The Karakoram Mountains' K7 Peak, the northern Tibetan Plateau, the vast deserts of West Africa, the world’s tallest standalone sandstone tower, Mount Everest… These are just some of the breathtaking and nearly inaccessible places that Jimmy Chin has captured through his lens, showcasing his photographic journeys to the farthest corners of the earth — from the sky to the depths.
Few photographers would climb an almost unscalable peak like the Karakoram’s K7 just to take a few photos, or ski down from the world’s highest mountain. So when renowned American mountaineer Conrad Anker plans to open new routes in the Himalayas, or extreme snowboarder Stephen Koch aims to ski down the highest peaks on all seven continents, they all think of collaborating with one person — Jimmy Chin. This 34-year-old, Minnesota-born Chinese-American photographer, who also goes by the elegant Chinese name Jin Guowei.
I first met Jimmy in May 2007 at Everest Base Camp, where he was assisting Conrad Anker and British climber Leo Houlding in filming a documentary about Mallory’s historic Everest attempt (see "Outdoor" magazine’s December 2007 issue, "The Enigma of Everest"). The second time was in August 2007 at the Salt Lake City Outdoor Retailer Show, during an event hosted by his sponsor, The North Face. But it was only a brief encounter before Jimmy and Conrad Anker headed to Yosemite National Park to climb the famed granite monolith El Capitan. The third time was when Jimmy came to Beijing for a sponsor event, and this time I finally got the chance to get to know him better.
As a kid, Jimmy was like many of us — playful, though not as wild as he is now. He’d just climb trees and walls. He didn’t start climbing seriously until he was 18, never taking any formal lessons but learning instead from friends who were skilled climbers. In fact, he eventually outclimbed them. In the years after college, he traveled, climbed, and skied around the world with friends. These rich experiences broadened his horizons and honed his skills. Through constant outdoor adventures, Jimmy witnessed the stunning beauty of nature and the daring feats of athletes challenging themselves and the elements. But most people never get to see these moments. Jimmy thought: “So many thrilling things happen that most people never hear about or feel inspired by. I have to document them so more people can feel that passion, understand the athletes’ inner worlds, and experience the boundless allure of these sports.” Though he had never formally studied photography, the moment he picked up a camera, everything felt natural. Over the years, as he continued capturing moments during various expeditions and challenging himself, Jimmy eventually became one of today’s top extreme photographers.
As an outdoor journalist, photographer, and North Face athlete, Jimmy excels in both physical endurance and photography skills at a world-class level. This multi-talented athlete understands the unique characteristics of various sports. Perhaps it’s his Chinese-American heritage (his mother is from Harbin, his father from Wenzhou, but he was born and raised in the U.S.) that gives him particularly keen and delicate observational skills. It is this innate sensitivity that allows him to better understand the psychology of outdoor athletes and the preferences of general audiences — no wonder he produces so many uniquely styled, stunning, and awe-inspiring photos. Jimmy’s fundamental photography principle is to capture the perfect moment, and it’s this dedication that allows his works to vividly showcase the beauty of outdoor sports and deeply move every viewer. His innovative and unique shooting angles, along with his talent for capturing exciting moments in action, have won him widespread acclaim.
Jimmy pours his passion into expeditions and photography around the world, collaborating with many of the world’s top mountaineers, explorers, and extreme athletes. In 1999, he joined Brady Robinson and Conrad Anker in Pakistan to tackle the 6,934-meter K7 Peak (see "Outdoor" magazine’s December 2007 issue, "First Ascent of K7’s West Ridge"). In May 2002, he set off from Lhasa with Rick Ridgeway (the first person to summit K2 without supplemental oxygen), Conrad Anker, and renowned outdoor photographer Galen Rowell. For 30 days, the four trekked unsupported through the 4,800-meter-high northern region of the remote Qiangtang Plateau in Tibet, tracking a 350-kilometer migration route of Tibetan antelope to a location near the northern part of the West Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang. Limited by conditions, they could only carry essential gear like food, fresh water, camera equipment, and tents. Like climbing K2, the journey was grueling — not a casual 30-kilometer hike, but every meter fraught with difficulty. Their pushcarts broke down repeatedly, forcing them to haul supplies back and forth while encouraging one another. After several tough days, they finally located the Tibetan antelope birthing grounds and documented it all on film. In 2003, he followed extreme snowboarder Stephen Koch’s story of descending Mount Everest’s north face on a snowboard. In 2004, Jimmy returned to Everest, this time invited by legendary director and mountaineer David Breashears to help capture still and motion footage for a documentary about the mountain. In the fall of 2006, he, along with Kit DesLauriers and her husband Rob DesLauriers, successfully skied down from 8,844-meter Mount Everest over a two-month period, becoming the first Americans to accomplish this feat (see "Outdoor" magazine’s January 2007 issue, "Seven Swords Descend Heaven’s Mountain").
Statistics show that by the end of 2007, the world population reached 6.477 billion, yet only around 3,000 individuals had summited Everest under their own power. Among those 3,000, the number brave and skilled enough to then ski down from the summit along a ridge no wider than a double-door is minuscule — perhaps just 100 or so. But Jimmy not only did that, but also kept taking photos and brought back such stunning images — truly one in a million. Actually, you don’t even need to count on all your fingers — just one — because what Jimmy has done is unprecedented. Imagine: Jimmy not only followed others to summit Everest and ski down, but also continuously searched for the perfect shot. He literally ran ahead of the others, camera in hand, trying to get the best angles before the action happened. So the real hero might just be Jimmy, who had to be even more skilled and take greater risks than anyone else. But Jimmy is humble — he says he just wants to share the beauty and joy of the outdoors with more people.
“Through endless exploration and photography, I’ve become even more immersed in the feeling of being thousands of miles from home. I hope to see more of this beautiful planet… Our responsibility is to cherish and protect it, observe it with fresh eyes, and through that, come to understand ourselves.”
This is Jimmy — simple, yet extraordinary.
Notable Achievements:
Shot a cover story for Outside magazine, covering the full journey of celebrated athlete Stephen Koch’s attempt to ski down the north face of Mount Everest.
Teamed up with Rick Ridgeway, Conrad Anker, and Galen Rowell to venture into the northern Tibetan Plateau, filming the region’s ecological environment for National Geographic.
Traveled to Mali in Africa, climbed the world’s tallest standalone sandstone tower, and captured numerous stunning photographs.
Joined David Breashears and Ed Viesturs in 2004 to summit Mount Everest, filming static and dynamic footage for a Universal Pictures documentary about the mountain.
Received the “Emerging Explorers” award from National Geographic and Microsoft, honoring his outstanding achievements in outdoor sports, photography, and writing.
Awarded the inaugural Galen Rowell Memorial Photography Award at the 2004 Telluride Mountain Film Festival, recognizing his contributions to outdoor photography.