HMI Gap Semesters: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in Wild Places

This program is just an absolute blast. You meet some amazing people in an all rock climbing group and you can have zero experience coming into the he program. I had only climbed a few days in a gym before the program. I learned so many skills and feel comfortable leading climbs and multi pitching. Another amazing thing is this program teaches you trad placement and on the last day of the program I got to lead a trad climb. We get to do some backpacking and canyoneering. Also the leadership class is pretty good, I definitely learned a lot. I am super happy I choose this program.

I participated in the rock climbing and conservation in the American west gap semester and had a fantastic experience. We spent our time rock climbing, backpacking, and canyoneering throughout Colorado, Utah, and Arizona all while learning about environmental ethics and leadership. I learned more new climbing skills than I can count. I have climbed for a long time but mostly in a gym and now I feel like I have the skills that will let me explore so many different areas of the climbing world. I had an wonderful time and made some amazing friends.

I had a lot of fun on HMI gap. As a part of the climbing and conservation semester I got to do all the rock climbing I could ever want in one semester, as well as learning about environmentalism and lightweight backpacking. It was amazing to be in a small group of other driven gap year students and visit some of the best climbing locations in the world. As someone with very little previous climbing experience, I also found the program very welcoming and accepting. Finally, I felt very safe, as the program took all the Covid precautions I could think of, and provided excellent support to injured classmates.

I loved my time on Gap. Entering this program, i was very new to rock climbing. This curriculum was perfect for me, giving me a strong foundation in sport, trad, and multipitch climbing- skills such as belaying, placing gear, leading, and safety. The areas we visit are beautiful and the environmental curriculum allowed me to learn more about my own personal beliefs towards stewardship and recreation ethics. Great mentorship from the instructors and lots of fun fostered throughout the semester via silly games. this is a great experience for anyone who loves spending time outdoors and wants to learn more about it how they relate to and interact with the natural world.

This program was the perfect step for not feeling ready for another 4 years of school but still wanting to feel like you are spending your time productively. I learned so much about both my environmental ethic as well as rock climbing skills. I now feel more than comfortable going home and taking my friends and family top roping wherever and in a safe way. In addition I am very confident in my skills to go multi pitching and left the program having swung leads with other students. Finally we had a very solid intro to trad and I think I have a strong foundation to continue my trad progression.

When I arrived at the airport in Denver, Colorado, I could not even guess the order of events that were about to take place. I knew I would be surprised, but I was unsure of how many times this would occur and how much of it I could handle. Over time I began to realize the beauty in surprises, that sometimes they made our trip better and more meaningful. The beauty in the places we were fortunate and privileged enough to hike through was also valuable. With every destination: Colorado, Utah, and Patagonia, I was truly shocked at what my eyes were seeing and smiled at the idea that maybe paradise does exist on earth. What made it more memorable was being surrounded by my new friends. I enjoyed every moment of my gap semester. I am taking away the core values of what it means to live outdoors, which I plan on applying to each aspect of my life once I return home.

I loved HMI Gap. I saw unprecedented growth in so many areas I wanted improvement in before going to college. I got that wanted progress and so much more. I helped build a close-knit community with so many hilarious inside jokes only the twelve of us will ever understand. I learned to be a leader and had many thoughtful discussions about environmental studies. The instructors were superb. The supported us in every way we needed but also let us do our own thing when the situation necessitated that. They taught us numerous lessons on a wide variety of topics. All in all, I learned more about myself and the environment by being intentional in the backcountry than I did in all thirteen years of traditional school teaching me grammar and equations. 10/10 would recommend because I am so pleased I took this gap course.

I was drawn into this program immediately, as climbing is a huge part of my life. I learned so much about the technical skills involved in outdoor climbing, and am leaving the course with the skills I need to be a self sufficient climber in the future. More importantly, though, I learned how to live in a small community for weeks at a time, working closely to cook, sleep, and climb with ten other students. This course taught me so much about leadership, teamwork, and resilience. As a student interested in pursuing environmental studies in college, this program was also the perfect opportunity to prepare for college while still taking a much needed break from the classroom structure. I would absolutely recommend this program - the friendships, skills, and experience I’ve gained are going to stay with me throughout my life.