REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

to California to visit Joshua Tree, more to just visit the park.
But then we went climbing and I was hooked.
And I still have that feeling: “This is awesome!” There
are few things I do in my life that make me feel more present.
It doesn’t matter what’s going on with you, once you start
climbing your mind goes empty, you’re in the moment,
you’re trying so hard… It’s a very specific experience.
Have you ever had an “Oh sh*t!” moment that made you
question your chosen vocation?
I think early on in my career when I started following this
path of being a climber and living this life, that was a daily
thing for me. I was really filled with doubt if I was doing the
right thing. This was totally against the expectations of my
family and society. I went to college and finished school
and so there are a lot of expectations to continue on in the
academic field or get a professional career. And then to say
okay I’m going to move into my car, move to Yosemite and
climb full-time. There was a lot of pondering that question:
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Further into my career I’ve definitely had a couple of
close calls, with big avalanches in particular, where you
question is [this] the right thing [for me] to be doing? Is this
worth the risk? That’s the question, and that’s the question
that you have to ask yourself. A lot.
This spread,
clockwise
Jimmy Chin in his
training space.
The Panerai
Submersible
BMG-TECH TM is
Chin’s favored
watch on climbs.
Jimmy Chin with
his Panerai on his
wrist, during the
filming of Free Solo.
The P.4002 caliber
that powers the
PAM00964 Luminor
Due GMT Power
Reserve (inset).
134 BACKTOTHEFUTURE