Chris Brinlee Jr
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Chris Brinlee Jr
Professional Problem Solver
 
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Chris Brinlee, Jr. is a Problem Solver.

In 2014, however, Chris realized that the only problems that should be solved in a cube were Rubik’s, so he left his behind to seek something more.

Chris's journey has led him to the furthest and most remote reaches of the globe: He's paddled fjords in Eastern Greenland in search of un-climbed alpine rock; summited 6,000m peaks in Nepal; sailed to Antarctica with Mike Horn; ridden a motorcycle across Vietnam; and crossed New Zealand's Southern Alps using skis and a packraft.

Each of those projects was realized as the result of problem solving: from the development of big ideas; to their execution through meticulous attention to complex details in a logistical sense; to the creation and launch of supporting content campaigns designed to connect and engage with a global audience through the use of influencer marketing, PR, and editorial outlets.

Chris’s exhaustive range of capabilities: creative direction; producing; photography; writing; video direction and editing; interactive and traditional design; and influencer marketing—as well as the insights and inspiration that he has drawn from his illustrious adventure career—make him a true force to be reckoned with. No project is out of his depth.

Additionally, as an editorial contributor for publications such as Outside, The Red Bulletin, LUXURY, Wilderness, Huckberry, and Gizmodo—Chris’s words, photos, and videos have inspired millions; his strong presence on social media provide periodic doses of inspiration.

Home Base: Front Range, CO | Age: 30 | Favorite Season: Autumn

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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

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Expanded Perspectives

In September 2018, Chris and team set out on a multi-sport expedition to cross New Zealand's rugged Southern Alps. Technical mountaineering enabled exploration of the vertical realm; packrafts enabled the discovery of expanded lateral perspectives; and ski touring connected the two together creating perspectives that were as wide as they were 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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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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Chris’s Journal

Chris’s personal stories from the globe, useful how-to guides, and more.

Featured
The beginner's guide to ski mountaineering
The beginner's guide to ski mountaineering

Everything that you need to know to learn how to become a ski mountaineer.

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Every Day is a Journey
Every Day is a Journey

Reflections on the personal costs of adventure travel and spending Christmas in a foreign land

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Achieving Himalayan Ecstasy
Achieving Himalayan Ecstasy

A brutally honest account of my first Himalayan climb — an attempt on the 20,305' Imja Tse — more popularly known as Island Peak. While it's a baby by Himalayan standards only a few other points on earth outside of Asia reach a higher altitude

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A Journey Through Forgotten Lands
A Journey Through Forgotten Lands

Retracing the steps of Sir Edmund Hillary through the Nepalese countryside to the base of Mt. Everest

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Reflections From a Blue Lagoon
Reflections From a Blue Lagoon

Finding a "transformative experience" after a plunge in one of Iceland's famous sulfur hot springs

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The Time That Iceland Almost Killed Me
The Time That Iceland Almost Killed Me

They say that if you don't like the weather in Iceland, wait five minutes and it'll change. Multiply that by mountains, glaciers and volcanoes and you've got a recipe for adventure. Or a close encounter of the near death kind.

Read More →

 

 

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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

Read Now >

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

\\\ Gear Institute

Read Now >

Paragliding Big Sur

\\\ Weather Channel

READ NOW >

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

\\\ The Red Bulletin

Read Now >

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

\\\ The Manual

Read Now >

Packing List: Nepal Photography Trip

\\\ Carryology

Read Now >

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Around the World with a Backpack and a Badass Beard

\\\ Adventure Journal

Read Now >

Mike Horn, Explorer Without Limits

\\\ The Red Bulletin

Read Now >

All the Gear You Need to Become an Instagram Star

\\\ Outside Online

Read Now >

Chris Brinlee, Jr: Professional Adventurer

\\\ Switchback Kids

Read Now >

Rise of the Beard Garden

\\\ Daily Mail

Read Now >

 

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Clients

 

Commercial

Honda

GoPro

Eddie Bauer

Icebreaker NZ

OtterBox

GNARBOX

Favre-Leuba

Alpacka Raft

Salewa

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

Interested in partnering on a project? Want to meet up abroad? Have questions about adventure travel? Chris would love to hear from you.

Contact Chris

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Climbing, for me, tends to be an avenue for self-imposed reflection that occurs through a gauntlet of trials and tribulations - much akin to THE PURIST in @radam_gnawrot's brilliant illustration. Sometimes, however, it is just hella fun to romp around on a perfect route, in a perfect place, with the perfect company. This was definitely one of those times. @moonmountainman and I roped up after scrambling the first couple hundred of meters of the route; pitched out a short section of slab; and then simul-climbed the rest of the way to the summit. Base to the top in just over six hours, while taking our sweet-ass time. Approach shoes, t-shirts, and 1,000m of unencumbered movement on an exquisite granite ridgeline made for one helluva day. I love pushing myself, but it's hard to beat days like these. Thanks Jake for taking the time to get out with me. 1. Jacob making gains 2. First person video from a simul-lead 3. Jacob coming up 4. Summit selfie 🤙🏼 Would you like to do a climb like this? Let me know in the comments! #pizbadile #nordkante #climbing #alpineclimbing #Alpinism #mountainman #switzerland #italy #alps
The first time that I went into the mountains, I felt small. Miniscule, actually. To move amongst them in the wild was akin to a watching a tiny ant move about a world that felt impossibly large in comparison. It was that feeling that continued drawing me to the mountains. Backpacking at first. Then cross country hiking; eventually mountaineering and alpinism. As my skills and expertise grew, I sought out opportunities to test myself on larger scales and in more committing ways. The mountains continued to be the arena, but the way that I approached them and moved through them changed. Early on, in my first climbs, it was a neoclassical sense of conquering myself, as the saying goes. Those often ended in epics. For the past five years, I've continued to take bigger and bigger bites, but my ability to chew has steadily improved to the point that the endeavors which once would have taken all of my abilities now make me feel like I'm on autopilot with all systems in check. I can see that ceiling; I can feel the pane, but despite my efforts, I've been unable to punch through the glass. Here I lay at a precipice of a conflicted existence. The gravitational pull of mountains continues to hold me; they remain at the center of my orbit, but the meaning that they hold for me has become clouded. Do I continue struggling to incrimentally rise? Or do I make a great shift once again, and take to a new vehicle of progress? These are the thoughts that have plagued me with so much internal debate, but it's time to vocalize my silence. I'm feeling stuck. What has worked for you?
The sun rose at 540am, but Jacob and I were able to see our objective, the Nordkante (North Ridge) of Piz Badile, more than an hour earlier, under the starlight. Our mission was simple: climb a 1,000m alpine ridgeline from its point of origination in Switzerland; and then descend its south ridge into Italy. There had been rainshowers the previous day, shortly before we had begun our four-hour approach, but the skies cleared the time we reached the hut and stopped for the night. On the day of our climb, we were to have splitter blue skies. The first and last time that Jacob and I had shared a rope had been a couple of months earlier in Colorado. We climbed well together, and moved efficiently across the technical sections of Blitizen Ridge, a similarly-graded objective as the Nordkante, but winter conditions in the Rockies slowed us down when we finished the technical climbing, so we had to bail. This time around, with dry rock and no snow, we'd would be writing a totally different story.
I had first heard of the Piz Badile three years ago, in an overwhelming, but informative information overload from then-acquaintance/now-good friend @jeffbanksmountainguide. All I really remember was something about "3,000' of moderate climbing on a granite ridgeline that leads from Switzerland into Italy." The timing wasn't right then, as my partner for that trip and I were enamored by Swiss classics like the Eiger and Matterhorn. Then, two weeks ago, the name of the peak resurfaced in a search for stuff to do, and familiarities from the route description began drifting back to the front of my mind. After sending a DM to @moonmountainman, who was in Italy, and I knew loved ridgelines, a plan began to form...
Many will argue that motorcycle touring is all about giving into the lure of the open road. While I don’t disagree, when you’ve got an ambitious amount of distance to cover within a finite number of days, it’s important to stay focused and stay on-track; it all comes down to managing time. The @FavreLeuba Raider Sea Sky is the timepiece I rely on when minutes matter most (which, let’s be honest, is everyday.) Pulling the phone out just to check the time opens a window to distractions; that’s why I prefer to use a good-old-fashioned analog watch. The Sea Sky in particular has an automatic movement (meaning that my own movement keeps it going;) its diver-orange face puts focus onto our most valuable commodity. For five days our ride around the Southern Alps mimicked it: the road led us from Sea to Sky; we followed the same direction of rotation that its hands made. @FavreLeuba #ConqueringFrontiers #sponsored 📷: @thewildindiangirl
T-minus two days until @moonmountainman and I link up again to attempt another ridgeline. The last time that we shared a rope (which was the first time as well) we were in the Colorado Rockies in May. The rock climbing aspects of the route we were on went pretty smoothly, but then we got stuck wallowing through thigh deep snow and had to bail. This time around, we've got our sights set on climbing the North Ridge of Piz Badile, one of the most classic routes in the Alps. The climbing starts right from a hut and continues for about 3,000' to the summit. It goes from low 5th class up to about 5.7. Pretty similar to what we were on in the Rockies - but much longer, with less snow, and no mountain boots. Plus, I think that we're both a little fitter from the last couple months of individual conditioning in the Alps. Stoked to climb with Jacob again, and get back into the alpine!!! Be sure to follow along with our stories. It's gonna be a good one. #alpine #alpinist #alpinism #alpineclimbing #mountainman #mountaineering #mountaineer
Riding is the best medicine; I’ve known it since I was eleven. When you’re on a bike, you can’t afford distractions; the potential ease with which negative consequences may come requires you as the rider to be perfectly focused on each moment before it unfolds. The elements are wild, raw. Wind blows in through each crack in your clothes. Rain at speed feels like needles when it hits your neck and face. The sun’s rays give warmth, but ride into a shadow and you can feel the temperature instantly drop. This connectedness--man, environment, machine--is powerful; it has been said to heal the soul. After eleven trying months spent living in New Zealand last year, I needed some healing. So in February, I turned to a bike like I had many times before, and went back to New Zealand--with two of my favorite people--to rediscover my soul. For five days, we would circumnavigate the South Island--my personal journey defined by contradiction: Finding myself lost in the moment. Keeping time and letting go. Riding fast, but taking it slow. Like all experiences that I’ve had while riding a motorcycle, it was bliss. I’m excited to share more moments from this trip; @favreleuba will be doing the same all week, so go check out their account if you’d like to see some additional perspectives. @FavreLeuba #ConqueringFrontiers
A week and a half spent under the influence of the midnight sun with @thewildindiangirl has been incredibly fulfilling: I did my first 50-mile mountain run (just to prove to myself that I could do it,) shot with great people and a great brand (thanks for bringing us out @craghoppers_us!,) and got caught up on some work - but the Alps are calling. And I think that I may have finally figured out some interesting personal objectives. Now to hop on a flight and bide time until the weather clears again. More from the mountains soon! 📷: @thewildindiangirl #alps #alpsinsight #climbing #Alpinism #mountainman #mountaineer #mountaineering
Iceland. Summer solstice. A 50 mile run under the midnight sun. Ideas swirled around in my mind during that first week of August, 2016. A simple one, really. But one that excited me nonetheless. I was on Iceland's famed Laugavegur Trail, alone with my thoughts after a friendly stranger and I parted ways having completed one day hiking together. I would continue solo for the next two. I imagined going back there to run it. Tackling 50 miles (80km) in one go seemed audacious for me at the time - I'm no runner; I had done some long hikes, but had never run more than 12 miles at a time. Regardless, the idea of it was intriguing; it nestled itself in the back of my mind. When @dj_mtw asked @thewildindiangirl and I to meet him in Iceland for a @craghoppers_us photoshoot and offered to add some buffer days between our flights and the shoot, the idea blasted itself from the vaults of my consciousness to the forefront of my mind in the blink of an eye; only after suggesting dates for our itinerary did I realize that we would arrive on the summer solstice. I have been training, as consistently as possible, with @summationathletics since February - but hadn't started stacking significant long days yet for this season of movement. After a consultation with them, a plan was in motion. We arrived in Keflavík at 330pm; Priya had the idea to rent a car and she generously drove me out to the trailhead. We said our goodbyes; I started running just shy of 11pm. Movement through the night was complimented by the sun; not once did I even consider putting on a headlamp. The sky was awkwardly bright; when I crossed over a glaciated pass, I even considered putting on sunglasses. I rolled into Thorsmork, 25km, and the first checkpoint at around 330am. Kids and adults alike are were running through the campgrounds, playing and screaming with delight. I filled up my water bottle, had a snack, and kept moving. Motions for the day. (continued in the comments)
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