Eli Loomis is an instructor and Executive Director at Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) in Utah. At 53 years old, BOSS is the oldest survival school in the country. It is notorious for its long, minimalist desert treks, including a 28-day field course. In this conversation, Eli and I talk about the history of BOSS, the psychology of survival and “The Won’t to Live,” the lack and need for Rites of Passage, context specific training, running non-profit wilderness schools, the transformative experience, and personal and psychological growth that can happen in survival courses, and so much more.

Links

• Boulder Outdoor Survival School
• BOSS Instagram
• Bullet Ant Test
• American Guy Try’s Bullet Ant Test
• John Leach “The Won’t to Live”
• John Leach’s Survival Psychology
• Rabbit Proof Fence
• Martin Prechtel – Long Life, Honey in the Heart
• Khalil Gibran
• Barkley Marathons

This episode is in Memorial of my friend Alex Leavens, my first ancestral skills teacher.