Outdoor Adventure Study Abroad Program
Leave the traditional classroom behind for a semester and join us on a four month adventure exploring Yosemite, Ecuador and Patagonia all while earning 16-18 academic credits.
Founded in 2007, the Summit Adventure Semester Program is a Christ-centered semester abroad spent learning, serving and exploring through classes, service work, home stays, & urban exploration. Students acquire outdoor skills in mountaineering, backpacking and rock climbing while embarking on adventures in Yosemite, Ecuador and Patagonia. But, you don’t need to have any prior outdoor experience in these areas to join us!
The program is designed for college students and gap year participants. Academically, it includes courses in Leadership, Communication, Spiritual Formation, Cross-Cultural Ministry, and Outdoor Physical Education. Students can obtain between 16-18 academic credits that can be transferred to other colleges and universities.
Applications are OPEN for Spring & Fall 2021
SPRING 2021 APPLICATION DEADLINE – November 30, 2020
Have questions about how COVID will affect the Spring Semester? Send us an email at Ari@summitadventure.com
This college semester abroad program is the opportunity of a lifetime. Serve in developing nations, climb to 19,000’ in the Andes, backpack and ski in Yosemite National Park, trek and rock climb in Patagonia, all while learning about each experience from a Christian academic perspective. You’ll gain 16-18 transferrable credits while experiencing a life-transforming semester.
When you’re not taking classes in Ecuador, living with an Ecuadorian family, or exploring Patagonia, you’ll get to live in Summit Adventure’s base camp, a beautiful cabin in the Sierra mountains.
This semester is rigorous in its demands–academically, physically, and spiritually. But the effort makes it all the more rewarding. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Itinerary
6 weeks at basecamp in Bass Lake, California
Orientation, syllabi, and academic explanation, classes 4 days a week, weekend mini-expeditions, community service with Boys & Girls Club Oakhurst and local churches, living in community at basecamp, and 15-day backpacking expedition in the High Sierra.
4 weeks in Ecuador
This college semester program will take you abroad. First to Ecuador! Experience a 10-day homestay with an Ecuadorian Family, serve at Remanso de Amor and the Happiness Foundation, exploring Quito and surrounding cities, high-altitude hiking, backpacking and mountaineering, periodic concentrated class times
2 weeks in Argentine Patagonia (may be affected by COVID)
3-4 days of trekking, 1-2 days of mission work, and a 2-day overnight hike to a spectacular crag called the Frey, opportunities to explore in the beautiful town of Bariloche, Argentina. Currently Argentina is closed to international travel because of COVID. While we are hoping this will change within the next few months, if we are not able to travel to Argentina, we will spend a total of 6 weeks in Ecuador.
3 weeks Expedition-Style
1 week expedition planning, 14-18 days Sierra expedition–backpacking, rock climbing, backcountry navigation, outdoor living skills.
1 week of Transition and Semester Culmination before Re-entering “Home”
COVID-19 & The Semester Program
While we do anticipate being able to travel to Ecuador and Argentina in March and April of 2021, we are closely monitoring the development of COVID-19 in these countries and how it might affect travel and the safety of our students. In the event that we can not travel internationally, we have a “plan B” domestic program. We’ll paddle through the canyons of Utah, traverse the Sierras, scale the granite walls of Yosemite and embark on other mountaineering endeavors in the Pacific Northwest! No matter what happens in this time of uncertainty we are confident we can create a semester of learning and adventure you will never forget. This is the perfect time to take a gap semester, while life on college campuses is so strict. Check out our semester schedule below! If you have any questions, email Ariella Carter at Ari@summitadventure.com (559) 642-3899.
Prospectus
Immersion programs, service learning, and outdoor adventure are state-of-the-art pedagogical tools that attract and develop today’s college student. In the hands of skilled experiential educators, these approaches to interpersonal and academic growth are unparalleled, and are what make Summit’s college semester abroad program unique.
Since the fall of 2007, Summit Adventure has woven service learning and outdoor adventure into an off-campus college program designed to develop relationship-building Christian young adults. We call this innovative Christ-centered program our College Semester Program.
The semester will be based in California’s High Sierra, the cities and mountains surrounding Quito, Ecuador, and Patagonia. Thousands of students over the years have come to Summit Adventure demonstrating a lack of proficiency in leadership, interpersonal communication, cross-cultural awareness, spiritual growth, and physical fitness.
As a result, we are focusing our semester program on these five competencies through the courses listed below. We call these 3-credit courses “pillars” because they are foundational to a student’s ability to build relationships in ministry and life.
Semester Program Academic Pillars
In this course, you will study small group behavior and interpersonal communication within the contexts of current theory, praxis, and Christian community. Course content includes the study of group dynamics, small group leadership, conflict resolution, non-violent communication, and the application of interpersonal interaction theories. Learning occurs in small group travel in mountains, rural settings, and international venues via class discussion, practical experiences, and communal living.
Patagonia Trekking and Service
Frequently Asked Questions
High Sierra Expedition
Click Here to Apply for the College Semester Progam
Click here for more info on the Semester Program!