Susan Purvis, Wilderness First Responder Instructor

Saving Lives, One Course at a Time

Susan Purvis and Her Team Teach Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness First Aid, WFR Recertification Courses in Montana.

Founded by wilderness medicine specialist and best-selling adventure memoir author Susan Purvis, Crested Butte Outdoors launched in 1998 and expanded to Flathead Valley, Montana in 2007. CB Outdoors provides wilderness medicine, wilderness first responder, wilderness first aid, and avalanche courses for all experience levels. Learn to think critically during emergencies in unconventional settings and give your staff the skills and confidence to manage the unpredictable. Meet Susan and her team here. 

Read What People Are Saying About Our Wilderness Medicine Courses

“Along with my six colleagues, I just got back from the Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Course (WEMS upgrade). I just wanted to boast about this incredible course of instruction and the fantastic individuals who provided it. After 25 years of public service in the USSS, I have never been in a more comprehensive or professional class than the one provided by Ms. Susan Purvis and Mr. Jeff Isaac.”

– Member, United States Secret Service

Montana 2023 Spring & Summer Courses

Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness First Responder (WFR) + Recertification Courses 

All of our Wilderness Medicine Courses are Located near Whitefish, Montana

Need a custom course?

CBO is available to teach private courses at our location or yours. Two-day Wilderness First Aid and 5-day Wilderness First Responder Courses are the most popular courses we teach.  Please contact owner and lead instructor Susan Purvis at 970-596-2999 for more information.

 Wilderness medicine course schedule 2023 is up.

Book Your Wilderness Medicine Course Now For 2023!

Open Recertification Course
Sherpa guide training

About Crested Butte Outdoors (CB Outdoors)

We are based in Whitefish, Montana 30 minutes from Glacier National Park. CB Outdoors operates as an instructor-sponsor of Wilderness Medical Associates (WMA) and the American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education (AIARE). We are seasoned practitioners and expert instructors. We are also patrollers, mountaineers, sailors, skiers, hikers, and above all, your colleagues in the field. CB Outdoors offers practical, hands-on field-based learning. We offer courses in Whitefish, MT or at your personal location. Custom courses are available upon request.

Wilderness EMS Upgrade Course Susan Purvis
Search and Rescue Team Prepare for Carryout. Pinedale, Wyoming.

Wilderness Medicine Courses

We have twenty-three years of teaching hundreds of courses to thousands of students around the world. Crested Butte Outdoors is known for its positive, life-changing effects on students and organizations. CB Outdoors stands behinds its ability to empower students. We provide a safe environment for individuals to grow, learn to trust, develop leadership and communication skills and problem solve.

Wilderness Medicine Training
Alaska Ski Guide Training

Avalanche Courses

Crested Butte Outdoors teaches American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level 1 and Level 2 Recreational Avalanche courses through THE MOUNTAIN GUIDES–MONTANA. We believe in field base learning and our courses are held in the Flathead Valley, Whitefish, Montana. We offer mountain decision making and rescue skills, training with avalanche dogs and search dogs.

Glacier National Park Wilderness First Aid

Outdoor Adventure, Teamwork & Leadership

Ready for an outdoor adventure? You’ve come to the right place. Here are some common questions we are asked: What is my role when I go on a day hike?  Have I carefully selected and reviewed the participants in my group? What if one of our team members has a medical emergency? Who is in charge? How will I survive the night? How do I prevent hypothermia? What do I carry in my pack? Should I carry fire starter? Take one of our courses and soon you’ll stand confident in your decision-making skills. Our courses offer you a chance to gain experience and take control of your trip, your life, or situation.

Watch The Trailer For Susan Purvis’s Adventure Memoir, Go Find: My Journey To Find The Lost — And Myself.

Susan’s Book “Go Find”  Is Available On Amazon And At Local BookStores

Our Client List Includes:

• Points North Heli-Adventures
• Ted Turner Enterprises
Alpine Olympic Athletes
• Jackson Hole Mountain Guides
• Great Northern Powder Guides
• Whitefish School District
• Backpackers and Hikers
• Avalanche Dog Handlers
• Physicians who forgot what it’s like to practice medicine in the outdoors
• Glacier National Park
• Watsatch Backcountry Rescue
• Camp Koochiching
• Search and Rescue Teams Nationwide
• Grand Canyon Raft Guides
• United States Secret Service
• Mineral Exploration & Mining Companies
• Mountain Rescue Association (MRA)
• US Marines
• High Schools & Community Colleges
• Adaptive Sports Center Staff
• University of California Santa Barbara
• Professional Ski Patrollers
• Professional Ski Patrol /Nordic Patrol
• Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
• Lake Tahoe Nordic Patrol
• Crested Butte Search and Rescue
• Adventure Travel Trade Association
• Raytheon Antarctic Services
• American Mountain Guide Association
• American Institute for Avalanche Research & Education
• United States Geologic Survey
• Whitefish Review
• Camp Counselors
• Big Sky Search & Rescue, Montana
• Physicians who work in remote locations
• Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education (SOLE)
• Professional Mountaineers
• Adventure Travel Trade Association
• Native American Tribal Members
• Extreme Athletes & Climbers
• Flight medics
• Nursing & Medical Students
• Division of Wildlife Law Enforcement
• Teton National Park
• Tip Top Search and Rescue
• King County Search Dogs
• Department of Tobacco, Firearms, and Alcohol
• American Mountain Guide Association
• Professional Outdoor Photographers
• Katabatic Consulting, Antarctica
• Becoming An Outdoor Woman
• International Federated Mountain Guides Associations
• Middle Fork of the Salmon River Raft Guides
• Flathead Avalanche Center
• Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks
• Flathead Valley Community College
• Kenn Borek Air
• Girl Scouts of America Staff
• United State Forest Service Hotshot Crews
• BBC and Discovery Channels
• Mount Everest Sherpa Guides
• Search Dog Handlers
• Wranglers at Dude Ranches
• Agnico-Eagle Exploration Co.
• High school students
• Second Nature Wilderness Program
• Middle aged Americans who are still looking for something new
• Avalanche Educators and Professionals
• Colorado Mountain College
•National Park Service
• Bushwhacker Climbing Club
• Outward Bound
• Jackson Hole Search and Rescue Team
• Federal Bureau of Investigation

CNN Interview - Caring for K9's in extreme conditions

Susan Purvis - CNN Interview

CBO Expedition Medicine Antarctica

Going to Extremes

Avalanche - Search Dogs Saving Lives

Mountain Guides Montana

The Explorers Club - Rocky Mountain Chapter Meets The Explorers

Susan Works as Wilderness Medicine Specialist in Antarctica

Tip Top Search and Rescue in the NYT’s

For the past 15 years, Susan Purvis and her company Crested Butte Outdoors is the sole provider for Tip Top SAR Wilderness Medical Training. Susan is proud of the accomplishments of this amazing team as they save lives in the high country of Wyoming’s Wind River Range.

From The New York Times: Pandemic Wilderness Explorers Are Straining Search and Rescue

Inexperienced adventurers have flooded remote areas like Wyoming’s Sublette County during the pandemic. When they call for help, the task is left to an overwhelmed network of volunteers. Read the article here.