Eli Loomis
First Year at BOSS: 2013
Current Position: Instructor
Hometown: Duvall, Washington
Currently Resides In: Bellingham, Washington
I came to BOSS because:
After years of teaching wilderness skills and leading backcountry trips in the remote glacial valleys of Montana, I found I had a growing desire to connect more deeply with the wilderness I loved and reduce my reliance on modern tools and technology. I was fascinated with primitive skills, and wanted to find out if I could learn to survive only by my own wits and skill in the wilderness. As I studied these skills, one friend in particular, Hannes Wingate, insisted that I attend BOSS. So I did.
I teach at BOSS because:
I did not expect my BOSS course to have such a profound impact on me, and I came out full of new knowledge about myself and new ways of thinking about my place in the world. I am grateful that I get a chance to act as a guide and a witness for others in their own journeys with BOSS. I am also challenged anew each time I teach a course, and feel lucky to continue to learn from my fellow instructors, and to explore the wild parts of Southern Utah.
About Eli Loomis:
Eli has been dedicated to wilderness education and teaching science in a university setting since 2007. He has won teaching awards and loves his work in and outside of the classroom (the more outside, the better). He has spent a year of his life in Antarctica, walked with penguins, and was the official farmer of the South Pole. He takes every chance he can get to explore in mountains and wild places wherever he is.
Eli was the first Executive Director of BOSS, from 2018 to 2023.
