Jimmy chin documentary netflix

American mountain climber, film director, and skier (born )

Jimmy Chin (born October 12, )^[1] is an American professional mountain athlete, photographer, skier, film director, and author.

Chin has been a professional climber and skier on The North Face Athlete team for over 20 years.^[2] In , Chin achieved the first successful American ski descent from the summit of Mount Everest with Kit and Rob DesLauriers.

Five years later, Chin, Conrad Anker, and Renan Ozturk captured the first ascent of "Shark's Fin", a granite wall on India's Meru Peak.^[3]

Chin's work documenting expeditions and climbs has been featured in numerous publications, including National Geographic,^[4]The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Outside magazine and others.&#;In , Chin was awarded the National Geographic "Photographer's Photographer Award" by his peers.

His first book of photography documenting his career in the mountains, There and Back, became a New York Times Best Seller in &#;

Chin co-directs with his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. Together they directed the documentary Meru, which won numerous awards including the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival^[5] and was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and Free Solo, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature,^[6] a BAFTA^[7] and seven Primetime Emmys.^[8]Free Solo had the highest-grossing opening weekend in history for a documentary.

The film eventually grossed $29 million in the box office. Chin and Chai's documentary, The Rescue, chronicles the Tham Luang cave rescue. The Rescue won numerous awards, including the People's Choice Award at Toronto International Film Festival,^[9] and was also shortlisted for an Academy Award.&#;In , they released their documentary Return to Space about Elon Musk and SpaceX.

Their first scripted feature Nyad, about Diana Nyad's historic swim from Cuba to Florida, starred Annette Bening and Jodie Foster and premiered in ^[10]

Climbing career

From to , Chin organized climbing expeditions to Pakistan's Karakoram Mountains.

A t the apices of the world where only the bravest and most daring of us tread, Jackson, Wyoming—based mountaineer and photographer Jimmy Chin captures stunning vistas of nature that few have the privilege to see. In his more-thanyear career, he has photographed the mountains of the Himalayas, the Karakoram, the Patagonian Andes and the Tetons, and he has brought us into his adventures through documentary films made with filmmaker and his wife , Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. But throughout his photography, the human element shines through: the climbers standing among the vistas, both reveling in the majesty of the natural world and their own potential fulfilled. This makes sense, of course, when I learn that Chin first fell in love with adventure before the documenting of it. I grew up looking at the National Geographic s that my parents had—like many people, I think.

He signed a sponsorship agreement with The North Face in ^[11]

In , he was asked to join a National Geographic expedition to make an unsupported crossing of the remote Chang Tang Plateau in Tibet with Galen Rowell, Rick Ridgeway and Conrad Anker. The expedition was featured in National Geographic's April issue^[11] and documented in Rick Ridgeway's book The Big Open.

In , Chin headed to Everest with Stephen Koch. They attempted the direct North Face via the Japanese Couloir to the Hornbein Couloir in alpine style (eschewing supplemental oxygen, fixed ropes, and camps). They were unsuccessful and both were nearly killed in an avalanche.^{[citation needed]}

In May , Chin climbed Everest with David Breashears and Ed Viesturs while filming for Working Title on a feature film project with Stephen Daldry.

Chin later accompanied Ed Viesturs to Annapurna in Viesturs successfully climbed Annapurna and finished his quest to climb all of the world's metre peaks without oxygen. Chin photographed the expedition and the story was featured in the September issue of Men's Journal.^{[citation needed]}

In October , he achieved the first successful American ski descent of Mount Everest with Kit DesLauriers and Rob DesLauriers.

They skied from the summit and are the only people to have skied the South Pillar Route on the Lhotse Face.^{[citation needed]}

In May , Chin joined the Altitude Everest Expedition as a climber and expedition photographer in an attempt to retrace George Mallory and Sandy Irvine's fateful last journey up the North Face of Everest.^{[citation needed]}

In , Chin ventured to Borneo with Mark Synnott, Conrad Anker, and Alex Honnold to make the first ascent of a 2,foot overhanging alpine big wall at an elevation of 14, feet on Mount Kinabalu.^[12]

In , Chin, Conrad Anker, and Renan Ozturk made their first attempt on the "Shark's Fin", a 1,foot blade of granite leading to the summit of 21,foot Meru Central, in India's Garhwal Himalaya range.

They spent 19 days on the wall but were forced to turn back just meters short of the summit.^[13]

In , on an expedition to Chad's remote Ennedi Desert, Chin, Alex Honnold, Renan Ozturk, Mark Synott, and James Pearson made numerous first ascents of sandstone towers and arches.^{[citation needed]}

Outside of major Himalayan expeditions, Chin has participated in numerous exploratory climbing and skiing expeditions to Baffin Island, Borneo, Mali, Chad, the Pitcairn Islands, Antarctica, and other remote regions of the planet.^{[citation needed]}

In April , Chin survived a class-4 avalanche in the Grand Tetons, his home mountain range.^[14]

In October Chin, Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk made the first ascent of the Shark's Fin route on Meru Central in the Garhwal Himalayas in India.

They had tried the same climb in , but were forced to turn around m from the summit.^[15] His film of the climb, Meru, was released in theaters in ^[16]

In , Chin and Anker established a new route on Ulvetanna Peak, called The Wolf's Fang, in Queen Maud Land, in Antarctica.^{[citation needed]}

In , Chin, Anker, Jim Morrison, and Hilaree Nelson climbed and skied Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, in a one-day push.

The team spent less than 48 hours at the mountain. They then attempted to climb and ski the French Route on Mount Tyree, the second-highest peak in Antarctica but turned around due to avalanche danger.^{[citation needed]}

The Finding of Andrew Irvine's Remains

In , Chin led an expedition which recovered a boot and sock on Rongbuk Glacier.

The sock was embroidered with 'A.C. Irvine' and is believed to be Andrew Irvine's. Per Chin, it is suspected the remains had melted out of the glacier about a week prior to discovery. Due to the presence of scavenging birds, Chin and his team removed the foot and turned it over to the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, the governmental agency which oversees the North Side of Mount Everest.^[17]

Filmmaking career

Chin began filming in under the mentorship of Rick Ridgeway.

He was a cinematographer for the National Geographic television special Deadly Fashion. He later worked with David Breashears, shooting Ed Viesturs climbing to the summit of Mount Everest. He worked as a cinematographer with Chris Malloy of Woodshed films on the feature documentary South.^{[citation needed]}

In , Chin started the commercial production company Camp 4 Collective with Tim Kemple and Renan Ozturk.

He sold the company to his partners in ^{[citation needed]}

Chin collaborated with his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi to produce and direct the feature-length documentary Meru, about his climb.^[18] It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the US Audience Documentary Award.^[16]

Alex Honnold and Chin started climbing together in but it was not until that Honnold chose Chin and wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi to film his process of climbing up El Capitan.^[19]

On June 3, , Chin led a team that filmed Alex Honnold on the first ever rope-free ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Collaborating again with Vasarhelyi, they produced and directed the feature-length documentary Free Solo.^[20]Free Solo went on to win the People's Choice Award: Documentaries at the Toronto International Film Festival,^[21] the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary,^[22] and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.^[6]

Chin and Chai's documentary, The Rescue, chronicles the Tham Luang cave rescue, during which twelve boys belonging to an association football team and their assistant coach were rescued from inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand.

The film, which premiered in select theaters in October , won the People's Choice Documentary Award at the Toronto International Film Festival^[23] and received generally positive reviews.^{[citation needed]}

Their documentary Return to Space centered on Elon Musk and SpaceX.^[24]

The 8-part documentary series Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin premiered on Disney Plus on September 7, Chin and Chai co-directed and produced 2 episodes, while Chin was featured throughout the series.

Chin and Chai's National Geographic documentary Wild Life follows Kristine Tompkins and Doug Tompkins for decades of their love story, life of entrepreneurial and conservation work, culminating with their visionary effort to create national parks in Chile and Argentina through the largest private land donation in history.^[25]

Co-directed with Natalie Hewit, Chin and Chai's National Geographic documentary, Endurance, tells the story of Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic expedition in the 's and the rediscovery of his ship, which had sunk to the bottom of the Weddell Sea, by the Endurance22 mission.^[26] The film includes preserved film footage from the original expedition's photographer, Frank Hurley.^[27]

Personal life

Chin was born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, and graduated from Wayland Academy.

Both his parents are from China, his father was born in Wenzhou, and his mother was born in Harbin.^[28] They both worked as librarians.^[29]

He is a alumnus of Carleton College,^[30][31] where he received a BA in Asian Studies.^[30] He first became involved in climbing while at Carleton.^[32] After college, he became a climbing "dirtbag", despite his parents' disapproval.

He serendipitously discovered photography when he borrowed his sleeping climbing partner's camera to take a photo.

Jimmy chin wife: Jimmy Chin (born October 12, ) [1] is an American professional mountain athlete, photographer, skier, film director, and author. Chin has been a professional climber and skier on The North Face Athlete team for over 20 years. [2].

They sold the picture for $, and this started his photography career.^[33][11]

On May 26, , Chin married film director and producer Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.^[34] As of , Chin splits his time between New York City and Jackson, Wyoming.^[30] Chin and Vasarhelyi have two children: Marina and James.^[35]

Notable ascents

Climbing

• Meru-Sharks Fin, FA of East Face VII A4 M7, India
• Mt.

  Everest, South Col Route, Nepal

• Ulvetanna, FA of the Anker Chin Route, VII , A3, Antarctica
• Mt. Kinabalu, FA V A2, Borneo
• Kaga Pomori, FA IV; R South Face, Mali, Africa
• Chiru Mustagh, first ascent Southeast Ridge, 21,&#;ft., Xinjiang, China
• Free solo of the Grand Traverse, Grand Teton National Park, 12 hours car to car
• Tahir Tower, FA VII A3, Kondus Valley, Karakoram, Pakistan
• 15 one day ascents of El Capitan
• Native Son, VI A4, Pacific Ocean Wall, VI , A3+
• Beatrice Tower, FA VII + A3+, Charakusa Valley, Karakoram, Pakistan
• Fathi Brakk, FA VI + A3 WI4, Charakusa Valley, Karakoram, Pakistan

Ski mountaineering

• Mt.

  Everest, South Pillar Route, first American ski descent

• Tai Yang Peak, first ascent and ski descent, Xinjiang, China
• Chang Zheng Peak (22,&#;ft.), first ski descent, Central Rongbuk, Tibet
• 25 ski descents of the Grand Teton
• First solo winter ski descent of the Grand Teton
• Skied the Grand Teton, Middle Teton and South Teton 10 hours car to car
• Skied multiple lines off all the primary peaks in the Teton Range including the Newcomb Couloir on the north face of Buck Mountain, the Spooky Face on Nez Perce, the Amore Vida on the South Teton, the Glacier Route on the Middle Teton, the Colvin on Mount Owen, the East Face of Teewinot and the Skillet on Mount Moran among others.
• Denali, West Buttress, Rescue Gully

Publications

Filmography

Feature film director

Feature documentary producer / director

Instructor

Film awards and honors

Award/Honor	Category	Title	Result
Academy Awards	Best Documentary Feature	Free Solo	Won[37]
		Meru	Short Listed
		The Rescue	Short Listed
Sundance Film Festival	Audience Award	Meru	Won
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program	Free Solo	Won[38]
	Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within an Unscripted Program	Free Solo	Won
	Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program	Free Solo	Won
	Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program	Free Solo	Won
	Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera)	Free Solo	Won
	Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera)	Free Solo	Won
	Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)	Free Solo	Won
Toronto International Film Festival	People's Choice Documentary	Free Solo	Won
		The Rescue	Won
Opening Weekend Gross	Highest Grossing Documentary Ever	Free Solo	Won
British Academy of Film and Television Arts	Best Documentary	Free Solo	Won[39]
		The Rescue	Nominated[40]
Producers Guild of America	Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures	Free Solo	Nominated[41]
		The Rescue	Nominated[42]
Directors Guild of America	Best Director for a Documentary	Free Solo	Nominated[43]
		The Rescue	Nominated[44]
Critics Choice Awards	Best Director for a Documentary	The Rescue	Won[45]
	Best Score for a Documentary	The Rescue	Won
	Best Cinematography for a Documentary	The Rescue	Won
Cinema Eye Honors Awards	Outstanding Anthology Series	Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin	Nominated
	Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking	The Rescue	Nominated
	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography	Meru	Won
		Free Solo	Won
	Outstanding Achievement in Production	Meru	Nominated
		Free Solo	Won
		The Rescue	Nominated
	Audience Choice Prize	Meru	Won
		Free Solo	Won
		The Rescue	Won

Awards

• Navy SEAL Foundation Fire in the Gut Award ()^[46]
• Nominee Piolet D'Or International Climbing award^[47]
• Outside Magazine's Adventurers of the Year ^[48]
• American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Sports and Adventure Winner^[49]
• Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Foundation's Award
• National Geographic and Microsoft Emerging Explorers Grant
• Galen Rowell Memorial Photography Award
• Lyman Spitzer Adventure Award: K7 Climbing Expedition
• Polartec Grant Recipient: K7 Climbing Expedition
• Honorary Doctorate, Sustainability Science, Unity College, Unity, Maine
• Carleton College Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement^[50]
• National Geographic Photographer's Photographer Award ()
• National Geographic Further Award ()^[51]
• Murie Spirit of Conversation Award ()^[52]
• Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival for Meru ()
• Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Free Solo ()
• GQ Man of the Year ()^[53]
• Ken Burn's American Heritage Prize ()^[54]

See also

References

External links