Leadership doesn't come in a book or a box. It's a life-long journey.

We created The Leading Edge at the High Mountain Institute to provide young adults with a high-quality leadership development experience in a beautiful mountain setting. The program combines our expertise in working with high school students, our best-of-class wilderness instruction and our commitment to pursuing cutting-edge leadership development for this age group.

Our graduates consistently say that the things they learned at The Leading Edge, about themselves and leadership, are extremely useful. And almost all have said that they believe they will be a better leader thanks to the program. This high success rate is largely the result of concrete opportunities to practice leadership during the program.

Every day, different students take on the role of Leaders of the Day. As such, they are responsible for shaping and executing the group’s goals for the day. At the end of the day, the Leaders of the Day receive extensive feedback from their peers and faculty. And they have an opportunity to improve, based on this feedback, the next time. Leader of the Day is just one example of the type of experience that makes The Leading Edge unique.

Start the journey this summer!

The two-week Leading Edge program begins with an introduction to leadership concepts, an initial exploration of students’ own leadership preferences, and preparation for our extended wilderness backpacking expedition. Next, it’s off to the mountains.

HMI is located at the base of Colorado’s two highest 14,000-foot peaks, and we live and travel in the wilderness that is our back yard for 10 days. During the expedition, students are given hands-on opportunities to practice leading their peers, and to receive feedback on their leadership styles, as well as to gain the technical skills required to live comfortably in the outdoors. We travel both on and off trail, practicing navigation, and attempt an ascent of a 14,000-foot peak.

We return to campus for a final celebration and culminating exercise in which students consider what they have learned about leadership, and how they will apply their learning at home. We also celebrate mountain memories and laughter, as well as friendships that will last for years to come.

Typically, Leading Edge students have just completed 11^th or 12^th grade, though each year we accept a few students who have completed 10^th grade.

We believe that leadership is a life-long journey, and that there's no time like this summer to begin it. We would welcome the opportunity to share the Leading Edge experience with you this summer.

2008 Dates:

Leading Edge Session I: June 22-July 9

Leading Edge Session II: July 13-28

Leading Edge Session III: July 24-Aug 8

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