By Kaelan Young Viristar is proud to renew our Affiliate Membership with UN Tourism, further strengthening our commitment to improving the safety and quality of outdoor and adventure experiences around the world. UN Tourism is the United Nations agency dedicated to promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its global network of more than 500 … Read more
Viristar is launching a two-day, 16-hour classroom-based Foundations of Adventure Safety training, designed to provide skills and knowledge vital for appropriately managing risks arising from adventure activities. The course has been developed to support current and future managers of outdoor, adventure, experiential, wilderness and travel-based programs in creating an effective safety management system for their … Read more
Note: This is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney licensed or otherwise permitted to practice law in your location, and who is knowledgeable about your activities and areas of operations. Annie Miller has warm, sparkling eyes, and an easy smile. She has an adventurous spirit, and is a talented artist with a love for … Read more
By Kaelan Young Viristar, in collaboration with the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA), led a webinar on outdoor safety for nature centers. The session was attended by 56 participants from more than 20 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, representing organizations including Onondaga County Parks, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, Stratford Ecological Center, Houston Arboretum … Read more
By Kaelan Young Viristar is pleased to participate in the 2026 Outdoor Forum for South East Asian Schools (OFFSEAS), to be held April 25–26, 2026, at Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As part of its engagement, Viristar will deliver a pre-conference training, facilitate two workshop sessions and be represented in the exhibition hall, … Read more
By Kaelan Young We’re pleased to introduce Samanta Chu, a member of the Accreditation Council for the Adventure Safety Accreditation. Samanta Chu, Director of Wilderness Medical Associates International – Brasil, brings decades of experience in outdoor, experiential and adventure programs. She teaches wilderness medicine internationally, has served as Technical Director with the São Paulo State … Read more
In September 2021, six-year-old Wongel Estifanos plunged to her death down a 33-meter vertical shaft carved into the solid rock of Iron Mountain, during a Colorado adventure park “Haunted Mine Drop” experience gone terribly wrong.
A jury recently awarded her family $205 million, finding the adventure park ride manufacturer and operator liable for her death.
By Kaelan Young Viristar delivered a three-hour workshop on the science of safety to the 2025 Mountain Adventure Skills Training cohort at College of the Rockies in Fernie, British Columbia. Viristar has provided a workshop as part of this course since 2021. The session, Adventure Tourism and the Science of Risk Management, was part of … Read more
By Kaelan Young We are proud to introduce Adventure Safety Accreditation Council member Lisette Gachanja. Lisette is an experiential trainer and adventure therapist with Urbanite Camps in Kenya. Lisette co-founded Urbanite Camps, which provides outdoor education programs for schools, corporate training and development, youth camps and adventure therapy. She has also worked with corporate training, … Read more
By Kaelan Young Viristar recently joined OSAC, previously known as the Overseas Security Advisory Council, as an organizational member, to improve the safety and security of Viristar’s international operations, and to contribute resources and insights to the global security community. OSAC is a partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and … Read more
Suzanne Rees had embarked on the adventure of a lifetime—a 60-night cruise circling around Australia aboard a cruise ship, where fares for the voyage can cost more than $80,000. But on a stop at Lizard Island, a remote island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the 80-year-old was left behind by the cruise ship. It was … Read more
By Kaelan Young Viristar is a new member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) as an industry partner. We are pleased to join a global community of professionals dedicated to advancing the adventure travel industry. What is the Adventure Travel Trade Association? The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) brings together a global community of … Read more
