Max Chandler

Field Instructor - WFR

Max Chandler, WFR, is a Lead Field Instructor at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). Prior to joining the team at NCOAE, Max worked as a field instructor for the American Camp Association-accredited Adventure Treks in Flat Rock, NC.

Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Max amassed a mountain of outdoor experience at the Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons. Prior to that he was the Outdoor Experiential Education Coordinator at the Science Adventure School at West Virginia University, and before that, served as a zipline canopy tour guide for the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.

When your human-powered outside activities include rock climbing, skiing, mountaineering, and whitewater kayaking and canoeing, the idea of working in outdoor and adventure education was always within the realm of possibilities for this young man.

So, Max began to expand his education, both inside and outside of the classroom, becoming a Wilderness First Responder, a Leave No Trace Master Educator, an ACA Swiftwater Rescue professional and a Level 1 American Avalanche Institute master.

Armed with his extensive experience in leadership training programs and his personal passion for the outdoors, Max says he remains steadfast in his enthusiasm for sharing outdoor adventures with novice and experienced enthusiasts. And, he says, his position at NCOAE enables him to learn new things from both his peers and his students.

And when asked to look a decade into the future, Max is pretty certain he’ll still be active in leading canoeing, skiing, and climbing wilderness trips with friends and his community.