Since 1967
The Beginnings of Wilderness Medicine Outfitters
The first class was taught by Carl Weil, Sandy Long, and Allan Duckworth, primarily to members of the St. Mary Glacier and Geneva Basin Ski Patrols. The course was held at Colorado State University (CSU), where all three instructors had recently become American Red Cross instructors.
Carl and Sandy remained deeply involved in ski patrol for more than 20 years—Carl as an instructor and Sandy as a patroller. Carl often notes that Sandy was the far better skier of the two.
At CSU, Carl also completed Athletic Trainer courses and numerous classes in biological sciences and outdoor guiding. After graduation, he began teaching a series of outdoor-focused first aid classes in the Fort Collins area, later expanding his work to Elizabeth, Colorado. Seeking to advance his medical education, Carl enrolled in his first EMT course at the University of Colorado Medical Campus on Colorado Boulevard in Denver.
He helped organize Elbert County’s first EMT class, taught by Ginny Korman and Chuck Baum, and soon after established the Elizabeth Ambulance Company. Using a $10,000 personal loan from Tony Anderson of the Kiowa Bank, Carl purchased the community’s first ambulance from Ambulance Service Co. in Denver. Alongside Hugh Shear of Calhan, he co-founded the Elbert County EMS Council and served as its first president.
Carl continued to expand his medical qualifications by completing additional EMT training at Aurora Hospital and Northglenn Hospital, and he successfully passed the National Registry of EMTs in Colorado Springs during the 1980s.
His expertise led to his appointment to the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) Medical Board, chaired by Dr. Steve Pehrson of Roosevelt Hospital in Utah—making Carl the first non-physician ever to serve on that board.
By this time, Carl was teaching wilderness medicine courses through his company, White Mesa, a division of what would become Wilderness Medicine Outfitters (WMO). The original White Mesa design remains a part of WMO’s logo today.
Five years after founding WMO, Carl joined the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) to expand his wilderness medical education and presentations further. He became an instructor under Dr. Peter Goth, whom he respectfully calls “the grandfather of wilderness medicine education.”
Carl was the first individual to enroll in the WMS Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) program and among the first group to complete the requirements for that professional designation. He later became the first to complete the five-year, advisor-reviewed, thesis-based Master Fellow program, overseen by two PhDs and five physicians.
As of 2025, the Wilderness Medical Society has more than 4,000 members (approximately 62% of whom are physicians). Carl’s record remains exceptional—he exceeded all program requirements, delivering over 20 public presentations, authoring three publications, and submitting an 86-page thesis that surpassed expectations from his two faculty advisors.
It may be many years before anyone surpasses the level of achievement Carl Weil has attained in advancing and teaching wilderness medicine.
Wilderness Medicine Outfitters (WMO) is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Medical Educators.
The term “wilderness medicine” is meant to be ‘improvisational medical care where emergency medical services, i.e., ambulance to your door, are not available and long-term transports are required. The term “long-term transport” is often defined as lasting 1 to 4 hours. This standard is believed to be the first of its kind in the industry. It is not intended to be the last. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I suggest you call when you can reach me more easily, which is early in the morning.
Wilderness Medicine Outfitters director Carl Weil (a 3rd-generation guide) had two nontraditional desires upon graduating from college. One was to teach what is now referred to as wilderness medicine. He succeeded at both and began teaching advanced first aid /backcountry care to ski patrollers at Colorado State University in 1967. In 2006, Mr. Weil became the first non-physician to earn the degree of “Fellow” from the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, the educational arm of the 3,000-member Wilderness Medical Society. In 2012, he was the first to complete the three-plus-year work, earning the Master Fellow degree from the WMS.
As of 2012, all WMO WFR/WEMT classes uniquely have at least 1 Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine teaching the class.
WMO focuses on positive personal attention and offers state, national, and professional certifications
and has been teaching wilderness medicine since 1967.