Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)

Name

Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)

Legal name

Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Inc.

Website

https://boss-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wilderness Survival Education

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Survival Skills Lessons (Bushcraft, Navigation, Foraging) (THAJAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Wilderness survival courses
• Outdoor education programs
• Primitive living skills
• Wilderness survival school
• Experiential outdoor training

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition: Primary revenue stream from wilderness survival courses ranging from 7 to 28 days. Pricing varies by course length and type, with 7-day courses starting at $2,620 and 28-day courses at $6,590.
2. Gear Store Sales: E-commerce sales of survival equipment including knives, blankets, clothing, compasses, water bottles, and instructional books. Products sold through own online storefront.
3. College Credit Program: Partnership with Western Colorado University Extended Studies program allows students to earn up to 3 semester credits for course completion, with per-credit fees paid to the university.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) operates immersive wilderness survival courses in Southern Utah, ranging from 7 to 28 days, teaching primitive living skills such as friction fire-making, shelter construction, navigation, foraging, hide tanning, stone tool construction, and large animal processing under a minimalist 'Know more, carry less' philosophy that prohibits tents, sleeping bags, stoves, and modern technology on field courses. The organization also operates an e-commerce gear store selling survival equipment, apparel, and instructional books, and partners with Western Colorado University to offer up to 3 semester credits for course completion.

Product overview

Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit wilderness survival education organization founded in 1968, offering immersive survival courses in Southern Utah. The core product portfolio consists of Field Expeditions (7, 14, and 28-day formats) as the signature offering, complemented by specialized programs including Women's Field Expedition, 50+ Focused Field Expedition, Hunter Gatherer (advanced primitive living), Primitive Skills courses (7 and 14-day basecamp skills), and Wilderness Navigator. The company also operates a Gear Store selling branded apparel, knives, survival equipment, and course-required gear. Additional revenue streams include tuition assistance programs, shuttle services, and a Western Colorado University partnership for college credit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Field Expedition BOSS's signature survival course available in 7, 14, and 28-day formats in which students travel through Southern Utah's wilderness with minimal gear (blanket, poncho, knife) and learn fundamental wilderness survival skills, with no tents, sleeping bags, stoves, or modern technology allowed.
• Women's Field Expedition All-women version of the 14-day Field Expedition, led and staffed by women, preserving the same travel style, gear list, and wilderness skill progression as the standard expedition.
• 50+ Focused Field Expedition Peer-group 14-day expedition designed for participants 50 years or older, with adjusted pacing and recovery while maintaining the classic BOSS challenge and minimalist travel style.
• Hunter Gatherer The most immersive and challenging BOSS course, a 14-day program ($4,380) teaching students to live exclusively with what nature provides for 9 days using only stone-age tools they craft themselves.
• Primitive Skills Skills courses available in 7-day and 14-day formats teaching traditional survival skills including fire building, shelter construction, trapping, and foraging in a basecamp setting with provided rations.
• Wilderness Navigator 14-day intensive navigation course teaching advanced map-and-compass skills for backcountry travel through rugged Southern Utah terrain, culminating in a three-day solo navigation challenge.
• BOSS Shuttle Service Round-trip shuttle service from Holiday Inn & Suites Salt Lake City Airport West to BOSS campus at 615 North Highway 12, Boulder, Utah, for $300 round-trip or $150 one-way, departing 6:30am Sundays.
• College Credit Program Partnership with Western Colorado University's Extended Studies program allowing students to earn up to 3 semester credits (recorded as ROE 397, Special Topics in Recreation and Outdoor Education) for course completion, enabling acceptance of 529 college savings plan funds and AmeriCorps Education Awards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ years of continuous operation as premier wilderness survival school
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Western Colorado UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOSS partners with Western Colorado University's Extended Studies program to offer college credit for all courses. Students can earn up to 3 semester credits (recorded as ROE 397, Special Topics in Recreation and Outdoor Education). Per-credit fees are paid directly to the university. This partnership also enables acceptance of 529 college savings plan funds and AmeriCorps Education Awards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School): Largest and most established US wilderness education provider, offering multi-week expedition courses. Comparable to BOSS in field-based outdoor pedagogy and adult learner focus, but operates at far greater scale with broader backcountry leadership curriculum beyond primitive survival.
• REI Outdoor School: REI's nationwide outdoor skills class program offering short-format courses in hiking, navigation, and wilderness travel. Overlaps with BOSS at the entry-level skills instruction level but serves a more casual, mass-market learner at lower price points.
• Outward Bound USA: Iconic nonprofit outdoor education organization offering multi-day wilderness expeditions for youth and adults. Comparable to BOSS in experiential wilderness pedagogy and 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure, but with a much broader program portfolio (sailing, rock climbing, service learning).

Direct peers

• Willow Haven Outdoor (Creek Stewart): Indiana-based survival school offering survival courses and survival kits under survival expert Creek Stewart. Comparable to BOSS in delivering structured multi-day survival instruction plus an adjacent gear e-commerce business.
• Mountain Shepherd Adventures: Virginia-based survival school offering multi-day wilderness survival courses. Directly comparable to BOSS in format (intensive multi-day field courses), target customer (adult learners seeking survival skills), and pricing model (premium per-course fees).
• Tracker School: Founded by Tom Brown Jr., Tracker School is one of the most recognized wilderness survival and tracking schools in the US. It shares BOSS's bushcraft, tracking, and primitive living curriculum focus and serves a similar adult personal-growth audience with multi-day immersive courses.
• True North Survival Training: Midwest-based survival school teaching core wilderness survival skills in multi-day formats. Directly comparable to BOSS as a small, instructor-led wilderness survival education provider targeting adult personal-growth customers.
• Sigma III Survival School: Survival school focused on primitive and modern wilderness survival skills, including tracking and bushcraft. Comparable to BOSS in curriculum scope (multi-day intensive field instruction) and target market (adult learners).
• Earthwalk Northwest: Pacific Northwest survival school offering multi-day wilderness survival courses. Comparable to BOSS as a regionally focused direct competitor in the primitive skills / bushcraft school segment with similar course lengths and instructor-led field formats.
• Pathfinder Wilderness Survival School: Northeast US-based survival school teaching primitive and modern survival skills through multi-day courses. Comparable to BOSS in its core offering (wilderness survival instruction) and use of adult experiential learning format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BossSurvivalSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/SurvivalSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boulder-outdoor-survival-school-boss-
• Instagraminstagram.com/boulderoutdoorsurvivalschool

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 Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)