Jimmy Chin
Jimmy Chin is a climber, skier, National Geographic photographer and filmmaker who brings fans into mountain expeditions and the lives of people pursuing difficult dreams.
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Latest
Jimmy’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
National Geographic
Music Box Films
National Geographic
Netflix
Ten Speed Press
Celadon BooksOverview
- Work
- Climber, skier, photographer, filmmaker and author
- Roots
- Grew up in Minnesota with Chinese immigrant parents
- Early break
- Cinematographer on a National Geographic expedition across Tibet in 2002
- Breakout films
- Meru (2015) and Free Solo (2018)
- On the mountain
- First ascent of Meru Central’s Shark’s Fin with Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk in 2011
Mini bio
How it started.
Jimmy grew up in Minnesota with Chinese immigrant parents. After graduating from Carleton College, he spent seven years on the road, climbing and skiing. A photo of a sleeping climbing partner, taken with a borrowed camera, became his first sale to Mountain Hardwear.
An expedition becomes a career.
A 2002 National Geographic expedition across Tibet’s Chang Tang Plateau gave him a breakthrough assignment as cinematographer. His climbing experience let him bring a camera into places few photographers could reach, building a career in expedition photography and filmmaking.
From Meru to Free Solo.
In 2011, he completed the first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Meru Central with Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk. Their attempts became Meru, which he co-directed with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. The film won Sundance’s documentary audience award in 2015. Their next mountain film, Free Solo, followed Alex Honnold on El Capitan and won the documentary feature Oscar in 2019.
Beyond the mountains.
His films also follow cave rescuers, a marathon swimmer and a war photographer. NYAD marked his scripted directing debut with Vasarhelyi. His books offer another way into his work: There and Back collects expedition photographs, while Rules to Live By turns to conversations with people whose choices have shaped his thinking.
Creditschronological, newest first
Film and television
- 2026Everest: The Other SideCo-director, producer and cinematographer
- 2025Love+WarCo-director and producer
- 2025Lost in the JungleCo-director
- 2024EnduranceCo-director
- 2024PhotographerExecutive producer and director
- 2023NYADCo-director
- 2021The RescueCo-director
- 2018Free SoloCo-director
- 2015MeruCo-director, producer, cinematographer and participant
Books
- 2026Rules to Live By: How Extraordinary Lives Define What Really MattersAuthor
- 2021There and Back: Photographs from the EdgePhotographer and author
Awards
- Peabody AwardPhotographer, announced in 2025. Chin was an executive producer and director on the series.
- Academy Award for documentary featureFree Solo, 2019. Shared with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill.
- Sundance Audience Award: U.S. DocumentaryMeru, 2015, directed with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.
Quotes
It's about sharing stories that inspire people and open their eyes to a different world.Jimmy Chin, official About page
On the purpose of his storytelling; linked in the sources below.
Trivia
- His first photo sale was a picture of a sleeping climbing partner, shot with a borrowed camera. Mountain Hardwear paid $500.
- In 2006, he skied from Everest’s summit with Kit and Rob DesLauriers, part of the first American team to do so.
- In his Rules to Live By excerpt, he remembers putting a wetsuit on backward before surfing with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard.
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