About Wilderness Medic, LLC

I founded Wilderness Medic LLC to provide quality wilderness medical training and certification classes in the southwest region. For the last 10 years I have had the privilege to travel the world delivering Wilderness Medical Associates International classes to professional groups, universities, and individuals. We are the local provider for WMAI classes in southwestern Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. WMAI is made up of a diverse group of medical professionals worldwide that are constantly updating and improving the practical curriculum we deliver in our courses. We guarantee that your course will be made up of relevant skills that will enhance your existing medical knowledge, and make you more confident in your skills wherever you work or play. No certification is more accepted worldwide than WMAI.

All of our instructors have years of experience working as professional rescuers. They are ski patrollers, firefighter/paramedics, and SAR medical team leaders. Best practices are constantly changing, its important that our instructors have ongoing experience taking care of patients in the field and can bring that experience to our classes. Our instructors are experienced, dynamic, and passionate about the material they teach.

Finally all of our course locations are chosen to be fun places to learn wilderness medicine. Camping is typically available, and there’s usually time after class to grab a quick mountain bike ride or go for a hike.

Brad Sablosky

Brad Sablosky

Brad Sablosky has been a lead instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates International since 2008, in that time he has travelled extensively in North America and internationally delivering WMAI classes. Brad currently works as a Paramedic/Firefighter with Durango Fire, in Durango, Colorado and as a Ski Patroller at Telluride Ski Resort, in Telluride, Colorado. Brad’s background includes time as a canoe trip leader in Northern Canada, a camp director, work in therapeutic wilderness programs, membership on multiple mountain rescue teams, and as a private pilot.

Chelsea Gardner

Chelsea began her paramedic career in the small mountain town of Silverton, Colorado in 2011. Within her first year, she became the Assistant Director of Silverton Ambulance and an officer on San Juan County Search and Rescue. Over the next five years, Chelsea was tasked with managing critical patients in a mountainous environment, far from definitive medical care. In this setting, her WFR skills became more valuable than she ever could have imagined. Her current focus is on avalanche rescue and technical rope rescue. She practices with multiple agencies in Silverton and is a firefighter/paramedic in Durango, CO. On any typical day, you can find Chelsea and her four-legged friend adventuring in the San Juan Mountains or soaking up the sun while fishing the Animas River.

Jeffrey Isaac, PA-C

Jeffrey is the curriculum director for Wilderness Medical Associates International and co-author of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine and The Outward Bound Wilderness First Aid Handbook, both of which are used in wilderness medicine courses worldwide. His teaching reflects the experience of 30 years in emergency medicine, outdoor education, and wilderness rescue. He has served as an ambulance and fire/rescue crewman, professional ski patroller, emergency department practitioner and on the medical staff of three ski area trauma clinics. He currently practices with the Crested Butte Medical Center in Colorado, where he also serves as team leader and medical officer for Crested Butte Mountain Rescue.

Jeffrey is also a licensed captain for the U.S. Coast Guard and an experienced blue-water sailor. He’s logged thousands of miles aboard his own sloop and served as mate and medical officer on numerous sail-training and research vessels. His marine resume includes 20 seasons as an instructor, course director, and vessel master with The Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine.

Josh Kling

Josh is a mountain guide and outdoor educator based in Durango, Colorado, and owner of Kling Guides. He is a certified alpine, rock and assistant ski guide with the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). He is an emergency medical technician and a ski patroller at Purgatory Ski Resort. Josh guides all types of rock and alpine climbing as well as backcountry skiing. His climbing and trekking have taken him around the globe, including several guided ascents of Alaska’s Mount Denali. In addition, he has taught avalanche safety, wilderness medical and rescue courses for numerous nationally recognized organizations. He also helps coordinate the Flight for Life Avalanche Deployment Team in the San Juans Mountains and also works for La Plata County Search and Rescue.

Dr. David Johnson

Dr. David Johnson is a board-certified emergency physician and president/medical director of Wilderness Medical Associates International. His participation in trans-Atlantic sailing expeditions and numerous treks in North and South America, coupled with 30 years in urban and rural emergency medicine, have given him a broad base of experience in difficult and demanding situations.

Dr. Johnson is a frequent conference presenter who has taught all levels of EMS and wilderness medicine courses throughout the United States as well as some of the more far-flung corners of the world. He is co‑author of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine, which is used in WMAI’s courses worldwide, and has been recognized by Outward Bound for his outstanding contributions to experiential education. He is well known for his low-key teaching style and exceptional ability to relate complex medical issues while remaining firmly committed to the science behind the subject.

Wilderness Medical Training

Do you like to go up into the mountains or down the river? Are you prepared to handle a medical emergency while in the backcountry? Being medically prepared in the backcountry is just as critical as having a map and compass! Get the proper wilderness medical training by taking a Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMAI) course.

WMAI has been setting the standard in wilderness medicine and rescue training for over thirty years. WMAI instructors are experienced medical practitioners as well as ski patrollers, paddlers, mountain guides, outdoor educators, and members of search and rescue teams. The instructors are professional medical practitioners not just teachers. If all you are looking for is the certificate, look elsewhere. If you are looking for the best medical courses in the region and the outdoor industry you have come to the right place.

What is Wilderness Medicine?

Wilderness Medicine differs significantly from standard Red Cross style courses and other programs that are oriented toward the urban environment. Our wilderness courses teach what to do with a medical emergency when help is miles away and calling 911 isn’t an option. We prepare students for emergency situations that involve prolonged patient care, severe environments and improvised equipment.

Gain Skills & Confidence

A WMAI course will take you well beyond traditional first aid. We teach the procedures and the principles behind them. We want you to know how body systems behave, not just how to memorize signs and symptoms. Once you have taken one of our courses you will never forget what to do; you will understand what needs to be done.

Respond to Medical Emergencies

Whether you work or play in remote areas, our practical curriculum in wilderness medicine will prepare you to make good decisions in the field.