MWS STAFF
Born and raised in Montana, I was lucky enough to spend my youth skiing, hiking, and climbing in many wild areas—from the Bears Paw to the Beartooth Mountains. Most of my professional life has been in wilderness education, primarily in the backcountry and in the Mountain West. I have instructed sea kayaking and climbing; worked in the wilderness with "at- risk" youth programs; and taught wilderness medicine courses for Aerie Backcountry Medicine both in the U.S. and abroad. During the winter, I am a professional ski patroller and avalanche rescue dog handler at Bridger Bowl. In 2006, my love of education and desire to keep learning led me to a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on place-based learning from the University of Montana. I live in Bozeman with my wife, young son, and two dogs, trying to scratch out time to ski, hunt, and climb between working and learning to garden.
JOSH OLSEN, Co-Founder & Program Director Emeritus
COLIN BURDSALL, Program Director
My time existing on planet earth has helped me realize a connectedness to the outdoors is imperative to the health and happiness of humanity. It’s hard to say whether I grasped that when I first learned how to start a fire with flint and steel, or witnessed towering Redwood trees while visiting my first National Park. Heck, it might’ve been while I was eating dirt and watching lizards in my childhood backyard. Either way, those outdoor experiences cultivated a desire to seek out, well, more outdoor experiences. Over time I’ve tried various recreational activities and outdoor challenges to pursue a deeper connection to wild places, but I noticed the connection always appeared in much quieter, less obvious moments. I feel driven to help young people find the same. Whether by pushing themselves physically or finding space to embrace the environment around them, I hope they’ll get a taste of how powerful that connection can be.
HAYDEN SIMON, Operations & Admissions Manager
I spent my childhood roaming the rolling green hills of Central Kentucky, splashing around in creeks, chasing lightning bugs and camping with my family. Early on, I shared my love for the outdoors as a camp counselor at summer camps and taking my younger sibling on mini adventures. My intro to much wilder places happened a bit later in life during a NOLS semester in Patagonia where I became captivated with place-based learning and gained a larger sense of what it means to be a human on this earth. I followed this passion into my bachelor’s degree, Environmental Sustainability at the U of Kentucky and Universidad Veritas in Costa Rica. Since college, I have led MCC trail crews in the woods, plains and, mountains of MT, ID, WY, and the Dakotas, including a summer working on remote trails in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It was there that I fell in love with Montana’s landscape and empowering young adults to do beautifully challenging things.
FIELD STAFF
ETHAN BOWEN, Returner
Growing up in a family that didn’t sit still, I had the pleasure of getting outside from a young age. Whether through a road trip across the West or just a good night in the woods, I have grown to love being outside and exploring our wild spaces. I moved to Montana 10 years ago and have come to love just about everything this beautiful state has to offer. Through backpacking, rafting, and climbing, I have slowly tried to find my way into all of the beautiful nooks and crannies that the big sky has to offer. My years as a raft guide, snowboard instructor, and recreationist have brought me so much joy helping people explore the outdoors. The opportunity to bring anyone and everyone into our natural world is second to none. Helping folks to find places they can connect to and continue to explore continues to get me stoked on outdoor education and empowering others outdoors.
ALEX CASPER, Returner
My first memories of the outdoors were always here in Montana. Spending my summers wandering through the Madisons & fishing along the Madison River gave me a deep love for the Northern Rockies. As a teen and young adult, I climbed, skied, rafted, and mountaineered through as much of the western United States as possible. I am goal oriented, determined, never able to sit still, and a diehard advocate for pushing my comfort zone. So, whether it is summiting cascade volcanoes, climbing multi-pitch routes, or whitewater kayaking, I always put my entire heart & soul into every adventure. While in college I studied Outdoor Leadership, and spent years being a raft guide and ski instructor. These endeavors have given me unforgettable experiences, memories, and a passion for teaching in the outdoors. Aside from playing outside, I also have a deep love for knitting, sourdough bread, bird watching, Nintendo, and hosting a girls night in.
RYAN PETERS, Returner
I was born and raised in the north woods of Minnesota, where I spent my youth camping, hunting, and fishing. As a teen, my first backcountry trip was to the pristine lakes of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness—a special place I return to each year. This trip was formative for me, and it led me to seek a life full of wild experiences. I moved West to Bozeman in 2014 with goals of climbing, skiing, and hunting Montana’s public lands. Fly fishing and elk hunting quickly became my focus, and I spent a few seasons guiding and traveling for these pursuits before finding MWS. I’ve been instructing here for the last 7 years, and a part of our ‘Backcountry Skills for Aspiring Hunters’ course since 2020. I really enjoy sharing elk hunting knowledge with our students. Above and beyond development of outdoor skills, my favorite part of the role is guiding young people in forming strong, supportive communities within their expedition teams. Traveling through wilderness in small groups like this is such a gift, and a wonderful opportunity for personal and interpersonal growth. I’m grateful to be here!