Backcountry Symposium 2025

Outdoor recreation is a gateway to the natural world — and, often, to environmental stewardship. (The more time you spend outside, the more you might want to protect it.) But the study of “recreation ecology” shows those pursuits can also have lasting impacts on wildlife, vegetation and soils. How can land managers mitigate the effects and still maintain backcountry access to the wild places people love?e love?

Deep in the backcountry, and far away from cell service , satellite communication devices let users call for help with an emergency “SOS” signal. The resulting dispatch can bring critical help to an injured party, but it can also misdirect resources if someone hits the button on accident (or in a nonemergency situation). Greg Shaffran, vice president of Mountain Rescue Aspen, offers the rescuer’s perspective on an emergency dispatch.

GPS apps like Strava, OnX and AllTrails are ubiquitous in the outdoors community, both a form of social media and a resource for backcountry access. It’s a boon for building community — just look at a Strava club like Roaring Fork Runners, with more than 400 members — but it can also foster a competitive culture and expose “secret” trails. How can we use these apps as a resource, and what does it mean to use them responsibly?

Back in the 1960s, a secluded “base camp” near Marble became home to the very first Outward Bound courses in America. It’s been a hub of outdoor education for decades, with cabins and facilities nestled into a grove of aspens. And now, it’s entering a new chapter. Anjanette Garcia, of Aspen Valley Land Trust, explains why the conservation nonprofit bought the Marble Base Camp from the Colorado Outward Bound School in 2023 and outlines AVLT’s vision for the future of a treasured property.

In the eyes of outdoor educators, resilience and “roughing it” go hand-in-hand, teaching real-world skills while introducing young people to the backcountry. Join students and organizers alike for a conversation on the history of these wilderness programs — and how experiential education is evolving to meet the current moment.

From pre-trip checklists to decision-making in the field, it takes both knowledge and practice to make sure you’re equipped for backcountry safety. The Wilderness Medicine Reference app, designed for recreational outdoor enthusiasts and professionals alike, serves as a digital guide to hone those skills with as much information and material as a thick reference book. App founder Kaen Lapides explains how it can help users respond to illness and injuries in the outdoors — and, crucially, prevent those incidents in the first place.