Season Wrap Up for BIMS

2026 has been a remarkably productive year for the Backcountry Incident Management School! Thanks to your dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to share your knowledge and experience, we achieved milestones that would have been hard to imagine when the school began just a few years ago.

2026: A Year of Record-Breaking Growth

This year, BIMS delivered five classes, the most in the school's history, with three in Golden, one in Fort Collins, and one in Boulder. We graduated 32 students, another all-time record!

The growth over the past five years tells the story:

• 2022: 3 graduates
• 2023: 9 graduates
• 2024: 14 graduates
• 2025: 21 graduates
• 2026: 32 graduates!

That's 79 graduates over five years, with the school continuing to expand its reach and positive impact across the Colorado Mountain Club.

Most importantly, this year's accomplishments would not have been possible without our 33 instructors. Whether you taught one class or several, helped refine the curriculum, shared your field experience, supported students as they worked through challenging scenarios, or acted as the patient, you made a meaningful contribution. BIMS is built on the strength of this team, and I am deeply grateful for everything you do.

Recognizing Our Instructor Team

A special thank-you to those who stepped up to teach multiple classes this year:

• Four classes: RA Burrell
• Three classes: Jeff Lickenbrock, Dimitri Poppeliers, and Peter Szatkowski
• Two classes: Louise Campbell-Blair, Hattie Dunton, Tim Lane, Linda Lawson, Sharon Margraf, Kevin Schaal, and Craig Townsend

Your willingness to return to the field, time after time, has been instrumental in making this year's expansion possible.

And a special congratulations to RA Burrell, our 2026 BIMS MVP! Teaching four classes, contributing to curriculum development, and earning positive student feedback are all outstanding accomplishments. Thank you, RA, for going above and beyond!

Beyond the Class

BIMS is about more than teaching procedures and practicing incident management skills. It's about building the judgment, teamwork, and confidence needed when something goes wrong in the backcountry.

This year, we continued that mission through two special opportunities for BIMS instructors:

• May 23 — Douglas County Search and Rescue Exercise: A field exercise at Devil's Head Lookout Tower in Pike National Forest, giving instructors an opportunity to practice and learn alongside SAR professionals.
• November 17 — Psychological First Aid Seminar: An opportunity to strengthen our understanding of how to recognize emotional distress, communicate effectively, support people in crisis, and manage group stress during backcountry incidents.

These events help us continue learning as instructors while strengthening the skills and relationships that make BIMS valuable to the broader outdoor community.

Remembering Rich McAdams

As we celebrate another successful year for BIMS, we should pause to remember and thank Rich McAdams, the founder of this school. Rich believed in preparing people to meet the challenges of the backcountry through education, practical skills, sound judgment, and a commitment to helping others.

As BIMS has grown from its earliest classes to five classes and 32 graduates in 2026, I believe we are staying true to Rich’s vision. We are not simply teaching incident management techniques; we are helping build capable, thoughtful, and prepared leaders who can make a difference when an emergency occurs in the backcountry.

Rich’s legacy lives on in every class we teach, every scenario we practice, every instructor who shares their experience, and every student who leaves better prepared to help others.

Thank you, Rich, for planting the seed and giving us a vision worth carrying forward. It is an honor to continue building on what you started, and I believe the growth of BIMS is a fitting tribute to your legacy.

Looking Ahead to 2027

We have plenty to look forward to! Our goal is to offer at least five classes in 2027, continuing to build our established programs in Golden, Boulder, and Fort Collins.

Fort Collins is approaching the point of being self-sustaining—a significant milestone for the school and a promising model for future expansion. We are also working with the Pikes Peak Group to explore bringing BIMS to another part of Colorado.

We hope to offer additional special events, potentially including another SAR exercise, a visit or educational opportunity with Flight for Life, and other ideas that will help our instructors continue developing their skills. Suggestions are always welcome!

As we expand, our priorities remain the same: provide practical, scenario-based training; strengthen backcountry incident-management skills; and help Colorado Mountain Club members become better prepared to respond when emergencies occur in the backcountry.

One Last Thank You

When we look at the numbers—five classes, 32 graduates, and 33 instructors—we see impressive growth. But behind every number are people who gave their time, shared their expertise, and helped others become more capable and confident in the backcountry.

Thank you for making BIMS what it is today. I'm proud of what we've accomplished together, grateful to be part of this team, and excited about what we can achieve in 2027.

Here's to another great year of learning, teamwork, and helping people safely enjoy Colorado's backcountry!