Media &
Publications

Podcasts

Lessons from an Aviation Disaster

George and Stuart apply an aviation case to guiding, instruction, and program leadership, where two pilots flew a functioning aircraft into a mountainside, killing all 152 people on board. Lessons for outdoor programs include: role clarity and single-point accountability on two-person field teams, the PACE escalation continuum (probe, alert, challenge, emergency), how the avalanche industry trains people to narrate what they see, and how much of what outdoor programs carry abroad assumes a Western view of hierarchy and speaking up. The full transcript and the official investigation report are posted on the Field Debrief site.

Safety Leadership

What does real safety leadership look like in outdoor education and why can it sometimes feel like such an isolating role?

In this episode of The Outdoor Education Podcast, Rob sits down with Stuart Slay, founder of Slay Risk, a safety leadership and risk advisory practice that works with schools, experiential programs, and outdoor organizations around the world.

Stuart shares his journey from climbing gyms, ski patrol, and avalanche forecasting to becoming a leading voice in safety science and systems thinking. Together, Rob and Stuart explore how culture, leadership, communication, and organizational structure shape the safety of outdoor programs and why many of the biggest risks appear long before anyone steps into the field.

This episode offers valuable insights for outdoor educators, program leaders, and risk managers who want to build safer, healthier, and more resilient learning environments.

How Climate Change is Impacting Outdoor Organizations, Today

Stuart discussing a 2024 research article he co-authored with colleagues from the Wilderness Climate Action Lab, about how climate change is impacting outdoor organizations, and what to do about it.

Publications

S. Slay, C. Dallat, D Mitten. (2025). A Cultural Risk Assessment of Led Outdoor Activities. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. Online First. https://doi.org/10.18666/JOREL-2025-12408

C. Dallat, D. Mitten, S. Slay, V. Mitchell, D. Ajango. (2025). The Silence Is Deafening: Exploring the Impacts of Serious Incidents on Practitioners Across the Outdoor and Adventure Programs Work System. Human Factors & Ergonomics in Manufacturing and Service Industries. Volume 35, e70017. https://doi.org/10.1002/hfm.70017

J. Jackson, S. Slay, & S. L. Tarter. (2024). Climate Change Impact on Outdoor Organizations Today. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, Volume 36, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.1177/10806032241296526

S. Slay, D. Mitten, C. Dallat. (2024). A Cultural Risk Assessment of Led Outdoor Activities. Coalition for Education Outdoors Research Symposium. Ashville, NC.

S. Slay. (2023). What’s Next? 30 Years of the WRMC. Adventure Risk Research Symposium. Portland, OR.

B. Madden & S. Slay. (2023). Exploring the Impact of Wildfires on Outdoor Adventure Programs. Adventure Risk Research Symposium. Portland, OR.

C. Dallat, D. Mitten, D, Ajango, S. Slay. (2022). What about Us? Second Victims in Outdoor Education Programs. Ambleside, UK.

S. Slay. (2022). Towards Global Inclusion & Belonging. in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Field Guide. Eds. Rita Yerkes, Denise Mitten, Karren Warren. Association for Experiential Education.

D. Mitten, C. Dallat, S. Slay, D, Ajango. (2022). Impact of Serious Incidents on Practitioners: Early data summary. Burlington, VT.

S. Slay & D. Mitten. (2021). Literature Review: Cultural factors’ influence on risk. Symposium for Experiential Education Research.

S. Slay. (2020). How Cultural Perceptions Influence Risk: A cultural risk assessment. Prescott College.

S. Slay. (2020). Ten Guiding Principles for Transference of Outdoor Education for the Betterment of Society (J. Lee. Trans.). Ediun News. Seoul, South Korea.

S. Slay, C. Dallat, D. Mitten, P. Salmon. (2020). Transcending Paradigms: A cultural risk assessment. Adventure Risk Research Symposium.

Speaking

Stuart speaks on risk management and safety leadership at conferences, including the Wilderness Risk Management Conference, AEE conferences, and international school events across Asia. For speaking inquiries, use the contact page.

Expert Witness

Stuart provides expert consultation on outdoor program and school trip risk management for attorneys, insurers, and organizations reviewing an incident or a claim. Engagements draw on twenty years of program leadership and published research on risk assessment. For availability and rates, use the contact page.