Jimmy Chin is a phenomenal speaker. He is authentic, inspirational, and incredibly warm. Our audience was completely captivated by his experiences. He was the highlight of our conference by far.
Jimmy Chin
Climber, Photographer and Filmmaker
Fee Range
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New York, NY and , Jackson Hole WY
Jimmy Chin
Biography
Jimmy Chin is one of a kind. A professional mountain athlete, National Geographic photographer, Academy Award-winning director, and New York Times bestselling author, Jimmy is celebrated for both his athletic feats and his captivating artistic endeavors.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Jimmy’s journey began as a “climbing dirtbag” after college when a chance photo of his climbing partner in a sleeping bag sold for $500. This pivotal shot marked the start of Jimmy’s career as one of the world’s foremost mountain photographers and adventure filmmakers.
Jimmy’s legacy is marked by significant firsts: in 2006, he completed the first successful American ski descent from Mount Everest with Kit and Rob DesLauriers. In 2011, Jimmy, along with Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk, achieved the first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on India’s Meru Central. Documented by Jimmy, this remarkable journey became the award-winning film Meru, which he co-directed. He next chronicled Alex Honnold’s historic climb of Yosemite’s El Capitan in the documentary Free Solo, which earned Jimmy an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2018.
Jimmy’s accolades are extensive and continually expanding. He has been a member of the North Face Athlete team since 2001. His photography book, There and Back, became a New York Times bestseller in 2021. He was named GQ’s 2021 Man of the Year, received the 2022 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize, and recently won the 2024 Navy SEAL Foundation’s Fire in the Gut Award. His commercial work has graced the pages of National Geographic Magazine, New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Outside Magazine, and more. As a director and producer, his roster includes films such as the Netflix feature NYAD and the documentary The Rescue.
At the heart of Jimmy’s prolific career is a core theme: passion. He is perpetually in search of the next great photo, impossible peak, or breathtaking vista. Driven by a deep love of and respect for the outdoors and its community, he bridges the gap between storytelling and adventuring.
“It’s rare that an artist like him is also a madman of the mountains,” Jared Leto, Chin’s friend and occasional climbing partner, has been quoted saying. “He is one of the best of both.”
Jimmy Chin
Featured Keynote Program
Jimmy's Story
As a Speaker, Jimmy has lent his story and experience to a variety of audiences, addressing global tech leaders, financial institutions, nonprofits and creative agencies. His talks take you on his own personal journey from a young kid in Minnesota who just wanted to climb Yosemite and capture images to a world-class climber and filmmaker. He relays the many lessons he’s learned navigating the world's most challenging climbs, and sharing the stories of other accomplished adventurers.
Jimmy speaks on:
Leadership + Teamwork
Risk Management
Preparation
Exploration + Adventure
Jimmy Chin
Featured Book
There and Back: Photographs from the Edge
by Jimmy Chin
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The Academy Award–winning director of Free Solo and National Geographic photographer presents the first collection of his iconic adventure photography, featuring some of the greatest moments of the most accomplished climbers and outdoor athletes in the world, and including more than 200 extraordinary photographs.
“An extraordinary work of art.”—Jon Krakauer
Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land.
Along the way, Chin shares behind-the-scenes details about how he captured such astounding images in impossible conditions, and tells the stories of the legendary adventurers and remarkable athletes he has photographed, including Alex Honnold, the star of his Academy Award–winning documentary film Free Solo; ski mountaineer Kit DesLauriers; snowboarder Travis Rice; and mountaineers Conrad Anker and Yvon Chouinard.
These larger-than-life images, coupled with stories of outsized drive and passion, of impossible goals with life or death stakes, of partnerships forged through incredible hardship, are sure to inspire wonder and awe.
Jimmy Chin
Featured Reviews
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