Outdoor Action Reunions 2025 Activities

Friday, May 23

Outdoor Action: Foundations of Effective Leadership

2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building, Bowl A17

Princeton alumni serve in countless leadership positions around the world from entrepreneurs to teachers, directors to parents. Understanding the traits and behaviors that make leaders effective is critical for any organization and applies to students on campus and alumni in the world at large. Join us for a panel that brings together Outdoor Action alumni from academics, business, government, the non-profit sector, and current OA student leaders to explore what makes leaders effective and how to enhance your own leadership. 

Panelists: 

• Rick Curtis ’79, Director, Outdoor Action Program (Moderator)
• Beth Cobert ’80, President, Affiliates & Strategic Partnerships, Strada Education Foundation
• Roger Nozaki ’85, Vice President for Strategy & Programs, Barr Foundation
• Sarah Wingerter MD ’95, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine; Instructor, Undergraduate Writing Program, Columbia University
• Lisa Newman-Wise ’05, Internal Sustainability Leader, Deloitte US
• Paul Nehring ’10, Chief of Staff, Reading Partners
• Sarah Deneher ’20, West of Ireland Programmes Manager, University of Notre Dame Kylemore
• Quinn Haverstick ’25, graduating senior, Outdoor Action Leader Trainer

Reunions 2025 Panel

Outdoor Action Alumni & Friends Reception

3:30 - 6:00 p.m. Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building, 117 Forum

To 6:00 PM. Outdoor Action Leaders, participants, parents and friends of OA are invited to join the annual Reunions reception. Come meet with old friends from over almost 50 years of OA and learn about the latest changes in the Outdoor Action Program. OA director Rick Curtis ’79 will be there to give you the latest news.

Telluride Mountainfilm Festival

8:00 - 10:00 p.m. McCosh 10

To 10:00 PM. OA presents the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival brings together a community of filmmakers and change makers, showcasing documentary films that celebrate adventure, activism, social justice, environment and indomitable spirit. Here are the films:

• Asking Less (4:24)
  The Colorado River is one of America’s most valuable and iconic rivers. Photographer and author Pete McBride has been following this river for over two decades. He shows us the stark reality of our water crisis within this river and the remarkable beauty and resilience of this ephemeral source of life.

• Footprints on Katmai (21:49)
  Following his grandmother's footsteps to one of the most remote and bear-strewn beaches in Alaska, painter Max Romey discovers that an ocean of problems is closer to home than he could have imagined.

• Freya (4:00)
  Leo Houlding's daughter, Freya, uses climbing as a practice to lean into discomfort and fear to help navigate her neurodiversity and harness its strengths.

• Healy (14:00)
  For millions of years, the Arctic Ocean has been covered by a permanent sheet of ice. During the summertime in the near future, it will melt in its entirety for the first time in human history. Healy follows a crew of scientists and sailors through a two-month research mission to try to understand why the northern ice cap is melting even faster than climate models have predicted — and how the transformation is altering life on Earth.

• I am the nature (5:20)
  I am the nature is a poetic documentary honoring the philosophy and cultural expression of the Achuar people from the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Narrated by Chumpí Washikiat, a local leader, the film dives into the insights of a man who has walked between worlds, echoing ideas of unity, empathy and harmony.

• Judy's Creak: Discovering the Secret Life of the Streambed (5:00)
  Follow ecologist, educator and author Dr. Judy Li into the world of caddisflies, the artisans of the aquatic world. With contagious passion, Judy shares how her childhood curiosity led to a career in freshwater science and how she has found ways to share the joys of science with audiences of all ages.

• Leaving a Tread (5:32)
  As the popularity of mountain biking grows across Mexico, riders like Israel Carrillo work to blaze the trail — literally. Carrillo shares the challenges athletes face in a growing sport, financially and otherwise, while showing off his hometown of Guanajuato.

• Near the River (11:15)
  In the tourist town of Livingstone, Zambia, a group of local men who make their living portering kayaks aspire to become safety kayakers on the Zambezi River. However, the proposed Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme threatens to flood the famous rapids of the Zambezi and eliminate river-related jobs.

• Re (5:47)
  Twenty years ago, Re forged a new path in the outdoor sports community as one of the few women in her field. As an action sports photographer, she is dedicated to working with and showcasing the strength and individual personalities of female athletes. Re landed the first cover shot of a woman for Backcountry Magazine and the first all-female cover shot for Skiing. She views her work as a catalyst, fostering a social shift in the perception of female athletes in popular culture.

• The Wintering Grounds (21:00)
  For most of the year, bands of worldclass freestyle kayakers roam the land in search of waves. But when the rivers freeze, they find their way to a special spot on the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama-Georgia border. Squatting in an abandoned parking lot, they spend the winter training for the next world championships on North America’s best winter whitewater. Although called “certifiable lunatics” by the locals, this tight-knit group is proof of the power of family and that indeed, everything is more fun with friends.

• To Scale: Time (10:00)
  On a dry lakebed in California, a group of friends attempt to build a scale model of time: a true illustration of cosmic evolution and our place within it. Over miles, they lay out tiny lights representing important moments in the history of the universe: the Big Bang, the meteor that killed the dinosaurs and the beginning of human civilization. The result is time represented by distance and the recognition that although we are alive for the briefest moment — in this demonstration, the width of a hair — our lives are a gift from the universe that we must spend wisely.

• Unseen Peaks (7:00)
  After enduring discrimination and trauma due to her blindness, Addie seeks freedom through skiing, ice climbing and rock climbing, facing both the challenges of these activities and the need for acceptance within the outdoor community as a disabled person. She believes exposure is the most powerful antidote to fear and dreams of a world where everyone has the safety and freedom to experience the outdoors.

Sunday, May 25

Outdoor Action Leaders & Friends of OA Breakfast Reception

9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Chancellor Green Rotunda

Outdoor Action Leaders and Friends from all classes are invited to join us for our annual breakfast reunion event. Come meet with old friends and learn about the new OA+ programs during the academic year and celebrate 50 years of Outdoor Action. Continental breakfast will be served.