Risk Management

At HMI, we are proud of the quality of our programs, our safety record, and our risk management practices. HMI is fully accredited by the Association for Experiential Education and our field faculty and staff have first aid training. We strive to develop creative and challenging programming and endeavor to responsibly manage risks, knowing we cannot eliminate those risks. Students and their parents must understand that HMI does not offer safe programs and cannot guarantee students' safety. Why? Because a safe program would mean not exposing ourselves to any risk. Traveling in a wilderness environment or engaging in activities on or around campus, includes inherent and other risks; hazards and dangers that can cause or lead to injury, property damage or even death. For example, HMI students are exposed to risks by skiing in avalanche terrain, climbing mountains, driving on snowy roads, and splitting firewood. HMI activities, including those associated with wilderness travel and campus life, have inherent and other risks and are part of our programs.

Inherent risks are those that are integral to the very nature of the activity. Without the inherent risk, the activity would lose its essential nature. For example, the risk of injury from lightning increases as one climbs higher, and is an inherent risk of peak ascents. While we can make judgments about the risks and consequences, there is no way to guarantee safety. We strive to make good judgments. However, judgment is not infallible. Misjudgment itself is one of the most significant inherent risks.

We talk with students about how to evaluate these inherent and other risks and how they can make intelligent decisions when learning new skills in different environments. During each expedition, the faculty and staff carry a wilderness first aid kit and a radio or cellular phone (although both can be unreliable). On and off campus, students learn about our rules and community standards. By hiring faculty with experience, teaching students various outdoor and life skills, and discussing the risks at hand, HMI strives to manage the risks we encounter.

Again, HMI cannot assure students' safety or eliminate these risks. HMI students and their parents must understand that students share in the responsibility for their own well-being, and the well-being of others on the program. In addition to other forms, students and their parents are required to sign an HMI Acknowledgment and Assumption of Risks and Release and Indemnity Agreement before participating in any HMI program (below). Please review this form, or contact us for additional information about HMI program activities and associated risks, and student and parent responsibilities.

Download the HMI Risks & Release Form