource organization supporting youth rites of passage work; partner of School of Lost Borders on cross-cultural protocols and overlapping in youth vision fast / initiation programming.
• Wilderness Reflections: Boutique wilderness therapy and rites of passage practice offering solo wilderness experiences and integration work for adults; comparable in nature-based solo ceremony format to School of Lost Borders' Vision Fast.
• Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School: Nature-based wilderness skills and primitive living school offering experiential programs in tracking, survival, and nature connection; overlapping outdoor education and personal transformation positioning.
• 8 Shields Institute: Organization promoting nature-based cultural mentoring and connection-based community design, with strong overlap in nature-connected mentoring frameworks and adult programming.

Broad incumbents

• Naropa University: Buddhist-inspired university offering contemplative education, somatic and nature-based programs; overlapping adult learner audience interested in transformative and nature-connected education, though broader in scope.
• Wilderness Therapy Programs (e.g., Second Nature Wilderness Programs): Wilderness therapy providers offering extended outdoor therapeutic experiences for adolescents and adults; comparable in wilderness-based personal transformation work, though focused on clinical/therapeutic outcomes.

Emerging players

• Nature Awareness School / Kamana Program: Independent nature awareness and naturalist training programs serving adults seeking structured nature-based learning journeys; partial overlap in adult nature-based experiential education.

Regional players

• Easton Mountain: Retreat center offering men's personal development and transformative programs including nature-based and wilderness-adjacent experiences; overlaps with School of Lost Borders' men's programs and adult life transitions focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lostborders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/school-of-lost-borders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about School of Lost Borders