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Jimmy Chin is a world-class climber and an ace behind the lens—a combination of skills that has propelled him around the world to capture images of the remote and extreme.
Chin was born in Minnesota in 1973. His attraction to the climbing lifestyle began when he was an undergraduate studying Asian studies at Carleton College in Minnesota.
During breaks he and his buddies would pile into the car and head for famed crags in places like California's Joshua Tree National Park. The freedom of the open road combined with the mental and physical challenges of the climbing "got me totally hooked," he says.
After college Chin moved to Jackson, Wyoming, where he patched together a living from a string of odd jobs as he skied, climbed, and traveled the world. Four and a half years ago, he picked up a camera to document his adventures.
After returning from a trip to Pakistan, Chin sold a few of his photos and realized he had a career. "I didn't make a lot, but at the time I thought it was a ton of money," he says. "Obviously, I enjoyed my lifestyle, and I really enjoyed shooting too. It was a no-brainer."
Today Chin's portfolio and climbing skill regularly land him gigs with the likes of National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Adventure, the North Face outdoor equipment company, Climbing magazine, Outside magazine, and Men's Journal.
Chin teamed up with renowned climbers Rick Ridgeway and Conrad Anker and photographer Galen Rowell on a National Geographic Expeditions Council trip to Chang Tang, China. They were in pursuit of a key calving ground of the chiru, a Tibetan antelope highly valued for its shahtoosh, the world's most expensive wool, traded around the world on the black market. The expedition located the calving ground and may result in it being set aside for the conservation of these rare creatures.
Images from such expeditions, Chin says, will help him reach his ultimate goal of using photography to make people more environmentally aware. "I know photography can be a powerful tool, and appreciation of our natural world is a good place to start to get people thinking about the environment."
