Our Team

Christopher Hoppe - Associate Director Campus Recreation

Leah Hillbrand - Outdoor Program Coordinator

Madison Kinder - Outdoor Program Coordinator

Christopher Hoppe - Associate Director Campus Recreation

Phone: (509) 359-7394
Email: choppe08@ewu.edu

As a local of the Inland Northwest, I am endlessly amazed by the opportunities for adventure that exist right in our backyard. I have spent the past 10 years working to connect others with the outdoors, and to share my passion for adventure. While in graduate school I immersed myself in whitewater recreation, teaching rafting and kayaking courses for EWU. After completing my graduate studies, I moved to South Florida to found the Outdoor Adventure program at Florida Atlantic University. I returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2012 to reconnect with my passion for whitewater, and to explore new adventures wherever possible. I now am drawn to the mountains, and spent weekends with my wife mountaineering and climbing in the summer, and ice-climbing and skiing in the winter.

Leah Hillbrand - Outdoor Program Coordinator

Phone: (509) 359-7920
Email: lhillbrand@ewu.edu

Before finding my way to EPIC Adventures, I spent fifteen years pursuing the dream life of seasonal outdoor guide. I was fortunate enough to work professionally as a guide for Class V whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and caving. Aside from guiding, I also worked as a field instructor for backpacking trips with at-risk youth. These pursuits eventually led me to EPIC where I can share these experiences with EWU students. I am a Whitewater Rescue Technician, an EMT, and a wilderness medicine instructor with Wilderness Medicine Training Center. When I'm not at work, I enjoy the peace and quiet of gardening and playing with my dogs.

Madison Kinder - Outdoor Program Coordinator

Phone: (509) 359-7910
Email: mellington@ewu.edu

My passion for adventure and being outside led me to start my career in recreation in 2014. After being raised in Alaska, I made my way to Washington to attend college and explore new and exciting opportunities. As a student, I worked for EPIC Adventures and the EWU Climbing Wall in various positions for three years before graduating with my Recreation and Tourism Management degree. During college, I became a guide for whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, and most other activities EPIC Adventures offers. After spending some time working for the YMCA BOLD and GOLD program, I ventured back to EPIC to share my passions with other students and help the greater campus community become more aware of how accessible the outdoors are to them! When I am not working, I am spending my free time rock climbing, adventuring to new and beautiful places, and trying to learn the art of back country skiing.