Jimmy Chin

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.”