Max Lurie

With 15 years of professional guiding experience, Max’s journey began in the forests of Midcoast Maine, where a teenage Outward Bound program sparked a lifelong obsession with the mountains. After earning a degree in Earth Sciences with a focus on glaciology and paleoclimatology—research that took him from extracting ice cores on Denali to expeditions in the Peruvian Andes— Max realized that sharing the mountains with others had a more profound impact than academia alone. After honing his craft on the “brutally cold” ice and granite of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Max moved west to guide the iconic glaciated peaks of the Cascades and the technical rock of Colorado. Now based in Moab, Utah, Max blends his scientific background with professional guiding to create self-sufficient mountain stewards who can safely and respectfully appreciate the world’s wild places. Max is a dedicated professional avalanche educator who takes great pride in training and mentoring the next generation of aspiring guides. When he isn’t guiding technical alpine routes, ski guiding or teaching in the backcountry, Max can be found in the desert helping his wife train for her next ultra-distance bikepacking race.

Take 5 with the Guide

What was your first mountain?
My first 6000-meter mountain was Chinchey, a peak in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. We were on a research expedition collecting snow samples from across the range. During our two weeks on the mountain, we didn’t see a single other party trying to climb it. I climbed it with Bob. Bob was (and still is) rad.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not guiding?
When I am not guiding, I am trying to keep up with my wife on a mountain bike.

What’s always in your snack bag?
Pocket gummies.

If you could be stuck with anyone (past or present) at base camp for a week, who would you choose?
Mandy Patinkin.

One piece of advice for aspiring mountaineers
Climbing is one of the few sports that can be expressed in many different ways, from bouldering to multi-month-long Himalayan expeditions, and everything in between. You can try what appeals to you and find your own style. The more ownership you take with your adventures, the more rewarding the experiences can be.