Jimmy Chin
Independant Photographer
About
Jimmy Chin stands as a towering figure not only on the world's highest mountain peaks, but also in the realms of photography, film, and storytelling. He's a man of many hats – an Asian American professional mountain athlete, an award-winning National Geographic photographer, an Academy Award-winning film director, and a New York Times Best Selling author. He has crafted a reputation for not only climbing mountains, but also for capturing the most gripping stories from the world's remote corners.
For more than two decades, Jimmy Chin has been a part of The North Face Athlete team, an elite group of professional climbers and skiers. His adventures have taken him across all seven continents, where he has spearheaded groundbreaking expeditions. In 2006, he, along with Kit and Rob DesLauriers, became the first Americans to ski from the summit of Mount Everest, a feat never before achieved. Then in 2011, alongside Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk, he captured the first ascent of the daunting Shark’s Fin, a granite wall on India’s Meru Central – an achievement that had eluded climbers for decades.
Jimmy's photographic prowess is equally as remarkable as his mountaineering feats. His camera has captured compelling stories from the Sahara to the Himalaya, which have graced the pages of renowned publications such as National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Outside Magazine. In recognition of his extraordinary work, he was bestowed the National Geographic Photographer’s Photographer Award by his peers in 2019. A testament to his mastery of storytelling through images is his first book of photography, 'There and Back,' which beautifully documents his career in the mountains and landed on the New York Times Best Seller list in 2021.
Teaming up with his wife, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy has found exceptional success in the world of documentary filmmaking. Their film, 'Meru', not only won the Audience Award at Sundance but also got shortlisted for an Academy Award. Their triumph in filmmaking continued with 'Free Solo', a movie that not only won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, a BAFTA, and seven Primetime Emmy’s, but also held the highest grossing opening weekend in history for a documentary. Their latest work, 'The Rescue', recounting the daring rescue of a football team from a cave in Thailand, has earned numerous accolades, including the People’s Choice Award at Toronto International Film Festival. They are now venturing into scripted films with 'Nyad', starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, based on Diana Nyad’s historic swim from Cuba to Florida.
In addition to his photography and filmmaking, Jimmy has creatively directed commercial projects for prominent brands like Ford, Apple, Bose, Chase, Panerai, Yeti, and The North Face.
Despite his globe-trotting adventures and busy career, Jimmy calls Jackson, Wyoming home. There he shares his life with his wife and filmmaker, Chai Vasarhelyi, and their children, Marina and James. His life and work bear testament to his belief that 'the best view comes after the hardest climb'. With a relentless pursuit of his passions, Jimmy Chin continues to scale new heights, both literal and figurative, in the world of adventure and storytelling.
My Courses
— Jimmy Chin
Intermediate
English