Alumni Tale: Brody Leven
Seasonally Confused
This Westminster Honors Graduate is Going Places. Literally
by Robin Boon
Precocious
Self-confessed “student government dweeb” from elementary school through college. On $300 he created a DJ business like that of the people he watched on MTV. By 15, it had become a thriving enterprise, a full-time job with employees to manage. He liquidated it before college.
Driven…especially where there’s snow
Was a competitive freestyle skier all through high school–moving from home and attending a ski academy for the last two years. At Westminster, he was drawn to the allure of adventure endurance sports done in the mountains—like mountaineering alone in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca—so he combined his climbing and skiing skills, and transitioned primarily to ski mountaineering.
Unconventional, creative
Brody and friend Abe Greenspan rode their bikes from Portland to Seattle to climb and ski all the volcanoes along the way. They carried everything—food, water, crevasse rescue gear, extra brake pads, solar panels, etc. The Craigslist bike trailer survived the trip, then succumbed to metal fatigue. (Mt. Rainier took 12 hours of climbing for 40 minutes of skiing.)
Spontaneous
His mom asked him if he would be home for Thanksgiving. Never having ridden a road bike, he bought one, headed to NW Montana, then biked to Ohio for Thanksgiving—an adventure that took six weeks and left in its wake a slew of adoring, charmed Midwesterners. An accomplished storyteller, he wrote about the Thanksgiving trip online, which became the inspiration for his website.
Writer
A prolific writer, Brody shares his adventures with aplomb, humor, honesty, and sophistication. His publishing page shows more than 60 articles, often accompanied by his own spectacular photography. His fearlessness and expertise, combined with the purest love of all things outdoors, make him the man to watch, read, follow, then to wait patiently for a detailed account of his next adventure.
Who’s this? Brody Leven (’10)
Westminster history Economics major, Spanish minor, Honors degree, student body president (twice), youngest student ever to hold the position.
Business owner Age 9 with a $300 loan from his parents, which he paid back.
Dedication Work—nonstop from age 9.
Carbon footprint Ultra low impact.
Vocation Professional, four-season athlete (signed with Salomon), prolific writer, raconteur.
Avocation Skiing, biking, kayaking, climbing, running, etc., then writing about it.
Persona Driven, unconventional, inspirational, hyperactive overachiever.
Travel Skis around the world, but never rides a lift or takes a helicopter.
Life in General Worst days are probably way better than most of our good ones.
Follow the adventure online at brodyleven.com
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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