Brien Sheedy

Brien brings a wealth of outdoor education and expedition experience to the Whitman College Outdoor Program.  Brien has been running the Whitman Outdoor program since 2001. He has climbed the highest peak on every continent and has guided all over the world. He is extremely proficient in a wide variety of skill areas including whitewater kayaking, rafting, sea kayaking, telemark skiing and all aspects of climbing (rock, ice, big walls and high altitude.) He loves teaching outdoor skills and leading trips and expeditions that  help people push their limits and succeed at difficult challenges.

In addition to running the Outdoor Program at Whitman Brien also does some guiding for Alpine Ascents International and is a Senior Instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School where he worked for over a decade, accumulating over 200 field weeks. He led courses and expeditions all over the western US and Canada and worked roughly four years out of the country between Kenya, India, Chile and Mexico.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY ESF at Syracuse and a Master’s Degree in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin where he studied Nepali for two years and conducted his thesis research on ecotourism in Nepal.

Brien is proud of the fact that last year the Outdoor Program was named the #1 outdoor program in the state of Washington by the Tacoma News Tribune and also ranked very high on a volunteer safety accreditation by Adventure Safety International.