Instructor Bio: Chad Henry

 

Chad Henry is a lifelong outdoorsman whose fieldcraft roots run deep. Raised in a family that made time in the backcountry non-negotiable, he grew up hunting with his father, backpacking through rugged terrain, practicing route finding, and riding horses across mountain country. That foundation didn't stay a hobby — it became the backbone of four decades of deliberate technical training.

Chad has been a downhill skier since 1983, building the alpine proficiency and mountain travel judgment that comes only from years of serious vertical. In the 1990s he expanded that base into full mountaineering terrain and became a certified rescue diver in 1995 — a combination that reflects the breadth of environment he's operated in, not just the depth of any one discipline.

For over a decade, Chad served as a Search and Rescue Rescue Technician, specializing in rope rescue — a discipline he also taught within his SAR program — and holding certification as a Swiftwater Rescue Technician (SRT). SAR work is where wilderness skills meet real consequences: degraded conditions, compressed time, and a life depending on the outcome. Chad retired from active SAR service with the operational mindset that work produces, and brings it into every course he supports.

Since 2018, Chad has worked with Gray Bearded Green Beret. Beginning in 2021, he served as an apprentice instructor within the GB2 Survival Instructor Training Program, teaching alongside the cadre while completing the program. In May 2022 he earned Top Team honors in the Master Navigator Course, underscoring his elite-level navigation skills, teamwork, and instructional capability. He graduated the GB2 Survival Instructor Training Program in November 2025.