There are many film makers in this world who focus on extreme sports. Skiing, surfing, mountaineering, base-jumping, and everything in-between all have tons of film makers, from amateur GoPro carrying edit builders to those who work with Warren Miller, Teton Gravity Research, and Red Bull. But very few, if any, have really ever broken into the mainstream like Jimmy Chin. There’s a good chance you already know his name, and if you don’t, you’ve almost definitely heard of at least one of his films (probable Free Solo).

Jimmy began his career, not as a contracted photographer or as an intern with National Geographic, but as what many of us would consider a homeless dirtbag climber. So how was he able to turn his favorite activity into an incredibly successful career? How did he manage to go from homeless rock climber to Oscar wining film maker?

Image Credit: Climbers Crag on YouTube