It's all part of a life Chin could have never envisioned for himself as a kid growing up in Mankato, Minnesota.

Along the way, Chin shares behind-the-scenes details about how he captured such astounding images in impossible conditions, and tells the stories of the legendary adventurers and remarkable athletes he has photographed, including Alex Honnold, the star of his Academy Award–winning documentary film Free Solo; ski mountaineer Kit DesLauriers; snowboarder Travis Rice; and mountaineers Conrad Anker and Yvon Chouinard. In fact, when I left college and moved into my car and started climbing full time, you know, they were extremely distraught. My mom would say, 'The Chinese language is 5,000 years old, and we don't even have a word for what you do.'" Yet, a few weeks ago Chin and his climbing partner, Conrad Anker, welcomed a new teammate for an ascent of the Grand Teton. "Because we're in the climbing world, people obviously recognize Conrad and I. And they'd say, 'Oh, wow … You're Conrad Anker!' Or, 'You're Jimmy Chin." ' And then Marina would come up and they'd be like, 'How old is she?' And then she would steal the show! Along the way, Chin shares behind-the-scenes details about how he captured suchastoundingimages in impossible conditions, and tells the stories ofthe legendary adventurers and remarkable athletes he has photographed, including Alex Honnold, the star of his Academy Award–winning documentary film Free Solo;ski mountaineer Kit DesLauriers; snowboarder Travis Rice; and mountaineers Conrad Anker and Yvon Chouinard.Jimmy Chin is one of the most widely traveled and experienced adventure photographers on Earth, and this collection is an absolute tour de force. I read this book in a single sitting and finished feeling inspired to take on the world." --Alex Honnold As a mountain athlete, Jimmy has been a professional climber and skier on The North Face Athlete team for over 20 years. His travels have taken him to all seven continents and he has led and participated in cutting edge expeditions around the world, building a resume of historic climbing and ski mountaineering achievements. In 2006 he achieved the first successful American ski descent from the summit of Mount Everest with Kit and Rob DesLauriers. Five years later, Jimmy, Conrad Anker, and Renan Ozturk captured the coveted first ascent of the notorious Shark’s Fin, a granite wall on India’s Meru Central. Admittedly, one breathtaking photo of sunset over icy mountaintops does get to look much like another, but the book is really best appreciated slowly, almost one climb at a time. Notes on the expeditions are included, but some readers might have to Google a few terms. Having lived a life on the line, Chin was asked for his best piece of advice. His reply: Commit, and then figure it out.

Jimmy Chin is one of the most widely traveled and experienced adventure photographers on Earth, and this collection is an absolute tour de force. I read this book in a single sitting and finished feeling inspired to take on the world.” —Alex Honnold I believe photography can expand our perception of the natural world, and of what humans can achieve in it. Over time, I hoped that sharing the beauty of our planet and our place within it would foster a sense of responsibility to protect and preserve these places, both for future generations to enjoy and for their intrinsic value. These larger-than-life images, coupled with stories of outsized drive and passion, of impossible goals with life or death stakes, of partnerships forged through incredible hardship, are sure to inspire wonder and awe. They're full-grown, like, athletic mountaineer climbers up there saying, 'This is the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm 38. And you're seven years old!' you know?" Chin laughed. "I told Conrad, 'That was the most meaningful climb I think I've ever done with you, after almost 20 years of expeditions together.' I feel like that was one of the best days I've ever had in the mountains." The Academy Award–winning director of Free Solo and National Geographic photographer presents the first collection of his iconic adventure photography, featuring some of the greatest moments of the most accomplished climbers and outdoor athletes in the world, and including more than 200 extraordinary photographs.Yeah, for sure," he said. "It's like, when you grow up in it, sometimes you don't even realize it's happening. You experience it all the time and you kind of internalize it."

During our first week in base camp, Brady and I noticed that Conrad always got up before us. We didn’t want to seem lazy, so we started getting up earlier and earlier every morning. But each day, Conrad was making coffee or organizing gear by the time we were out of our tents.

We started up K7 on June 10. It was a pleasure to watch Conrad practice his craft. He climbed boldly and steadily in difficult terrain, anticipating problems before they arose. Drawing on decades of refinement, he was decisive about how we should approach the climb, what gear to bring, which risks we should and shouldn’t take. He gave Brady and me confidence, and we tried hard to impress him. Along the way, I found a second family in the adventurers who seek out the world’s wildest places and devote their lives to accomplishing what others have never dared. The members of this tribe became my most cherished friends, partners, and mentors. I’ve been astonished, again and again, at what these individuals are capable of doing with vision and clarity of purpose, from Kit DesLauriers skiing from the summit of Everest to Alex Honnold free soloing El Capitan and beyond. On our third day on the wall, a storm hit. We burrowed into our small portaledge for five days. Retreat was impossible due to the large amount of new snow and the resulting avalanches that swept down around us. Our situation felt dire. But Conrad seemed unperturbed, as if this were exactly where he wanted to be—removed from the small distractions of everyday life and focused only on the simple task of survival. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Along the way, Chin shares behind-the-scenes details about how he captured such astounding images in impossible conditions, and tells the stories of the legendary adventurers and remarkable athletes he has photographed, including Alex Honnold, the star of his Academy Award-winning documentary film Free Solo; ski mountaineer Kit DesLauriers; snowboarder Travis Rice; and mountaineers Conrad Anker and Yvon Chouinard.

As the kid of Chinese immigrants, I was told there were only three careers: doctor, lawyer, or professor. Climbing bum was not on that list. When I finished college, I was sure these traditional expectations didn’t fit me, and I decided to make up my own way through the world. I would spend my twenties drifting between climbing destinations and living out of a stubborn 1989 Subaru Loyale. It was not the graduate program my mom and dad had hoped for me. The Academy Award-winning director of Free Solo and National Geographic photographer presents the first collection of his iconic adventure photography, featuring some of the greatest moments of the most accomplished climbers and outdoor athletes in the world, and including more than 200 extraordinary photographs. I often get asked, like, 'What's the greatest risk you've ever taken in your life?' And I assume people think it's on a mountain somewhere deciding to continue on," Chin said. "It's clear to me in my life that the biggest risk I ever took was deciding to commit to the dream I had." You'll feel your heart beat a little faster just by looking at these larger-than-life images from icy peaks in Antarctica's Queen Maud Land to the world's tallest sandstone towers in the southern Sahara Desert.

Jimmy Chin is an Asian American professional mountain athlete, National Geographic photographer, Academy Award-winning film director, and New York Times Best Selling author. In his multiple careers as an athlete, storyteller and artist, he is equally respected for his groundbreaking climbing, mountaineering and skiing achievements as he is for his photography and filmmaking. Jimmy’s exploits in the mountains have allowed him to partner with some of the greatest adventure athletes and explorers of his generation. Along the way, Chin shares behind-the-scenes details about how he captured such astounding images in impossible conditions, and tells the stories of the legendary adventurers and remarkable athletes he has photographed, including Alex Honnold, the star of his Academy Award–winning documentary film Free Solo; ski mountaineer Kit DesLauriers; snowboarder Travis Rice; and mountaineers Conrad Anker and Yvon Chouinard. Jimmy Chin is one of the most widely traveled and experienced adventure photographers on Earth, and this collection isan absolute tour de force. I read this book in a single sitting and finished feeling inspired to take on the world.” —Alex Honnold