Max Minichiello

Max is returning to Adventure Treks for his fifth season as a trip leader. A Huntington Beach native, Max spent this winter as a ski instructor at Big Sky in Montana. Previously, he was in Burlington, VT, as the site coordinator for an after-school program. Max has also worked as an instructor at the Pok-O-MacCready Outdoor Education Center in New York, leading adventure programs in the Adirondacks for elementary and middle schoolers; an instructor for High Trails Outdoor Science School in California, teaching environmental classes; and a camp instructor for Catalina Island Marine Institute, leading snorkeling, kayaking, and high ropes activities.

• Education: University of California, Santa Barbara, bachelor’s degree in environmental studies
• Certifications: Wilderness first responder, ACA level 4 swiftwater rescue, PSIA alpine level 1
• Favorite outdoor memory: Hiking the Goat Rocks with Adventure Treks in summer 2021! Such a beautiful place.
• Favorite outdoor achievement: I think back to thru-hiking the Trans-Catalina Trail. It’s only a four-day trip, but it’s the first trip that I helped plan and coordinate, and it holds a special place in my heart for both the beauty of the trail and the company with whom I hiked.
• Favorite place you’ve traveled:Colombia! Specifically, Medellin is one of the most beautiful places I’ve traveled to; it’s an all-around awesome city.
• Favorite hobbies: Backpacking, skiing, climbing, board games, reading, travelling, crafting
• Best advice you’ve received: “Fly, you fools.” (Gandalf)
• What do you hope to learn this summer? How to cook faux “krab.”
• What are you most excited for this summer? Simply being outside with some incredible people.