Our experience makes the difference.
Using the power of wilderness settings, we create customized, fun, safe and powerful adventure experiences that leverage the strength of communities, schools, programs, and families. Every detail is handled by BWE so that participants can take in the grandeur of the natural setting and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Founders and Lead Guides
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With more than 3,000 combined days of experience working in the field, Co-Founders John Winton and Lars Hall, have an impeccable safety record. And, better yet, they have received accolades from countless families and individuals whose lives have been profoundly impacted by joining with them on a wilderness adventure expedition.
John and Lars paths first crossed while they were working at one of the nation’s premier wilderness therapy programs for troubled teens. Years later, they met again at a therapeutic boarding school where they teamed up to facilitate the school’s Adventure Education Program and successfully facilitated and lead unique expeditions ranging from single-day trips to multiple-week adventures. They shared a vision of teaming up with vetaran guides and proffessionals to offer unique and meanigful adventure programming in awe-inspring environments.
John Winton
John has honed his skills as an outdoor leader and guide in some of the world’s wildest and most awe-inspiring classrooms. For 15 years he has facilitated and guided expeditions and experiences in a variety of settings ranging from the mountains to the sea and has logged more than 1500 days in the field working with adolescents and adults. John received his degree in Outdoor Recreation from Radford University, and after finishing training from the National Outdoor Leadership School Alaska has since worked with at risk teens and their families leading and directing creative experiences for wilderness programs and therapeutic boarding schools. John enjoys the numerous outdoor activities the Northwest has to offer. He can often be found rock climbing, sea kayaking, windsurfing, playing music, woodworking and skiing the pristine powder of Idaho’s backcountry.
Certifications:
- Wilderness First Responder
- Swift Water Rescue
- ACA Sea Kayak Instructor
- Professional Ski Instructors of America
- Avalanche Level 1
- Lead Climbing Instructor (18 years)
- American Red Cross Lifeguard
Lars Hall
Lars grew up in Massachusetts, but his heart and mind were always fixed upon the vast landscapes and mountains of the West. From a young age he was camping, fishing and embracing the wilderness. His passion for the outdoors led him to enroll in the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Leadership Semester in the Colorado Rockies. It was there that he discovered that he could build upon his childhood dreams, draw from his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Gettysburg College, and make a career out of working with people in the outdoors. And, for more than 14 years he has been doing just that. In his spare time, Lars can be found whitewater canoeing the many rivers found throughout the Northwest and he looks forward to the time when the snow begins to fall and he can put on his other hat as a member of the Ski Patrol team at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.
Certifications:
- Outdoor Emergency Care
- Wilderness First Responder
- Swift Water Rescue
- RCABC Canoe Tripping Instructor
- Professional Ski Instructors of America
- Avalanche Level 1
- Rope Rescue 1