Patrick Scanlan is the Program Director of the Backcountry Program at Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) in the western mountains of Maine. The Backcountry program is a unique program that exposes kids to incredible places while teaching them how to not just be active in the backcountry, but to do it safely.  They take incredible trips all over the world to rugged wildernesses to test themselves in environments that most people would shy away from.  Kids learn a blend of mountaineering, mountain safety skills as well as challenging themselves by skiing breathtaking lines.

To find out more and to check out CVA.: https://www.gocva.com/athletics/backcountry

Brent and Patrick also cover:

• State of mountain guiding in the United States. Increase of clientele during pandemic. Increase in general of people wanting to get out and explore. AMGA/IFMGA Certification versus un-certified guides. Un-regulated guide services. The US ethics versus other mountainous countries. https://amga.com/ ; https://ifmga.info/
• The climate crisis effect on the outdoor industry, glaciers, and mountain hazards and the organizations that are helping to find solutions:  https://protectourwinters.org/ ; https://communitysnowobs.org/ ; https://app.mountainhub.com/explore
• Diversity in the outdoor space.  A critical part of solving social and political division as well as addressing the climate crisis on a national and international scale.  https://www.kismetrockfoundation.org/ ; https://outdoorafro.com/ ; https://www.mountainproject.com/ ; https://americanalpineclub.org/other-grants

Patrick also supports and promotes the following organizations: 

• CVA
• EMS Climbing School https://www.emsoutdoors.com/
• SOLO Wilderness Medicine https://soloschools.com/
• White Mountain Avalanche Center https://mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/
• Support from https://www.blizzard-tecnica.com/us/en ; https://folkrm.com/ ; https://coros.com/