Jimmy Chin

From unclimbed alpine towers in Pakistan's Karakoram mountains, to the deserts of West Africa, Jimmy Chin's passion for travel, climbing, skiing, exploration and photography has taken him on breakthrough expeditions around the world. He is considered one of the most versatile and sought-after photographers of modern climbing expeditions. His exploits include traversing the Chang Tang Plateau in northwestern Tibet with Rick Ridgeway, Conrad Anker and Galen Rowell; shooting video and still photography for National Geographic; and climbing Mount Everest with David Breashears and Ed Viesturs, while shooting documentary video and production stills for a feature Universal Studios film. His first book of photography, There and Back, became a New York Times Best Seller in 2021. In the fall of 2006, Chin made his second ascent of Mount Everest and skied from the summit for the first American ski descent. Alongside partner, Chai Vasarhelyi are the directors of the epic climbing feature Meru (Mountainfilm 2015), and the short film Ingrained (Mountainfilm 2018). Their 2019 film Free Solo, an unflinching portrait of climber Alex Honnold as he attempts one of the most audacious feats in climbing, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Additionally, their film The Rescue (2021) received BAFTA and DGA- Documentary nominations. Chin and Vasarhelyi's most recent film Wild Life (Mountainfilm 2023) chronicles Kris Tompkin's story of life, love and conservation.