Testing 2026 Conference: Full Schedule

Main Conference: Tuesday, September 30 - Thursday, October 2, 2025

Preconference: Monday September 29 - Tuesday, October 30, 2025

8:00am EDT

Risk Management Training for Administrators

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:00am - 5:00pm EDT

Whether your program is small or large, wilderness based, or study abroad, you have the responsibility to your staff and participants to invest in risk management planning. Building a comprehensive risk management plan can feel daunting. Our goal is to provide you a structured approach and tools to build a risk management plan appropriate for your organization. We've spent more than 50 years managing risk in wilderness environments around the world, and we're always learning. Join us to connect and share your valuable experience with peer programs, and let us share our experience and lessons learned with you. If you are interested in participating in this training you must register by going to

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Oxford / Sommerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Preconference

8:00am EDT

Hybrid Wilderness First Responder Re-Certification

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:00am - 6:00pm EDT

Conneticut / Rhode Island

To register visit ADD
Course Overview
Our Hybrid WFR Recertification includes an online component in addition to the traditional scenarios and skills. The online pre-course work allows you to review the curriculum at your own pace, and focus on the hands-on element during your two days on course. The pre-course work must be completed by the course start date. Once on course, the scenario-based approach to recertification provides you the opportunity to test your skills against realistic situations. You'll practice and relearn wilderness medicine protocols, review evacuation and decision making guidelines, and receive the latest updates in wilderness medicine over the course of two days.

Successful course completion will earn the following NOLS Wilderness Medicine certifications:
Wilderness First Responder
Adult, Child, and Infant CPR & Airway Management
Epinephrine Auto-injector

Class Format: The course includes an online training portion to be completed prior to the 2 days of in-person training.

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:00am - 6:00pm EDT
Conneticut / Rhode Island Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Preconference

2:00pm EDT

Adventure Risk Research Symposium

Wednesday July 9, 2025 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

ONLINE

Join for the 7th annual Adventure Risk Research Symposium.

Learn from adventure risk management and outdoor safety researchers as they present their current research and peer reviewed articles ranging from across the globe. Researchers will share a broad array of new and very relevant topics. Here’s a snippet: Decision making in early-stage backcountry skiers and snowboarders | Practitioner needs identified from an analysis of 64 fatal outdoor and adventure program incidents | An examination of 30 years of Wilderness Risk Management Conference topics to the original 24 concerns first identified in 1994, The state of safety and risk management in India | Issues and potential resolutions surrounding mountain bike trail difficulty rating systems | Safety in scientific fieldwork and the potential application of methods from Wilderness Risk Management | An exploration of the impact of wildfires on outdoor and adventure program

Wednesday July 9, 2025 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
ONLINE ONLINE

Preconference

8:00am EDT

Befriending the Nervous System, a Body Centered Approach to Managing Difficult Situations

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm EDT

Massachusetts

Have you ever felt paralyzed by fear in the wilderness? Or felt the need to agree with others against what your intuition was telling you? Have you experienced a difficult or terrifying situation that has been hard to deal with, even months or years after the event? When crisis situations arise, our brains sense the stress and the nervous system reacts, often without our conscious input. These reactions may be unhelpful in a crisis. Instead, when we can connect - to our body, our environment and others - we will respond more calmly and effectively. Join a somatic practitioner in an experiential exploration of the nervous system and how we can harness its power to help us stabilize any situation in the mountains and beyond.

Speakers

Stacy Earlywine

Owner, Earlywine Structural Medicine and Somatic Experiencing

Stacy is a dynamic and engaging presenter with a passion for creating a safe space for anyone she works with. Her background is in movement, outdoor program management, bodywork and Somatic Experiencing. All of this, as well as her own trauma journey, blend together to provide a framework... Read More →

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Massachusetts Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04104

Preconference

8:00am EDT

Adult Mental Health First Aid Certification

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT

Cumberland / Kennebec

Do you want to help those in your community with mental health and substance use challenges, but have no idea how to start? Join us for an in-depth training to build the skills and confidence you need to make an impact. This course teaches the signs and symptoms of common mental health and substance use issues, how to begin a non-judgmental conversation about them, and what options there are for appropriate professional help and self-help to encourage, from early intervention through crisis situations. The content also provides tools to assist with self-care for the Mental Health First Aider. The tools learned can be applied not only to situations while adventuring with groups outdoors, but also with colleagues, family, friends, or with strangers. The sessions will consist of short presentations, activities (group and individual), discussions, videos, and scenarios (catered to the WRMC community). Participation in activities is highly encouraged but in a “challenge by choice” style. This is not therapy, nor training to become a therapist.We are expanding last year's WRMC Mental Health First Aid Certification Course to include actual self-care activities to enjoy together as a group, expanded discussions on how to apply MHFA to backcountry settings, and practical time to build what your learned in MHFA into your organizations framework. This is based on feedback from the 2024 conference. On day 1, we will have time built into the schedule for walks, bike rides, meditation, yoga, music. On day 2, our afternoon work session, after we complete the certification, will include exercises on admissions forms, organization culture, post-trip evaluations and incident response. Some new discussions peppered into the training will be things like satellite phones vs. emergency responders (Garmin inReach) - when to use each for mental health crisis situations, and how to utilize each.

Speakers

Natasha Buffo

Founder, MHFA Trainer, Writer, Dirt & Tears

Natasha Buffo is a former business analyst for Google, Inc. turned outdoor adventurer, community mental health facilitator, and creative non-fiction writer. She’s been a Certified Adult Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) for nine years. Since becoming an MFHA Instructor in 2021, she’s... Read More →

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT
Cumberland / Kennebec Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04103

Preconference

8:00am EDT

Family Liaison Officer

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT

York

This is an foundational class for people interested in the Family Liaison Officer position. The training will help to introduce the skills and develop the strategies for working with families/friends during and after incidents/accidents. FLO's are a critical element of Incident Command providing families support and information, while providing operations the insulation to focus on the mission at hand. It is a role that demands compassion, objectivity and strong communication skills.

Speakers

Moose Mutlow

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT
York Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04105

Preconference

8:00am EDT

Hybrid Wilderness First Responder Re-Certification

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT

Conneticut / Rhode Island

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT
Conneticut / Rhode Island Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Preconference

8:00am EDT

Risk Management Training for Administrators

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT

Oxford / Sommerset

Thursday July 10, 2025 8:00am - 4:30pm EDT
Oxford / Sommerset Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04119

Preconference

12:30pm EDT

Parent Phone Call Lab

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:30pm - 4:30pm EDT

Massachusetts

Phone calls with parents (or clients) can become so many different things; they can be opportunities and positive connection points, and they can also be pitfalls and significant stressors. This experiential and scenario-based workshop will give participants multiple opportunities to role play various phone calls as well as receive expert feedback and coaching from industry veterans. The 4-hour workshop will begin with a short didactic lecture, and then the bulk of our time together will be spent practicing through intentionally crafted scenarios. Participants will leave this session with an increased sense of confidence and several relevant and practical action steps.

Speakers

Paul Dreyer

Strategy Associate, Where There Be Dragons

A self-proclaimed “mercenary educator,” Paul has worked with numerous organizations (including Responder Alliance, NOLS, HMI, and various universities and colleges). Paul has worked throughout the world as a facilitator, presenter, coach, counselor, expeditionary leader, risk... Read More →

Kevin Porter

Partnership Program Director, Where There Be Dragons

Early in his career, Kevin moved to Kenya to consult for various NGOs, completing projects such as developing an inventory system for pharmacies and conducting needs assessments in remote communities. Kevin spent a decade with Rustic Pathways as their director of Global Program Operations... Read More →

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Massachusetts Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04104

Preconference

4:30pm EDT

Affinity Group Meet-Up

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Casco Bay

Stop by Casco Bay ballroom at 4:30pm to meet with the affinity group facilitators, as well as other attendees who are interested in connecting as a part of the LGBTQ+ or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Affinity Groups. This is a great chance to get more information about the affinity groups at the WRMC, and an opportunity to meet other attendees in a smaller group before the official kick-off to the conference at the Happy Hour.

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Networking Event, Affinity Group

5:00pm EDT

Exhibitor Showcase, Happy Hour, & Conference Kick-Off

Thursday July 10, 2025 5:00pm - 6:30pm EDT

Casco Bay

Enjoy this energizing event to kick-start your WRMC experience! Light refreshments provided and cash bar available. Network and learn from over thirty industry and professional partners and meet other attendees before the Opening Session.

Thursday July 10, 2025 5:00pm - 6:30pm EDT
Casco Bay Holiday Inn By the Bay:88 Spring St, Portland, ME 04123

Networking Event, General Session

Testing 2026 Conference

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