Imagine a classroom that literally has no walls, where materials are what the earth offers and students are taught about leadership, survival skills and respect for environment.  In 1965, American mountaineer Paul Petzoldt imagined and wanted such classroom that he founded the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).  He was already an instructor at the Colorado Outward Bound School during that time but felt like there should be a school that focuses on molding leaders and educators majoring in wilderness. 

It is NOLS’ mission to produce leaders that not only serve to teach people about outdoor survival skills but also leaders who attend to people and the environment.  In all its courses, the principle of Leave No Trace (LNT) is being taught.  The principle is based on the belief that when people explore the outdoors, they should not disturb nature and leave the area as they are.  Courses are taught in places like the Yukon Territory in Canada where courses in backpacking, mountaineering and canoeing are offered. The students meet real-life wilderness situations which makes learning truly first-hand and the experience memorable, and that the skills are absorbed as well as applied long after the courses are over.

The first school building was located at the Rise of the Sinks in Wyoming. NOLS had 100 students, all male, in its first year.  As with all beginnings of any venture, NOLS had to move and operate within limited equipment; their uniforms were surplus soldier gears from the Korean War.  Petzoldt started designing equipment and gears, perfecting them through trial and error.  Their popularity as a leadership school with niche target and their enrolment increased significantly when they were featured in a major publication and TV show.  This was in 1970.  By this time, the school has accepted female students and young male students 13-15 years old.