Beyond the Classroom.
Beyond the Map.
Karst Climber plans and delivers the Adventurous Journey component of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, and designs expedition experiences for IB CAS across China.
Award programs demand more than a well-run outdoor trip. They require personnel who understand the award framework, and careful coordination with the schools who hold the authority to issue them. We bring the field. You bring the award.
The Adventurous Journey,
Built for China
We plan and deliver the Adventurous Journey component at Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels. Your school issues the award. We make sure students are ready to earn it.
Bronze
Ages 14+ · 2 Days 1 Night minimum
An introduction to expedition. Students plan and complete a journey through unfamiliar terrain under their own steam — navigating, camping, and managing themselves with increasing independence.
Bronze programs build the foundational skills that all subsequent award levels depend on. The terrain is challenging but achievable. The experience is designed to surprise students with what they are capable of.
Silver
Ages 15+ · 3 Days 2 Nights minimum
Greater distance, more demanding terrain, and a higher expectation of self-sufficiency. Silver programs require students to draw on the skills developed at Bronze and apply them under real expedition conditions.
Routes are designed to be navigated and completed by students with meaningful input — this is not a guided tour. Our staff are present for safety and assessment, not to make the journey easy.
Gold
Ages 16+ · 4 Days 3 Nights minimum
The most demanding level. Gold expeditions take place in genuinely remote terrain — environments that require real physical and mental commitment to navigate and complete. Students arrive having already earned Bronze and Silver.
Gold also includes a residential project component. We can advise on and support its design, connecting students with local communities across our program network in ways that meet the award's residential requirements.
Your Award, Our Expedition
We plan and run the journey. Your school — as the licensed Award centre — issues the award to students. Invigilation is joint.
Your School Holds the Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is issued by licensed Award centres — your school. Karst Climber supports the Adventurous Journey component with field expertise, qualified staff, and meticulously planned routes. The award itself is yours to confer.
We Design the Journey
Routes are planned to meet the award's framework requirements at each level — distance, duration, terrain, and conditions. We factor in your students' experience, the award level, and the time of year to recommend the right location from across our portfolio.
Joint Invigilation
Your school appoints an assessor. Our qualified staff work alongside them throughout the journey — managing safety, supporting the expedition framework, and ensuring the experience meets the standards required for the award at that level.
Documentation and Debrief
After the expedition, we provide a full debrief framework and any supporting documentation your school needs to complete the award process. We remain available to assist with the log, evidence, and any questions about the journey itself.
Field Experiences That
Satisfy CAS Requirements
Karst Climber designs programs that address the Activity and Service strands of IB CAS, and can build in Creativity where the location and community offer it.
Creativity
Ceramic workshops in Jingdezhen, traditional craft engagement in Foshan, collaborative documentation projects, visual journaling in landscape — creativity strands can be woven into programs where the location genuinely supports them.
Activity
Multi-day trekking, rock climbing, kayaking, cycling expeditions — our outdoor programs provide the sustained physical challenge and personal development that CAS Activity requirements are built around. We document progression and can provide supporting evidence for student portfolios.
Service
Genuine service learning with farming communities, conservation projects, and environmental restoration work across our program locations. Service is structured so that the work is real and the community benefit is clear — not a visit dressed as volunteering.
Built Around Your CAS Coordinator
We work directly with your school's CAS coordinator to design a program that maps clearly onto your students' CAS requirements and learning outcomes.
We provide a program outline mapped to the seven CAS learning outcomes, supporting documentation for student portfolios, and a debrief framework that connects the outdoor experience to reflective practice.
Programs can be designed to satisfy multiple CAS strands in a single trip — and we are happy to work through the learning outcomes with your coordinator before the program is finalised.
CAS is most meaningful when the experiences are genuine. We do not build programs around what looks good on a portfolio — we build them around what is real in the field. Students who complete our programs come back with experiences worth reflecting on.
The learning outcomes write themselves when the experience is honest. That is the best thing we can offer a CAS student.
The Field Is Ours.
The Award Is Yours.
Karst Climber brings 25 years of field experience, qualified staff, and deep knowledge of China's most demanding terrain. Your school brings the award framework and the authority to issue it. Together, we give students experiences they will spend years making sense of.
Everything in the Field
Route Planning
Routes designed to meet award framework requirements at each level — distance, duration, terrain type, and conditions — adapted to your students' experience and the season.
Qualified Staff
Wilderness First Aid certified educators with deep knowledge of each terrain type. Our staff understand the award framework and know what assessors need to see.
Full Logistics
Camping equipment, transport, nutrition, accommodation where required, risk assessments, emergency protocols — everything needed to run a safe and compliant expedition.
Joint Invigilation
Our staff work alongside your school-appointed assessor throughout the journey. Roles are agreed in advance. Documentation is thorough. The process is built around the award's requirements.
Location Selection
We match your students' level and award requirements to the right location from our portfolio of 34+ sites across China and Southeast Asia. Every recommendation is based on what the terrain actually demands.
Post-Expedition Support
Debrief frameworks, supporting documentation, and ongoing availability to assist with portfolio evidence, log completion, and any questions arising after the expedition.
Plan the Journey
Tell us the award level, the number of students, and when you need to run. We will come back with a location recommendation and a program outline.
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