rmob

Outward Bound in the U.S. was founded 50 years ago as the Colorado Outward Bound School. We have been running high-quality and powerful courses for thousands upon thousands of students in Colorado and the Colorado Plateau ever since. In the last ten years COBS merged with other schools across the U.S., but now, change has come again due to financial hardships, and OB is decentralizing and returning to our historic legacy schools.

So, as we come in to our 50th year of courses in this region, we are beyond excited to be launching the Rocky Mountain Outward Bound School (RMOBS)! We are thrilled to have this opportunity to get back to our regional roots and our rich history as the first OB school in the U.S. As in the COBS days, our school will run courses in the wilderness of Colorado and Utah, as well as the urban areas in Denver.

We need your help! RMOBS needs a significant financial boost by December 31st to get off the ground and ensure that we can continue to provide the life-changing experiences of OB to students in 2012 and beyond. This first year is critical and we are doing everything within our power to run a smart, stream-lined business that still supports safe, exceptional OB courses. We are committed to being responsible with and accountable for the donations we receive.

So, if you have been touched by the magic of OB in the past, if you long for the COBS days of OB, or if you are simply interested in promoting our founder, Kurt Hahn’s, principle to train those "who would not shirk from leadership and who would, when called upon, make independent decisions, put right action before expediency, and the common cause before personal ambition" bettering the world, one person at a time, please consider donating to RMOBS.

You can donate online via the link on the left side of this page. Donations can also be sent to:
RMOBS
5161 Sheridan Blvd
Denver, CO 80212

The Rocky Mountain Outward Bound School is a 501(c)3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Amanda Nelson at anelson@outwardbound.org. We will send you a receipt for your records.

On behalf of RMOBS and our future students, we thank you.

The Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS) was founded on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains above the small community of Marble, CO in 1961. The following year COBS ran the first Outward Bound course in America. As with the original Outward Bound School in Aberdovey, Wales, COBS was founded as a result of a collaborative effort between educators and industrialists. Businessmen in Colorado, concerned about youth who were unwilling to accept responsibility and challenge, wanted a "school" that would provide character-building experiences to young people.

In 2003, COBS joined many of the other Outward Bound schools in the US to merge and affiliate, changing our business name from COBS to OB West/Wilderness to just Outward Bound. Throughout all of these changes, one thing has remained constant: We have continued to run premier courses that have instilled leadership, service, and self-discovery in students of all ages in our historic course areas – the wilderness of Colorado and Utah – and we even expanded to offer courses in urban Denver.

The national affiliation of OB in the US brought about many great benefits…better customer service for our students, a sharing of proven practices amongst staff across the country, and a common curricular base and language for our students. However, it has become clear that a national affiliation does not allow us to be as in touch with our regional communities and supporters. In October 2011, Outward Bound made the decision to decentralize and return to our legacy school regions.