Max Belongs in the Mountains: The Waddington, to Be Precise
Max Owens, one of two overall winners of the NOLS Patagonia Dream Expedition Video Contest, wants to take the Waddington Range Mountaineering course this summer. His video, Power of the Peaks, won him a NOLS course, all the gear he needs for the course, travel, and a bunch of other goodies from Patagonia and NOLS. Here’s his winning video:
We caught up with Max to find out more about him.
Q: We know nothing about you, other than that you make a mean backcountry salad. How old are you?
A: I am 17 years old.
Q: What are your favoriate outdoor acivities?
A: My favorite outdoor activity is definitely skiing. I also love camping, hiking, and mountain biking. Recently, I’ve gotten into rock climbing, but thus far have only rock climbed indoors.
Q: What do you love to do when you’re not in school (or making movies)?
A: Spending time with friends, reading, the activities listed above, and volunteering at my local hospital
Q: Are you really planning on that tour of the US, hiking, climbing, skiing, and more? If so, when are you planning on doing that?
A: The trip was not a formal plan when I dreamed of it; however I do have a yearning for the West and want to spend some serious time. That being said, I’ve been playing with the idea of going on a road trip after my senior year of high school. Though I might not have enough time to do all the activities listed in my video on this road trip, I want to fit in as much as I can!
Q: Looks like you are in high school. Any college plans?
A: I’m currently a junior in high school, so I’m not exactly sure where I will apply just yet. I’ve been visiting a lot of schools lately to figure out what kind of school I would get the most out of. At this point, I’m planning on a pre-medicine track in college then med school. Science has always been one of my favorite subjects, and I think medicine would be a great career area for me.
Q: You got your whole school involved in your video. Who are some of the teachers who think you “belong in the mountains?”
A: The first teacher in the video is Christa Overbeck, who I had for English my freshman year. The male teacher was Erik Will, who I had for freshman world history. The last teacher was Molly Penrod, who I had last year for biology and this current year for AP Biology (my favorite class by far!!). All of these teachers are absolutely fantastic, and were very supportive about the video!
