Parent Review of Winter Skills Instructor Internship and Outdoor Adventure Guide Diploma programs

As a parent of two kids who participated in Timberline programs, I can't recommend it enough. One of my sons completed the two-year Outdoor Adventure Guide program, and the other did the Winter Skills Internship program - and it was just the right thing for them both.

My older son went with the intention of doing a gap year and stayed for the two-year program. While in the program, he worked as a ski instructor and a via ferrata guide, in addition to all of the Timberline training and expeditions. He has now lived in Alaska for the past 3 years, working as a ski patroller in the winter, and a glacier hiking guide in the summer. Timberline gave him the confidence and training he needed, and fueled his love of the outdoors, allowing him to turn it into a lifestyle he loves.

Just this past winter, my younger son completed the internship program and worked as a ski instructor, while learning skills and earning certifications through the program. Timberline was the perfect reset for him after high school, and he is now prepared and excited to start college in the fall, armed with a new set of skills and self-assuredness.

Though pursuing different paths, they both got a fantastic foundation at Timberline, and made lifelong connections. The growth we saw in both of them was incredible. Timberline offers an on-your-own type experience for their students, but with a safety net of a team always there to help. They live in apartments with other students, cooking their own meals and adulting. And the fact that it's all in Banff - what more can you ask for?

I would (and have) whole-heartedly recommended Timberline to any parent with a kid who loves the outdoors.