Teton Challenge

Overview

A dozen Teton peaks reach over 12,000 feet, but above them all stands theGrand Teton, rising more than a mile above the valley of Jackson Hole. After backpacking in Yellowstone and kayaking the Snake River with the Grand in view, we’ll tackle one of America’s most famous climbs.

Our group will meet in Jackson and drive into Yellowstone National Park, our nation’s first national park, for two day hikes to warm up. Next we’ll head into the backcountry for nine days of backcountry hiking. Sweeping meadows, hot springs, picturesque lakes and incredible wildlife will surround us as we average nine miles a day on the trail.

After our backcountry hike in Yellowstone, we’ll enjoy a day on the Snake River, paddling inflatable two-person kayaks down exciting rapids. We’ll then attend two days of mountaineering school with the world-famous Exum Mountain Guides to learn the technical skills needed to climb the Grand Teton. Our dramatic ascent to the top of the Grand will take two days as we work together to reach the summit at 13,770 feet. With feelings of great accomplishment and pride from our summit of the Grand, we’ll head to Jackson to enjoy a final celebratory dinner as we look back on three exceptional weeks in Yellowstone and the Tetons. 

“We love the small groups and hands-on approach." Ellen McAllister, McLean, Virginia

Highlights

• Climb the Grand Teton (13,770 feet)
• Backpack Yellowstone National Park
• Kayak the scenic Snake River
• Attend Exum Mountaineering School

Grade

For students who will finish grades 10-12 in June 2012

Group is limited to 10 students

Call us (413-458-9672) to check on current availability

Challenge Level

9 (1-10, 1 is easiest)

Start and End Location

Starts and ends in Jackson, Wyoming

Accommodations

Of the 19 total nights:

• 10 are spent front-country camping in tents at established campgrounds in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. All front-country campgrounds have bathrooms and 3 of the nights have showers and laundry available.
• 8 nights are spent in the Yellowstone backcountry with no facilities.
• 1 night is spent inside at a private basic high-mountain hut owned by Exum.

Dates and Fees

3 Weeks

Sunday, June 24 to Friday, July 13

$4295 (airfare not included)

Itinerary

Days 1-3

After arriving in Jackson, our group will van into Grand Teton National Park to camp. We'll check our gear and go over the goals of the trip as we get to know each other. The next day, we'll travel into Yellowstone where we'll spend the next two days on introductory day hikes. These days are designed to build our fitness and warm up for the backcountry section of the trip. We'll just carry day packs on these hikes but we'll cover some miles and elevation.

Days 4-12

The next nine days we'll spend backpacking through the southeast section of Yellowstone National Park. Our exact route will depend on permitting and snow melt, but we'll likely start near Old Faithful and travel southwest towards Shoshone Lake, Lewis Lake, and Heart Lake. Much of our hike will be spent along the Continental Divide trail, a famous rugged path that bisects the country's Rocky Mountains from Arizona to Montana. We'll average around 9 miles a day on the trail as we hike a large point-to-point or loop route passing by thermal features, over historic plateaus, and by Yellowstone's meadows and lakes. Each night our group will camp at adjacent established backcountry campsites in tents.

Day 13

After hiking out and driving back down into Jackson for showers and laundry, we'll spend a day whitewater kayaking in inflatable two-person kayaks on the Snake River with professional guides. The rapids will be a fun and exciting break from the trail as we rest before tackling the Grand. We'll work with guides from Rendezvous Riversports and manuever through Class III and IV rapids.

Days 14-18

After kayaking, we'll have a day off in Jackson to rest and explore the area. The following morning, we'll start our days of mountaineering school with the world-famous Exum Mountain Guides. We'll work on belaying, rappelling, and climbing during our two days of multi-pitch climbing instruction that's required before attempting the Grand. On the 17th day, we'll meet our guides to hike and climb 5 miles and 7,000 feet to Exum's private hut on the Lower Saddle at 11,620 feet. The group will wake up early the next morning and start hiking in the dark before reaching the summit of the Grand in late morning. Depending on weather, snow cover, and the well-being of the group, the guides may decide to climb to the western summit of the Grand or turn back. The summit is a goal, not a guarantee!

Day 19

After descending, we'll have a final day in Jackson to celebrate our three weeks in Wyoming together spent hiking, backpacking, kayaking and climbing the Grand Teton.

Trip Details

This is a challenge trip. The backcountry will be strenuous and the Grand Teton climb will be physically and mentally demanding. Participants MUST have well broken-in boots and should prepare before the trip. While no previous rock climbing experience is required, students should be physically fit, prepared to learn technical, multi-pitch climbing and comfortable with heights.

See the Prepare & Pack section for packing list and training guidelines.

Photos

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Before You Go

• Enrollment Forms
• Expectations, Cell Phones & Electronics
• Prepare & Pack
• Travel Information
• Mail Stops
• Helpful Reminders

Apply Now

Thank You for Choosing Overland!

HOW TO APPLY

You have two choices. You can apply online with a credit card by clicking the link below.

Apply Online

Or you can download the 2012 Overland Application as a PDF (you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Then mail your completed one-page application and $795 deposit check to:

Overland
P.O. Box 31
Williamstown, MA 01267

For overnight mail via UPS or FedEx, please use our street address:

Overland
63 Spring Street
Williamstown, MA 01267

Applications are reviewed in the order in which they arrive at our office and we cannot hold spots over the phone.

WHEN TO APPLY

We receive our first applications in September; there is a steady flow all fall and then most programs fill in January and February. Some programs fill earlier; and others may have space available until later in the spring. Please call our office (413-458-9672) to check on availability.

WHEN WE RECEIVE YOUR APPLICATION

If your first choice is available, you will receive a phone call and an email containing our Enrollment Forms. If your first choice is not available, we will call you to confirm that your second choice is acceptable. If neither your first choice nor your second choices are available, we will call you to discuss options.

PAYMENTS & REFUNDS

A deposit of $795 is due with your application. Full payment is due on March 1st. For applications received after March 1st, full payment is due within 30 days of receipt of our confirmation email. Please note:

• If your child’s program choices are not available, your deposit will be returned in full.
• We do not accept credit cards for the final balance, only for the deposit of $795.
• If, upon our review of your child’s Enrollment Forms, the offer of a spot is withdrawn by Overland, a full refund of all payments to Overland will be made.
• If, at any point in the admissions process we determine that you have provided incomplete, misleading or false statements, we will withdraw the offer of admission and no refund of any payments to Overland will be made.
• If you withdraw your child before March 1st (notice of the withdrawal must be made in writing), $295 of the deposit is refundable.
• If you withdraw your child after March 1st, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever (including, but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, summer school, security concerns or any other reason).
• If your child leaves a program after it starts, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever, including, but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, dismissal by Overland (due to discipline, behavior, lack of fitness or motivation, etc.), security concerns or any other reason. Any costs incurred by Overland related to an early departure are the sole responsibility of the parents.

WAITING LISTS

We will notify all waitlisted applicants of their status in April.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ADMISSIONS

No other organization is more committed to putting together great groups of good students—students who are positive, enthusiastic, motivated, eager and considerate. To do this, over the course of the spring we ask the parents of every enrolled student to provide us with important information about their child including a detailed school reference and information from a physician on the student’s physical condition and medical history. In addition, every student completes a personal statement and our expectations and rules form. If, as a result of this process, we have concerns about one of our enrolled students, we will contact the parents and make an appropriate decision about the student’s participation. If the offer of a spot on a trip or program is withdrawn by Overland a full refund of all payments to Overland will be made.

EXPECTATIONS

Our programs are wholesome, structured experiences with strong leadership and high expectations of students’ behavior. Overland students are expected to be enthusiastic, positive, motivated, helpful and supportive of each other. Overland students understand that smoking, using any tobacco product, drinking alcohol or using any drugs (other than prescribed medications) is strictly prohibited. In addition, our students are expected to adhere to our no phone calls and no electronics policies.

COMMUNICATIONS

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU: We are committed to providing extraordinary support to the parents our students; to that end; the Overland office is staffed from 8am to 10pm seven days a week during the summer (after office hours our answering service provides emergency coverage). Our leaders in the field are in touch with our office regularly; they carry cell phones and/or satellite phones.

NO PHONE CALLS: Overland's programs offer the opportunity to strengthen independence and self-reliance. To maximize these benefits, we do not permit phone calls to or from our students (except in the case of an emergency). All students who fly to their Overland program will call home on arrival (using a leader's cell phone) to confirm that they have arrived safely. At trip end, students who fly home will call home (with their leaders' assistance) from the airport before departure.

EMERGENCIES: Parents can be assured that when it is important that a student talk with his or her parents, we will make sure that they are in touch as soon as possible.

CELL PHONES: Cell phones are not permitted on any Overland program. We understand why some parents would like their children to carry a cell phone with them on their flights to/from their Overland program. If you feel like it is necessary to send your son or daughter with a phone, we recommend that you purchase an inexpensive prepaid cell phone. Experience has shown us that despite taking precautions, a significant number of the cell phone we collect will be lost, damaged or stolen. Therefore, we take no responsibility whatsoever for phones brought by students and collected by our leaders at the start of a program.

NO PERSONAL ELECTRONICS

We do not permit personal electronics on our programs except for cameras. Students should not bring electronics with them on their flights. Electronics brought by students will be mailed home upon arrival at the student's expense.

MEALS

Each group buys, prepares and eats all of its meals together. The students, with their leaders' supervision, prepare all meals. While food is always plentiful and nutritious, meals reflect the limitations of group cooking and the students' preparation skills. While it is not possible for us to provide separate meals for vegetarians, vegetarians can expect to eat the same meals as the rest of the group but they can have the meat portion withheld. It is impossible for us to accommodate vegan or kosher diets.

FOOD ALLERGIES: If your child has a food allergy, please contact our office (413-458-9672) to discuss an appropriate placement as some of our programs are better equipped to handle food allergies than others.

REFERENCES

Please call or e-mail us at references@overlandsummers.com us for a list of references in your area or for a specific program.

OVERLAND GROUPS

We run multiple sections of most programs and take great care in putting together groups. Please see each program description for age and grade requirements. In the case of multiple groups, the groups will be further divided by adjacent grades.

TRAVELING WITH A FRIEND

We encourage students to come on their own. Traveling with one friend, however, is permitted (we do not accept groups of three). We will allow no more than two friend pairs per group, and these slots will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. We will not consider a request to travel with a friend until both applications and deposits are received. If you would like to travel with a friend, please write his or her name on the application.

PREPARING & PACKING

Comprehensive pre-program information and packing lists are available on our website. On each program page, click "Before You Go" and then "Prepare & Pack".

TRAVELING TO & FROM YOUR PROGRAM

Each program description provides start and end locations; families are responsible for making travel arrangements to and from these locations. Overland’s leaders will be on hand at the arrival and departure airports to provide supervision and assistance.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

Transportation to and from the start and end locations, spending money and personal gear are not included in the program fee. Overland provides group gear; students provide all personal equipment including bicycles, backpacks and sleeping bags. Students on bicycle touring trips in New England and Nova Scotia can rent bicycles and panniers from Overland.

ACCREDITATION & LICENSING

Overland is fully accredited by the nationally-recognized American Camp Association—a distinction earned by few of our peers. The ACA accreditation process reviews our overall program quality and our maintenance of over 300 safety standards. In addition, Overland is licensed by the Williamstown, Massachusetts, Board of Health and complies with 105 CMR 430.000 Chapter IV.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We recommend that all Overland families opt in to our travel insurance program since after March 1 all payments to Overland are non-refundable for any reason whatsoever (prior to March 1, $295 of the $795 deposit is refundable). For complete information about the travel insurance please go to: www.tripmate.com/wpF434B.

FINANCIAL AID

In 2011, Overland awarded over $95,000 in financial aid (an increase of over 45% from 2010). Awards range from $500 to $2,500 and generally cover between 10% and 50% of the program fee (excluding equipment and transportation costs). Visit our financial aid page to learn more.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Please don’t hesitate to contact us: 413-458-9672.