Boulder Outdoor Survival School
Bushcraft Survival Australia presents
A Bushcraft Survival Australia hosted event
Bushcraft Survival Australia is excited to announce that we will be hosting instructors from Boulder Outdoor Survival School (USA) to run two of their 7 Day Primitive Skills Course course at our Sydney location in Camden.
BOSS is the world’s premier wilderness survival school, offering life-changing experiences in the remote wilds of Southern Utah. Guided by the philosophy of “Know more, carry less,” BOSS teaches traditional living skills, empowering individuals to thrive with minimal gear.
Founded in 1968 by Brigham Young University professor Larry Dean Olsen, BOSS began as a way to help struggling students reconnect with themselves through challenging wilderness experiences. The first courses involved trekking over 300 miles through the rugged landscapes of Southern Utah with minimal gear, concentrating on survival skills and individual growth.
In 1977, Doug Nelson officially established the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Over the decades, BOSS evolved under various leaderships, expanding its curriculum to include both field courses and intensive skills courses that focus on ancient traditions and sustainable living. In 2018, BOSS transitioned to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to better fulfill its mission of empowering people through wilderness-based education.
Today, BOSS remains committed to preserving traditional living skills and guiding students on transformative journeys through the natural world, just as it has for over 50 years.
7 Day Primitive Skills Course
The BOSS 7 day Primitive Skills Course is designed to teach you ancient survival skills that humans have relied on for generations. Whether you’re seeking a foundational understanding or a deeper dive into long-term primitive living, these courses provide hands-on learning and immersive experience. Each day, you’ll work closely with expert instructors, developing practical skills that allow you to thrive in nature.
Course Syllabus
The curriculum of the 7-day course includes a list of topics that are both broad and deep, giving students a solid introduction to and advanced instruction in primitive living skills. The 7-day course format also delivers a solid foundation of basic wilderness skills. You will learn:
Knife Safety, Use, and Maintenance – Learn the utility of a well-selected and cared-for bushcraft knife and best practices for safety.
Friction Fire (Bow and Hand Drill) – Learn to build and manage a fire in the wilderness safely and effectively.
Cordage & Knots – Learn how to turn fibers into natural cordage for practical use.
Natural Shelters – Build a group shelter using natural materials.
Traps & Trap Mechanisms – Construct and use small game traps, including small animal processing.
Stone Blade Production & Use – Craft and use one-strike stone-age tools.
Primitive Hunting Implements & Use – Practice with primitive hunting tools like throwing sticks and an atlatl.
Pottery – Craft a clay pot or other vessel used for cooking and storage.
Basketry – Learn how to turn fibers into something for practical use.
Large Animal Processing – Learn how to respectfully process a large animal for food, tools, and materials.
Hidetanning – Learn the process of animal hidetanning for long-term use.
Bone Tool Construction – Turn found bones or bones from animal processing into various useful tools.
Cooking Techniques – Learn how to prepare food using traditional and stone-age methods.
Food Preservation – Learn about traditional food preservation for travelling and storage.
Course highlights
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You and your course mates will rely on one another to truly live off the land, working together to gather food, make shelter, and complete an ambitious list of primitive skills projects.
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Live as a primitive village at an established base camp
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Learn and practice primitive and traditional living skills from experienced instructors.
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Dive deep into foundational and advanced primitive living skills such as friction fire (bow drill and hand drill), primitive shelter, foraging, trapping, fishing, primitive pottery, hide tanning, traps, and more.
Know More, Carry Less
BOSS’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that the wilderness is a powerful teacher, and survival is a means to uncovering one’s true potential, developing resilience, and reconnecting with a more natural way of being. Developing a survivor’s mindset is more valuable than mastering specific skills. The BOSS philosophy views survival training as the beginning of an ongoing journey rather than simply a finite set of skills.
Embrace Discomfort for Growth
BOSS’s approach uses the wilderness as a training ground for resilience. BOSS believes true resilience comes from embracing and overcoming fear, discomfort, and uncertainty.
BOSS courses challenge you to think differently about survival. You not only learn how to build fire and shelters, but you also engage in the deeper practice of living in harmony with nature, learning to thrive with fewer tools and more knowledge. You’ll be working with your hands everyday, creating the tools and structures you need to live comfortably in the wilderness.
BOSS courses are designed to push you physically. mentally, and emotionally, leading to profound personal growth. You’ll leave with more than survival skills-you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of yourself. Our “Know more, carry less” philosophy means you’ll learn to thrive with minimal gear, relying on your knowledge and the resources around you.
BOSS teaches primitive survival techniques that have been passed down through generations. These skills are timeless and practical. They connect you to the wisdom of the past while preparing you for the future. BOSS courses challenge you to step outside your comfort zone. With the right mindset, every student has the potential to succeed and grow.
About the Instructors
Matt Furches
Matt Furches hails from Nottingham, Pennsylvania, where he was greatly inspired by the woods and creeks and by the Amish culture that coexisted alongside mainstream American culture. After discovering the writings of Tom Brown Jr., George Washington Sears, and Henry David Thoreau, he became a self-taught naturalist and practitioner of bushcraft and indigenous survival skills, shaping his lifelong passion for outdoor education.
Matt has been a naturalist since his early teens, with a particular interest in birds. His love of Nature inspired him to work as a zookeeper for 8 years. On a 2004 sabbatical, he completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. This 6-month adventure inspired a deepening interest in Nature and traditional wilderness living skills. In 2008, he spent an entire summer in the American West studying with some of the most skilled instructors in the fields of primitive technology, survival, and natural history, including the Midwest Native Skills Institute in Ohio and Ancient Pathways in Flagstaff, Arizona. His journey culminated in a 28-day field course with the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS), which has been at the forefront of survival training and adventure travel since the late 1960s. Matt was invited to apprentice with BOSS and to serve as an assistant instructor with both the Midwest Native Skills Institute and Ancient Pathways. Matt has guided with many organizations in the wilderness industry in Southern Utah, and is an avid outdoorsman on his own time as well.
Currently in his 17th season as an outdoor educator, Matt primarily works as a Master Instructor at BOSS. He also regularly attends and teaches at primitive skills gatherings such as Rabbitstick and Wintercount. During his tenure at BOSS, Matt has led or co-instructed every type of course offered by BOSS. These include 7,14, and 28 Day Expedition Field Courses, 7 and 14 Day Skills Courses, 72 Hour Survival Rescue, 14 Day Desert Navigator, and the rigorous 14 Day Hunter-Gatherer. In 2018, Matt teamed up with BOSS instructors Cat Bigney and Pam Furches to develop the 14 Day Primitive Living Intensive, one of the school’s most advanced skills courses.
Matt holds a Master Naturalist Certification in Utah’s Desert Ecosystems, a Level 3 Track and Sign Certification through the internationally renowned Cybertracker North America, and a Wilderness First Responder Certification through the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS.
He currently lives in Boulder, Utah, with his beloved wife, Pam, and their two dogs, Winter and Mouse.
Pam Furches
Pam Furches first began working at Boulder Outdoor Survival School as the garden manager and logistics coordinator in 2011. After enrolling in week-long intensives in pottery, willow basketry, medicinal plants, and hide tanning at subsequent BOSS’s Slickrock Gatherings, she embarked on the 14-Day Expedition course in 2013. In 2014, she began a new role as an apprentice instructor on the BOSS 7 and 14-Day Skills courses. She co-developed and has lead the advanced 14-Day Primitive Living Intensive with Cat Bigney and Matt Furches since 2019.
Pam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in 2003 from Tyler School of Art in Pennsylvania. She began her freelance graphic design studio in 2010 after designing for the University of Pennsylvania Health System for eight years. During the creation of her own studio, she completed certificates in her other areas of interest, including permaculture and gardening. She is currently enrolled in the certificate program at the Denver School of Botanical Illustration.
Pam is certified in Leave No Trace principles, CPR, and is a current NOLS Wilderness First Responder.
While Pam grew up playing in the nature preserve adjacent to her childhood home in Pennsylvania, she developed a deep connection to spending her waking hours outside hiking and canoeing. Once she discovered backpacking and invested in living a sustainable lifestyle, the trajectory of her focus led to deepening her connection with the natural world. Through continuous classes and self-led exploration, Pam, has developed a myriad of homesteading and wilderness living skill sets. She currently teaches weaving at primitive skills gatherings and in her current hometown of Boulder, UT.
Pam believes in sharing knowledge, fostering stewardship for the land, building community, and empowering humanity to be wild. She wishes to inspire people to follow their creativity and create a direct relationship to the natural world. Teaching wilderness and primitive skills is a way to continue learning and honing her skills all while giving back to the students and community.
This opportunity is only available to people who have already completed the Bushcraft Survival Australia Fundamental Modules 1 & 2 courses.
A readiness to fully engage with the challenges of living primitively is essential.
Accommodation
This course is run entirely outdoors from an expedition style base camp, and you will be sleeping in your own camping equipment that you will bring (see clothing and equipment list).
Amenities
This course is run entirely outdoors in a field environment. A screened trench latrine in a secluded private spot, along with strict camp hygiene measures will give a natural wilderness expedition feel to your experience as well as teaching you essential outdoor toilet etiquette and how to leave no trace. You will be taught how to wash with limited water and stay clean in the bush. Our measures are low-impact and environmentally friendly.
Food
All food will be provided on the course. There will be full opportunity for each student to learn and practice some outback bush cooking. Indeed within cooking rigs and other cooking-related campcraft being part of the course, cooking meals is also an integral part of the experience. Equipment for cooking will be provided for use during the course.
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, biscuits and fresh water, as well as a fruit bowl will also be provided at the base camp.
Whilst we try to cater for most dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose intolerant etc.), we cannot cater for lifestyle choices or fussy eaters due to the remote nature of our courses. You can supplement the provided food with your own snacks/food, but unless you are allergic/intolerant, you will be expected to eat the food supplied.
We have limited the amount of information and recommendations in this document to keep it as a useful checklist to use while packing for your course.
WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE
Refer to the BSA Kit List page for a list of items we can loan you.
COURSE KIT LIST
The full course kit list will be available soon.
Bushcraft and survival training is closely intertwined with nature, the sun, stars, natural resources and the weather. There is no electricity. Therefore modern 40 hour week timetables you are used to need to be adapted.
Lessons will be taught both day and night and at unusual hours to accommodate nature, natural daylight hours and traditional cooking times using fire and natural resources. Some lessons and activities will take longer than others and some are sun and weather dependent so you need to remain flexible as things don’t always go to plan.
Traditional cooking using fire takes time so we will generally cook at night so we can maximize daylight hours for other tasks and activities so evening mealtimes might be later than you may be used to. There are a lots of skills to be learnt on this course so expect long days and later nights than you may be used to.
This course is run from an expedition style camp, entirely outdoors. You will need a reasonable level of health and fitness to maximise your participation and enjoyment of the course.
Please be aware this is not a wellness retreat!
View frequently asked questions on our dedicated FAQ page.
If your question is not answered on the FAQ page, please contact us.
This opportunity is only available to people who have already completed the Bushcraft Survival Australia Fundamental Modules 1 & 2 courses.
Age: 18 years and over
Price: $2800
Location: Camden, Sydney (NSW)
Start time: 3pm on Day 0
Finish time: 3pm on Day 7
NOTE: At this stage we only have DEPOSIT tickets available. If you would like to secure your spot on this course, please purchase a DEPOSIT ticket. If we do not receive sufficient DEPOSIT bookings by mid-July, these courses will not run and your deposit will be fully refunded. However, if we confirm the course will be proceeding, we will send you an email with a code to purchase your balance payment ticket. On payment of the Balance you will receive additional booking information, including access to an online consent form.
BSA PRESENTS: BOULDER OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SCHOOL (BOSS)
There are no courses currently scheduled. Join our mailing list below to be informed of new course dates.
Cancellation policy
- Cancellations made within 6 weeks of a course start date will be refunded less 20%
- Cancellations made within 4 weeks of a course start date will be refunded less 50%
- Cancellations made within 2 weeks of a course start date - no refund
