My interest in outdoor activities began while growing up on a ranch in southeast Wyoming. My entire family helped my father run the 22,000 acre cattle ranch. I developed a great deal of independence, motivation, and self-reliability, especially while working alone. I had to be proficient in map reading in order to repair fences on the proper boundaries, locate and fight forest fires, and find my way home at the end of the day. I learned to be self-sufficient in the wilderness, and my camping and navigation skills were honed.
In high school I enrolled in an EMT-Basic course, and my career in medicine began. I started volunteering with the local ambulance, which fueled my interests, and I began studying pre-med at the University of Wyoming. I furthered my pre-hospital training and career by taking an EMT-Paramedic course, and I continued to work on ambulances and in the local emergency department throughout my undergraduate education.
I found niches that allowed me to combine my medical skills with the outdoors as I worked on ski patrol in college and began to do more climbing and other outdoor sports. While attending medical school at the University of Washington through the WWAMI program, I was able to study medicine in rural areas of the western United States and in Queensland, Australia. After completing my emergency medicine residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, I found my dream job as an attending emergency medicine physician in Jackson Hole, WY.
Since moving to Jackson, I have also become medical director and an active member of the Teton County Search and Rescue team. In addition, as an hands-on medical director for Grand Teton National Park I train and help the climbing rangers in a variety of wilderness situations. My current job, location and training opportunities allow me to practice medicine in a setting that I have tailored my profession to; wilderness and emergency medicine. As an avid outdoorsman and dedicated physician, I continue to apply and master my medical and rescue skills in wilderness settings.
Exploration
A Lifetime of General Wilderness Experience
Will Smith is a very active outdoor enthusiast. His mountaineering, skiing, diving, trekking and endurance race experience not only keeps him in shape, but provides important exposure to the perils associated with these pursuits. Will’s personal and professional experience adds pertinence to his lectures and consulting by basing it around his real-world background and potential real-world threats.
Summits:
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa – 19,341 ft (5895 m)
Pico de Orizaba, Mexico – 18,490 ft (5636 m)
Grand Teton, Wyoming – 13,770 ft (4197 m)
Longs Peak, Colorado – 14,259 ft (4346 m)
Mt. Rainier, Washington – 14,410 ft (4392 m)
Climbing:
Flat Irons, Boulder, Colorado
Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris, Lander, Wyoming
Devils Tower, Wyoming
Los Dientes, Guadalajara, Mexico
Vedauwouu, Laramie, Wyoming
Exit 38, Leavenworth, Seattle, Washington
Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Cirque of the Towers, Wind Rivers, Wyoming
Tetons, Jackson, WY
Skiing:
Valle Nevado, Santiago, CHILE
Whistler, British Columbia, CANADA
Mt. Baker, Washington
Crystal Mountain, Washington
Park City, Utah
Canyons, Utah
Alta, Utah
Solitude, Utah
Snowbird, Utah
Snowy Range, Laramie, Wyoming
Hogadon, Casper, Wyoming
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Targhee, Wyoming
Crested Butte, Colorado
Loveland, Colordao
Keystone, Colorado
Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
Steamboat, Colorado
Winter Park, Colorado
SCUBA Diving:
Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Queensland, Australia – deep diving
Poor Knights, Northern New Zealand – deep diving
Cozumel, Mexico – drift diving
Cancun, Mexico – cavern diving
Oahu, Hawaii – wreck, deep water, and drift diving
Maui, Hawaii – shore diving, cave diving
Penonome, Panama – boat diving around island
Rapa Nui (Easer Island), Chile – boat diving on the most remote island in the world
Lake Michigan, Wisconsin – fresh cold water and wreck diving
Trekking:
New Zealand – Milford Trek
Peru – Inca Trail
Adventure Races:
Wisconsin races – Multiple
24-Hour Indiana
Grand Targhee Throwdown, Alta, WY