John Jacobs

John Jacobs is Senior Faculty Instructor with WMA, having accrued over 2200 instructional days, and well over 500 courses taught of varying types (including over 200 WFR courses)- he also served on WMA’s Faculty Committee for 5 years, assisting with program development and instructor training. There are very few wilderness medicine instructors anywhere that exceed his kind of course experience. John obtained his WEMT certification over 30 years ago, related to his work with mountain rescue, where he served in varying roles such as Operations Leader, Vice President, and Training officer. He also served as an NPS volunteer climbing ranger on Denali at the 14,000’ basecamp.

John also has extensive experience in the outdoor and adventure education industry- he worked with the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School’s High Sierra Mountaineering and Rock Climbing program, in roles ranging from instructor to Course Director to Program Director. John has owned and managed outdoor programs such as Wilderness Outings (provider of backpacking, rock climbing and navigation courses), and currently owns and operates Adventure Risk Management, provider of specialized training for outdoor professionals, consultation, and of course, wilderness medicine courses. John has also served in capacities ranging from board member to risk management committee member with several outdoor education institutions.

John’s personal interests and background have been mountain-oriented, with extensive hiking, climbing and backcountry skiing achievements, ranging from long distance backpacking (i.e. Pacific Crest Trail), as well as all disciplines of climbing including big walls in locations such as Yosemite and Baja California, and numerous mountaineering objectives in the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Mexico, and the Alaska Range.

This exceptional background of SAR, multi-discipline mountain and climbing skill, and deep instructional experience makes John one of the strongest wilderness medicine instructors to be found anywhere.