Blog
French American School of Puget Sound Checks In
The good folks at the French American School of Puget Sounds have arrived and will be joining us for an exciting course that goes for an epic hike along with some rafting and surfing added in for good measure. This group of adventurous students will certainly be kept busy over the next week. Stay tuned for more about how their course went and how they handled rafting, surfing and of course hiking! Tomorrow is the famed Rio Pejibaye!
Link Roundup!
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton made his way down to Costa Rica recently to speak about global warming, green economies and a variety of other environmental issues. Story here.
As the seasons around the world warm up (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) stories talking about the epic nature of cold weather sports tend to catch our eye just a little bit more. Story here.
For past couple of months we have been on a Toyota Hilux binge, lauding it for its durability and ability to float. However we also happen to be the proud owners of a Nissan pickup, which also has a variety of indestructible characteristics, including getting across the English Channel.
Alabama Gets to Work
The University of Alabama is currently joining us for an exciting custom course this week. The group has headed out to the Talamanca region, in particular the village of Amubri. There the group will be working with local schools in a variety of capacities including helping with construction and painting, teaching special programs to the students, as well as donating supplies and materials for the school children. We’re also confident some pick up futbol games will be had. This great and motivated group of students will be in the region for a week, and we can’t wait to welcome them back and hear about their service!
The students get their overview from Trey and Britten
Summer Staff!
As the summer months approach we are getting more and more excited to welcome our seasonal staff that will be helping out with our summer courses. So far we have some of the bios for the staff, take a look!
Amelia Garita
Hometown: Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica
Education: Business Manager in Sustainable Tourism
Amelia grew up near the highest mountains of Costa Rica, near the Chirripó National Park. Her passion for the mountains started when she was 11 years and has since escalated with the proximity to this national park. The magic, peace and tranquility that Amelia received while in the mountains was what led her to become a tour guide, now working throughout the mountains for 5 years. Amelia is a lover of diving, rafting, hiking and also a professional dancer of tropical music. Her studies focused on sustainable tourism.
Ame will join us this summer!
Kai Lorusso
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Education/Certifications: B.S. in Spanish from the College of Charleston, Open Water Lifeguard, First Aid and CPR, Certified by PASA as a Kiteboarding Instructor
With a passion for surfing since a young age, Kai is eager to share his experience and love for the sport with Outward Bound students while improving his Spanish Language skills in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Before joining the Outward Bound team Kai was pedaling a rickshaw in downtown Charleston while traveling through Latin America every chance that he had in order to surf and kiteboard. Kai spent his first two years out of high school traveling and competing in various kiteboarding competitions before deciding to go back to school and get a B.S. in Spanish from the College of Charleston. In addition to being a surfing and kiteboarding instructor, Kai enjoys sailing, fishing, camping, playing music with friends and being in the outdoors. Kai is very excited to be able to spend time in Costa Rica and share life changing experiences with the students and staff of Outward Bound.
Kai makes it look easy
Link Roundup
Hardest foot race on earth? I think so. 150 miles in the desert seems like something best left for someone else. Story here.
When was the last time the president of a country got out of their car and helped with a traffic accident, then ordered police to pursue a fleeing assailant? Just the other day in Costa Rica actually. Story here.
We have heard of some long voyages, however the trip this motorcycle made has got to be one of the craziest. Story here.
The Toyota Hilux has been working hard in Costa Rica for many years. However its also fully capable of working hard on the water.
New Staff Ahoy!
It has been a very busy week here at Costa Rica Outward Bound. Not only did we welcome some new canine friends to the team, but we also welcomed our new Web Design/Development & Semester Course Manager, Meag Tessmann.
Meag’s info:
Web Design and Development Manager & Semester Course Coordinator
Hometown: Racine, WI
Education: B.S. in Graphic Design, minors in Information Technology, and Art from University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Meag fostered a love for the outdoors in her teens after going on a leadership hike in northern Wisconsin. Since then, she has enjoyed outdoor trips around the US, Europe, South America, and the Caucasus. Recently, she lived in Armenia for two years with the U.S. Peace Corps, where she helped form her region’s first online newspaper and increased computer literacy. At Outward Bound, she’ll be working her magic to improve our website usability and to create pretty marketing materials.
She’s excited to improve her Spanish and salsa dancing skills in between balancing yoga positions and cooking delicious food while living the pura vida in Costa Rica.
Take a look at all the staff here!
The full communications team! We are very good looking.
Scouting Out Pavones
Costa Rican surfing has, at times, become a victim of its own success. Once sleepy and undeveloped towns have quickly turned into major population centers complete with every modern convenience and every modern scourge. One of the most attractive and spectacular allures of traveling to surf (especially so in Costa Rica) is the idea that one can find a spectacular location that is completely different than what is at home. It’s for this intrinsic desire to surf and enjoy the locations which others consider too far, too inaccessible or too inhospitable, that we scout new locations and explore the beaches where it’s still all about just enjoying the waves.
Even though Costa Rica is a very popular destination, there are still locations that do not see a lot of tourist visits and remain the secret of locals and expats alike. One of these locations certainly has to be Pavones. Located at the southern tip of Costa Rica, below the Osa peninsula, this secluded location has some famed surf as well as charming beaches that make it a perfect location for a surf course. In fact, we have made it a part of our Water and Wave course for this fall.
Program Director Trey recently headed down to Pavones along with instructors Sean and Britten in order to finalize plans for how courses would run at this location, as well as get some surfing in. Take a look below at some of the pictures they were able to snag while on the scouting mission.
Interested in joining us for a surf adventure? Learn more about our Surf Intensive courses offered this summer by clicking here!
Link Roundup!
Mountain biking is a very popular sport here. Taking the bikes onto the ski slopes is not a possibility here, and after watching this video, that is totally fine by us. Story here.
We do a lot of great stuff in the ocean. However after seeing this, we seem to barely scratch the surface. Story here.
A fascinating story about remote villages and the medical attention they so desperately need. Story here.
We will certainly be sure to have more on this later. The base recently discovered some new friends, and here is a taste of things to come.
It's a puppy!
The Greenjackets are Coming!
The river team here at Costa Rica Outward Bound recently took delivery of several shiny new Greenjackets from Astral Buoyancy. These versatile rescue jackets are made to work and offer a phenomenal array of features that any serious boater needs to have.
Danny training the Park Rangers on whitewater theory
Some of the features we like the most include the incredible range of motion and the plethora of options that are great for stowing gear, attaching tow lines/rappelling, and generally getting the job done well. Needless to say, we are extremely excited to get these versatile jackets to work on our courses and especially on the river!
Astral recently put out an awesome video explaining the features, take a look!
Tico Rangers Get Training
Instructors Danny and Diego recently headed off for some time in the jungle to help train the park rangers of Costa Rica. The training included methods for wilderness hikes, as well as practice for how to handle whitewater rescue situations. Take a look below at some of pictures from the training!
