SOLO Schools marks 50 years of wilderness medicine training

SOLO Schools is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 after training more than 500,000 people worldwide in wilderness, disaster and emergency medical education. The New Hampshire-based school says its hands-on courses now reach more than 400 locations each year, including colleges, universities and remote field programs.

Why it matters: - SOLO Schools has spent 50 years training people to respond when medical help is delayed or unavailable. - The school says its programs have reached more than 500,000 people worldwide, giving outdoor workers, responders and educators practical emergency skills. - Its model matters because wilderness incidents often require care that standard urban protocols do not cover.

What happened: - SOLO Schools is marking its 50th anniversary in 2026. - Co-founders Dr. Frank Hubbell and Lee Frizzell started the school in 1976 on family land in New Hampshire's White Mountains. - The organization says it has grown from a small operation into an international training provider across multiple continents. - The school says it has provided training on all seven continents.

The details: - SOLO Schools developed three core programs that have been adopted by organizations worldwide: Wilderness First Aid, a two-day course; Wilderness First Responder, an eight- to ten-day course; and Wilderness EMT, a four-week course. - The school says the courses are designed for medical emergencies in remote settings where standard emergency protocols are not enough. - SOLO says its instructors are active members of mountain rescue teams, emergency medical services and disaster medicine response groups. - SOLO courses are taught at more than 300 colleges and universities across the U.S. - The school says it offers more than 900 courses to over 10,000 students in more than 400 locations each year. - SOLO maintains a campus in Conway, New Hampshire, with a three-story classroom building, dormitory, administrative offices and a commercial kitchen. - The campus includes hundreds of acres near the White Mountain National Forest. - SOLO says all of its buildings were uniquely designed and hand-built by Frank and Lee to fit the surrounding environment. - Dr. Hubbell continues to serve on the state EMS medical control board while teaching and practicing medicine. - Frizzell serves on the Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative, which develops standards for wilderness medical education.

Between the lines: - SOLO's 50-year milestone highlights how wilderness medicine has moved from a niche discipline into a broader training category for schools, rescue groups and outdoor employers. - The school's emphasis on experiential learning and active field responders suggests it is positioning practical experience as its main differentiator. - Dr. Hubbell's quote points to a broader belief that basic wilderness medical training should be widely accessible, not limited to specialists.

What's next: - SOLO Schools says it will continue teaching, developing courses and contributing to medical research. - The school is likely to keep serving outdoor programs, campuses and emergency response groups as demand for remote-first aid training continues. - Dr. Hubbell said, "We feel that everyone needs some level of wilderness medical education, whether it's just a two-day course or longer."