We offer courses for teens. Most courses are offered for ages 13-15 and 16-18.

We don’t need you to be an athlete but you need to be capable to be on your feet for most of the day, moving. 

“Challenge” courses are often more physically demanding. If you huff your way up a hill when you are not carrying a pack this trip is too much. 

MOI is not a typical summer camp. And it’s not a boot camp. But it is challenging and there are some rules. See REALITIES

At our Base Camp you will share a large wall tent with up to 7 other students of the same gender.  Sharing space is part of community and having shared tents also lessens our footprint when looking for campsites in the backcountry.

You live in a camp where we have outhouses (nice ones).  We have options for private, cold outdoor showers and if the sun is shining it could be a warm shower!  When we are out in the backcountry we follow Leave No Trace practices for toilet issues.

All about FOOD.

This feeling happens to all of us, even our most seasoned instructors and guides have a moment (or two) during the season when they long for home.  This is 10 days of your life.  It will be different from other things you have experienced and there will be moments you might want to go home.  But, we think if you sleep on it.  Eat a good bowl of hot food and reflect.  You probably can find the resolve to push through and see the end of the program with your team.  You can always talk to an instructor if there are circumstances that make that impossible.  

We would never keep you against your will. Although we do acknowledge that the course at MOI can be challenging.  We would work with you to make accommodations, but ultimately, if you wanted to leave, your parents would come and get you.

Your travel from your home to and from the meeting point in Palmer, AK. Accommodation in Anchorage before and after the course if needed. Equipment (see details HERE).

Although we believe in the power of the outdoors to help with many challenges in life there may be many reasons why this program is not ideal for you.  Know that we are not a Wilderness Therapy Program.  We are not a place where a young person should come if they have mental health issues that are not yet safely managed at home. We do not have a psychiatrist or a counselor on staff and although our instructors are skilled in many things,  Mental Health crisis in the backcountry is not something we are equipped to handle.  

MOI is a dry, zero-tolerance program, period. There are no second chances when it comes to such substances and that includes tobacco.  If your teen is caught with these substances it is an immediate removal of the program and you will be required to come get your teen immediately.

If your teen is homeschooled, you can absolutely apply credit. If your teen is in public school, we can work with your counselor to provide credit, but nothing official it established to date.

This school is experiential; our pillars are built around doing and experiencing.  What most of our students walk away with is a new and stronger sense of self confidence, a new understanding of team, community, collaboration and problem solving.  This translates into strong leadership skills by having personally experienced, outside the classroom or work environment, what challenge and teamwork look like.  These skills serve our students by allowing them to experience enhanced performance in job interviews, school interviews, collaborative work environments, outdoor recreation endeavors, test performance and many other daily endeavors.  

Students also come away with a much greater understanding of wilderness, recreation, survival, and travel.  The hard skills we learn have applications in all arenas of life but they directly translate to your ability to handle yourself and help others on any outdoor recreation journey.  

Learn all ABOUT US

All about RISK.

We try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions including vegetarian/vegan, gluten free and dairy free, but due to the community nature of the course (specifically around food preparation and meal time)  it can be very difficult, please reach out to us about severe allergies and sensitivities.

We welcome students coming from outside Alaska or from remote Alaskan communities but we do need to consider some realistic challenges around flight arrivals and departures.   Things to consider:

• We are based over 100 miles from Anchorage so it’s impossible to just do a quick airport pick up. 
• Many flights come in and out of Anchorage late at night. 
• Our courses start with pick-ups around 9 AM and end with drop offs around 5 to 7 PM in Palmer. 

If a student is going to fly to Anchorage for a course with us here is how it would have to work:

For teens 16-18 years-

• The student must be old enough and mature enough to fly as an adult.  Please check with the airline for specifics on this requirement. 
• The student will need to arrive in Anchorage no later than the night before the course starts.  We cannot plan to pick up the student off their flight on the morning of the course.  Any flight delay or lost baggage could result in the student missing the course and being stuck in Anchorage.  
• The student must be old enough and mature enough to overnight in Anchorage on their own. We can help with selection of an appropriate hotel near the airport with a shuttle and restaurant options. 
• Departure flights can be no earlier than 9 PM on the last day of the course. 
• If your student is being picked up in Anchorage you must select the Anchorage pick up option when you book the course online.  

For teens 13-15 years-

• The student would be flying as an “Unaccompanied minor” and must be mature enough to handle this. Please check with the airline for specifics on this requirement. 
• The student will need to arrive in Anchorage between 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM on the day before the course starts.  We cannot plan to pick up the student off their flight on the morning of the course.  
• Our Instructors will pick up the student at the airport in compliance with airport security and airline requirements for an unaccompanied minor.
• Students arriving in the morning will experience a “town day” with the Instructors; shopping for the course and other errands. Students will need their own pocket money for the day. Once all students flying in are collected, the group will overnight at a campground near town. Dinner will be provided.
• The next morning, the local students will get picked up and the team will head to our Base Camp to start the course.
• Departure flights can be no earlier than 9 PM on the last day of the course.  Students must take a “red eye” flight out of Anchorage on the last day of the course. We have no ability to support a young student overnight after the course.
• If your student is being picked up in Anchorage you must select the Anchorage pick up option when you book the course online.  

Our Base Camp is in Glacier View approximately 100 miles from Anchorage. Our standard pick-up and drop off location for students is in Palmer, Alaska approximately 45 miles from Anchorage.  But we understand students may be flying into Anchorage or it may be difficult or inconvenient to bring your teen to Palmer from Anchorage.  If this is the case you may select an Anchorage pick up for a small additional fee when you’re booking the course online.  

We work hard to make our courses possible for a wide range of students by working with various programs to secure tuition funding.  One way that you can help is through our “Pay it Forward” program.  When booking online, at check-out you’ll see an option to add a donation amount to the tuition you’re paying for your teen.  100% of these donations will go towards tuition assistance through our partner organizations.  

The Matanuska Outdoor Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and your donation may be tax deductible.