Important Information regarding COVID-19 and the Wilderness Basics Course

Update: November 16, 2022

The Wilderness Basics Course will be offered in 2023. Due to restrictions imposed by the National Sierra Club, the class size has been decreased. Chairs will be set up 3 feet apart. Hand sanitizer will be available. If you have any questions or concernes, please reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Update: October 29, 2021

The Wilderness Basics Course will be offered in 2022. Due to restrictions imposed by National Sierra Club, the class size has been decreased. All staff, leaders and participants must be fully vacinated. Masks must be worn indoors. Chairs will be set up 3 feet apart. Hand sanitizer will be available. If you have any questions or concernes, please reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Update: December 1, 2020

The Wilderness Basics Course is a program of the Sierra Club San Diego Chapter. The National Sierra Club has suspended all in-person activities until February 28, 2021 and will be reassessed at that time. Therefore the 2021 Wilderness Basics Course will be postponed to 2022.

Upate: March 2020

To our WBC class of 2020,

It is with very heavy hearts that we must announce the cancellation of the remaining WBC 2020 activities. This includes both weekends of Snow Camp trips, all make-up trips, and the final class on Tuesday 3/17. At this time the reunion in June is still planned to happen, but that may change depending on future developments.

Our hope is that conditions improve, and restrictions on large gatherings are short-lived. While many local logistical factors such as the closure of the San Jacinto tram were being discussed, and trip leaders expressed many great ideas for workarounds and safety precautions, ultimately this decision was a directive from Sierra Club National. In response to COVID19, they have decided to suspend ALL group activities, nationwide.

We are sorry to those of you that were looking forward to the trips this weekend. I want to reiterate that myself, our staff, and leaders are saddened and disappointed as well.

While we will not be holding class on Tuesday, there will be a small staff at the Scottish Rite Center on hand to collect your rented gear. If you have snowshoes or skis, please bring them to the normal class location on Tuesday night any time between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

We will be refunding all fees paid for Mammoth and/or snowshoes.

We are currently looking into putting the final exam online so that students may still take it remotely. If you were signed up for snow camp and have met all the other requirements to graduate, you will still be able to graduate. Expect an update on this soon.

I think I can speak for all the staff when I say this is a pretty heartbreaking notice to send. We all do this because we love it and are passionate about the outdoors and sharing that with others. We are enthusiastic about teaching people how to experience and enjoy nature safely and responsibly. There are many hours of hard work and planning that go into the class, especially our snow camp trips. I’ve been so proud and appreciative of all our staff and leaders for what they do, and I feel our team was outstanding this year.

I also want to thank all of you, the students. We’ve had an exceptional group of participants this year and I’m upset by having to end the class this way. Hopefully, we make up for it at the reunion and see many of you there. If anyone has any questions or comments please feel free to reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Best regards,

Bryan Pray
WBC Chair

Last Updated: March 12, 2020 8:00 p.m. PDT