Chris Brinlee Jr
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Chris Brinlee Jr
Professional Adventurer | Storyteller
 
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Chris Brinlee, Jr. is a Storyteller.

Stories, however, are not best-told from inside the walls of a cubicle, so in August 2014, Chris left his behind—quitting his fancy advertising art director job to go experience something more.

Since then, Chris’s adventures have led him around the globe—he’s paddled remote fjords in Eastern Greenland, ridden motorcycles through Vietnam, sailed with a crew to Antarctica, and climbed 6,000m peaks in Nepal.

Chris is a champion of experiences that challenge himself and others to #CelebrateDiscomfort. Those adventures are catalysts for personal growth; the lessons learned from them enable people to tackle the challenges of life, head-on.

Chris specializes in bringing stories to life for brands through multi-media campaigns combining creative direction & design, photography, writing, video, and influencer marketing. As a contributor for publications such as  Outside, The Red Bulletin, Wilderness, Luxury, Huckberry, and Gizmodo, his words, photos, and videos have inspired millions—while his strong presence on social media provide daily doses of inspiration.

Home Base: Lyons, CO | Currently: Wanaka, NZ | Age: 30 | Favorite Season: Autumn

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Photography

Photography and adventure are inherently linked—the essence of each is discovering new perspectives. Both of the world, and within.

Alpinism

Noun. Oftentimes used synonymously with "mountaineering," but implies climbing routes with minimal equipment in high and often snow and ice-covered mountains such as the Alps, where technical difficulties frequently exceed environmental and physical challenges.

Adventure

Noun. A: An undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks. B: An exciting or remarkable experience.

Travel

Noun. The act of traveling; journeying, especially to distant places.

Impact

Verb. To have an impact or effect on; influence; alter.

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Projects

“Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion.”


― Simon Sinek

Aspiring to Aoraki

Follow along with Chris and team as they embark on a series of multi-sport expeditions spanning New Zealand's rugged Southern Alps—from the Matterhorn of the south, Mount Aspiring; to Aoraki, the country's highest peak. Technical mountaineering will enable exploration of the vertical realm; packrafts will enable the discovery of expanded lateral perspectives; and ski touring will connect the two together creating perspectives that are as wide as they are tall—revealing the relationship between mountains, glaciers, and rivers; and how those realms connect us all.

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Stepping Out: A Celebration of Discomfort

In March 2017, Chris and his partner Christian Lanley set out on a campaign to #CelebrateDiscomfort through a series of epic adventures in Alberta. How far did they go? Find out. 

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Pole 2 Pole: An Expedition to Antarctica

In November 2016, Chris flew approximately 11,000 miles over the course of four days from an assignment in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Cape Town, South Africa, where he rendezvoused with Mike Horn to embark on what would be a seven week sailing journey to the world's southernmost continent.

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Zee Alps

Upon arriving in Chamonix, one will immediately come to realize why that particular village is the birthplace of Alpinism. Chamonix is a place where language is not defined vocalized communication, but rather by a mutual understanding of what each person seeks: a connection with the mountains.

It would make sense then, that an epic campaign through the European Alps should begin there; and that partnerships be forged there.

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Edge of the Earth: Discovering the Remote Reaches of Eastern Greenland

There are few wild place left in the world. Eastern Greenland is one of them. In August 2017, Chris and his friend Andrew Yasso set out in search of adventure - paddling 100 miles through a remote fjord system in search of climbable rock and first ascents.

 

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Features

Sometimes, people tell stories about Chris, too.

The Escape: Chris Brinlee, Jr.

\\\ Cotopaxi

Quitting the 9-to-5 for a Life of Adventure

\\\ Dispatch Radio

LIsten now >

Tips for Protecting Camera Gear

\\\ Carryology

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Pack Like a Pro: Adventure Photographer Chris Brinlee, Jr.

\\\ Gear Institute

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Paragliding Big Sur

\\\ Weather Channel

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Adventure IG Accounts That Will Make You Want to Quit Your Day Job

\\\ The Red Bulletin

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Chris Brinlee, Jr. Quit the Cubicle & Never Looked Back

\\\ The Manual

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Packing List: Nepal Photography Trip

\\\ Carryology

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Around the World with a Backpack and a Badass Beard

\\\ Adventure Journal

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Mike Horn, Explorer Without Limits

\\\ The Red Bulletin

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All the Gear You Need to Become an Instagram Star

\\\ Outside Online

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Chris Brinlee, Jr: Professional Adventurer

\\\ Switchback Kids

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Rise of the Beard Garden

\\\ Daily Mail

Read Now >

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Partners

These partners help make the magic happen.

 

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Clients

 

Commercial

Honda

GoPro

Eddie Bauer

Icebreaker

OtterBox

GNARBOX

Favre-Leuba

Alpacka Raft

Cotopaxi

LifeStraw

Revo

Mike Horn x Mercedes

Oru Kayak

BioLite

 

 

Tourism

Travel Alberta

Visit Greenland

I Love NY

Visit Rapid City

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Get in Touch

Have a story you'd like Chris to tell? Want to meet up abroad? Have questions about adventure travel? He'd love to hear from you.

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The power to pivot: that's what this expedition ultimately represented. During our crossing, nothing really went according to plan. So we adapted, with ease, often and necessarily on the fly. It's was easy to pivot in the construct of our adventure, when life depended on it (in the case shown here, @alpacka_raft provided a pre-determined and much-needed pivot, relieving our bodies and our minds) - but it is so much more difficult to pivot in the grand scheme of life. We tend to get stuck on emotions tied to "the plan." Why do we choose what we want and not what we need - choosing to listen to the heart instead of acknowledging logic? The heart says "finish what you started." Logic says, "it's not working for you, so find something new." There is no wrong answer when choosing the one that's right for you. Acknowledging to that inner dilemma and taking the time to process it is the key to a successful pivot. When was a time that you got caught in the battle of the left and right brain? How did you handle it? Did that lead to a pivot? Let me know in the comments. #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand#Mountaineering #thisispackrafting
As I hinted in my last post, this has been a tough experience for me to unpack. Even though there wasn't a particular dramatic happening on our expedition that caused an existential blow, this trip - and subsequent failed missions in the Southern Alps - has been a catalyst. Not for ignition of a passionate flame, but for the extinguishment of the fire inside me; it's been slowly burning itself out throughout the course of the past forty some-odd nights. My passion for the outdoors is not at stake; and neither is my passion for storytelling. But my passion for alpinism is at dire risk. Climbing (or attempting to do so) in New Zealand - by the way of traditional, human-powered approaches has made me want to quit. All of it. The struggle of this dilemma is that I have wrapped my identity up in the activity - and I have essentially dedicated my life to it for these last eight months. If I stop now, has everything that I have done up to this point been in vain? I know that I need to pivot, but it's so hard to move away from the precipice of what could be unexplored greatness. And so for the last forty days and nights, I have felt stuck - trapped by my identity and the sacrifices that my career-intertwined-life requires. #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand#Mountaineering #existentialcrisis
I have been struggling to find the words to describe this trip - everything that comes to mind feels so shallow; so contrived. The words are lost because there's a conflict inside me. A raging fire feels like it has died. What's left is the shell of a man, perhaps a cocoon. Leaving the old form behind, and growing into something new. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I know what it isn't. All that's left is to pivot and find a new start. But where do I begin? #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand #Mountaineering #skimountaineering #southernalps #tasmanglacier
As soon as @moonmountainman, @pebbleshoo, @thekiwiapproach, and I left Centennial Hut, the real adventure began. The guidebook gave a vague description of the route over Graham Saddle, but it was written for travel from the east; we were going in the opposite direction--and it pertained to the summer. We might as well have thrown it out the window, because trying to follow it was pointless at best--and getting stuck on its description, instead of problem solving the route ourselves, would cost us valuable hours, leading us well into the dark. -- This was a challenging, exciting, yet frustrating day; it certainly provided the most experiences that could be considered "adventure." The route contained many unknown variables which required significant problem solving. We made mistakes throughout the day, and had some calls that were too close for comfort, but ultimately the four of us rallied as a team and made it through. Throughout the next two days, our objective was to reach the lake in the background of the last photos--and paddle across. #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand #Mountaineering #skimountaineering #grahamsaddle
The key to any adventure - and to life, is the acceptance of circumstance and the ability to pivot. It's a lesson that I have taken to heart, but so often I find myself banging my head against the wall when I get set in my ways and forget. I broke it down in a blog post for @favreleuba, go check it out (link in my profile.) If you're feeling stuck in life, maybe it can offer some insight. Now, I just need to heed my own advice! #conqueringfrontiers
After skiing down to the Fox Neve from Pioneer Hut, @moonmountainman, @pebbleshoo, @thekiwiapproach, and I crossed the glacier, skied up Newton Pass, and then skied across the Franz Josef Neve, arriving at the Centennial Hut in the late afternoon. The hut was full of leftover food, so we feasted for free and then watched the sunset below the west coast from the porch, and turned in early. The next morning, the real adventure would begin and we'd need all the rest we could get. #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand#Mountaineering
Once we made it to the Alpine, our time was characterized by ski touring around and waiting out storms. On the first tour, we skinned up to Pioneer Pass, which was our original planned crossing for the main divide. Seeing it in person though, revealed that it was too rugged for us to ski, so we went back to the drawing board. After spending a day cooped up in the hut, we went for another tour to check out Douglas Peak. We wanted to climb a 600m alpine ice route on its south face, but the storm left it out of condition. Since ice climbing was out, we decided to move up our crossing, and found a new route via Graham Saddle, 9KM to the northeast. We left Pioneer Hut the following morning, and made our way toward Centennial Hut on the Franz Josef Glacier. #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand#Mountaineering
After the unplanned heli bump, @moonmountainman, @pebbleshoo, and I arrived to the Pioneer Hut feeling fresh. @thekiwiapproach and @thewildindiangirl were already there, and we wasted no time setting up our touring gear. The weather was perfect so we headed out for a ski - and to scope out the South Face of Douglas Peak which we wanted to climb. It was such a wild feeling transitioning from temperate rainforest to snowy alpine in such a short time. I was disappointed that we flew up, but the feelings quickly passed in my favorite zone: the Alpine. #AspiringToAoraki #NewZealand#Mountaineering