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 lives a life of art and adventure, combining a career as a commercial photographer, documentary filmmaker and a 20 year veteran of The North Face Athlete Team. He is one of the most sought-after and recognized adventure sports photographers and filmmakers working today.
In the past decade, Jimmy has collaborated with, filmed and photographed some of the world’s most dynamic athletes and explorers while participating in break through expeditions around the planet. He has climbed notable first ascents in the Karakoram, traversed the Changthang Plateau in Tibet on foot and skied first descents in the Himalayas. He is one of the only people to ski Mount Everest from the summit and climbed the much coveted first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Meru.
As a director and cinematographer, Jimmy has directed documentaries, TV and commercial projects for The North Face, National Geographic, Apple and Chase. Jimmy’s film Meru won the Audience Choice Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and made the 2016 Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary. In 2019, he received the highest honor available to a documentary filmmaker, winning an Academy Award for Best Documentary for Free Solo, which documented Alex Honnold's stunning rope-less climb of El Capitan in Yosemite.
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.
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
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.