Kris Erickson

Bio

Kris Erickson frequently jokes about being the invisible man, because there are very few photos of him carving turns into a 13,000-foot peak. That’s not because he is taking the easy way down a slope after a tough climb; it’s because he is the unseen guy, on the chin-scraping slope, behind the camera lens.

For 10 years, Kris Erickson has brought his camera to the highest points, coldest reaches, and most untouched folds of the planet’s geography. What’s more, he is not merely a shutterbug who stands idle to the side of any expedition. Instead, he tackles the same challenging mountaineering projects as the world’s other top-flight climbers, often combining his abilities to ascend difficult mountains with a love and passion for true mountain-sliding descents. This is called “glisse alpinism” and, when combined with a remote photoshoot, it is Erickson’s idea of nirvana.

Erickson's commitment to his photography, climbing, and glisse alpinism has spurred him to make the driving force of his images the difficult ascents and descents he's made around the world. His romantic vision for exploration of the final frontiers and his photojournalism documenting these far-flung adventures has blended with his traditional style and ethics in climbing and skiing to capture a rare and wild side of history.

With an exuberant smile and free-flowing conversational style, Erickson reflects on where he has been, where he has going, and his home base. The born-and-raised Montanan says, “I’ve traveled to the four corners of the globe, yet I keep coming back here to Montana.” That he does, much to the joy of his wife, Cloe.

Birthdate:

4/16/1974

Nickname:

E-Clarkus (name given by Conrad Anker)

Favorite Destination:

Anywhere people are having fun!

Favorite The North Face Product:

The new Apex Jacket and Apex Kinotic for ski mountaineering and ice climbing. The WindStopper Gloves are great for everything.

Proudest Moment:

Skiing off the summit.

Cause(s):

HCP ALCF, Hans Saari Memorial Fund and avalanche education.

Words To Live By:

You can't win if you don't try.

Spouse/Partner's Name:

Chloe

Favorite Snack:

Green olives.

Most Recent Epic:

All my equipment broke at once: Hammerdrill charges, phone, camera, and Toyota Land Cruiser.

Most Humbling Moment:

Skiing in France.

Ambition:

Learn to fly.

Weakness:

Coffee

Career Highlights:

2006:

• “Losar” V 700m WI5 Namche Kumbu, Nepal
• Khumbu Climbing School Instructor, Himalaya Region
• First Ascent “La Bas” V 700m 5.12b Taghia Cirque, Morocco

2005:

• Cholatse (6440m) SW ridge VI ED Kumbu Himal, Nepal
• Participated with Himalayan Cataract Project in the villages Jiri and Phaplu

2004:

• Nemesis & Suffer Machine (one day) V, WI6 M8; French Reality, V WI6+; 2004 Terminator, V WI6+, Canadian Rockies
• First Descents of Electric Peak N. Face, S5; Amphitheater Peak N. Couloir, S5+, Yellowstone National Park, MT
• Attempted first free ascent of Mt. Geike, Lowe-Hannibal VI 5.10b A3, Canadian Rockies

2003:

• Ford/Stettner, Grand Teton, S5a, Grand Teton National Park, WY
• Attempted Fitzroy, Frano-Argentine VI 5.11+, Patagonia Argentina
• First Ascent of Dancing with the Hippo, WI6 Cooke City, MT

2002:

• Poincenot Willans Route, V 5.10 AI4, Patagonia, Argentina
• South Seas-Pacific Ocean, VI, 5.10 A4, Yosemite, CA
• Ski Descent Cho Oyu (8201m) S6, Cho Oyu Himal
• Tao of Light, VI, 5.10 A2 Zion National Park, UT

2000:

• First Descent of Huascaran (6768m), “The Shield” S6+a, Cordillera Blanca, Peru
• Attempted ski descent of Huandoy Norte (6450m), Cordillera Blanca, Peru
• Mescalito, VI 5.8 C3, Yosemite, CA
• First Descents of Mt. Wolf, N. Face S5, Humerus Canine, S6-; Mt Sawtooth, S. Face S5+; Glacier Peak, “The Patriarch” S6, Beartooth Mountains, MT
• First Descents of Sunshine Face, S5; Lowe Peak, S5; Point Shulaykin, S6; Mt. Demaria, S5, Antarctic Peninsula

1999:

• First Descents of Ice Tooth (6240m) S5+; Feather Duster (6099m) S5, LangTang Mtns. Tibet
• First Descents of Glacier Peak, “Satori” S6, Mt. Villard, W.Face S5; Mt. Sphinx N. Face, “The Sphinxter” S6+a
• N. Molar Tooth Couloir, S6a, Grand Teton, WY
• Attempted ski descent Shishapangma (8012m) Tibet

1998:

• First Ascents of “Grassroots Revival,” 5.10 WI6; “Expanding Horizons,” 5.11 WI6+; “Rocket Boy,” WI6, Hyalite Canyon, MT

1997:

• First Ascent of Caraz III (5720m) “The Usual Suspects” ED, Cordillera Blanca, Peru
• First Ascent of Santa Cruz Norte (5829m) “Caveat Emptor” ED ˝ Mixed, Cordillera Blanca, Peru
• First Ascents of “The Shimmy,” WI6+; “The Matriarch,” WI7r; “Smear Today Gone Tomorrow,” 5.11 WI7r; “The Incubus,” 5.10 WI6+; “Bingo World” WI6x, Montana
• First Descent Granite Peak, Notch Couloir S5, Beartooth Mountains, MT
• “Weeping Pillar,”V WI6, “Riptide,” V WI6+, Canadian Rockies
• Attempted Pk 6023m Karakoram Mtns, Pakistan

1996:

• First Ascent “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” WI6, Hyalite Canyon, MT
• “Nemesis,” V WI 6, Canadian Rockies, 1996

Film/Media Highlights:

• “Profile of a Montanan”, Montana Quarterly, by Emily Stifler, 2007
• “No es Malo, es Differente” Skiing the Southern Haute of Patagonia’s Bariloche region, Couloir, by Dick Dorworth, 2005
• “Hot Air in Thin Air” Skiing Cho Oyu, Skiing Magazine, by John Byorth, 2003
• “Talking with a mountaineer”, Blue Magazine feature story on Antarctica, by Kristoffer Erickson, 2002
• “The Invisible Man and the Angry Child” Blending a career in the mountains with photography, Hooked on the Outdoors feature story, by John Byorth, 2002
• “From the Hip” 72 hours in Patagonia, Alpinist Magazine Issue, by Bean Bowers, 2002
• “Terra Incognita” first descents on the Antarctic Peninsula, Skiing Magazine feature, by Saari, 2001
• “Little Big Sky” Two seasoned world travelers explore their backyard, Skiing Magazine feature, by Hans Saari, 2001
• “Down Time” Peru’s burly world of ski mountaineering, Outside Magazine feature, by Rob Buchanan, 2001
• “The Death of Ski Mountaineer and Powder Correspondent Hans Saari”, Powder Magazine, by Porter Fox, 2001
• “The Near Frontier” skiing virgin peaks in Montana, Sports Afield feature, by Rob Buchanan, 2000
• “What would Jesus do if he were in Peru” The Andes Steep descent expedition, Blue Magazine feature, by Hans Saari, 1999
• “Southern Charms” on the prowl for Peruvian Powder, Backcountry Magazine feature, by Ptor Spricenieks, 1999
• “Climbing the Karakoram Range without a trace”, Blue Magazine feature story 1998, by Daniel Glick, 1998

Film Productions:

• “La Bas” 2006 RGTV Productions. The Enchanted Taghia Cirque School Project
• “Why he Skied” 2006 Per Saari films. A journey into discovering the life of ski mountaineer Hans Saari
• “Light of the Himalaya” 2005 Serac Film Productions. Sight to Summit Expedition, The Himalayan Cataract Project and climbing Cholatse
• “Return to Fitzroy” Bridger Productions, 2003. A rematch with Fitzroy in Patagonia
• “The Land that Time Forgot” Ice Axe Productions, 2000/2001. First Descents along the Antarctic Peninsula
• “Shishapangma A Celebration of Life” American Adventure Productions, 1999. Shishapangma expedition in Tibet
• “Higher on the Mountain” Straight Up Films, 1999. Segment First Descents in the Beartooth Mtns of Montana
• “Altitude” Straight Up Films, 1998. Segment from Andes Steep descent expedition skiing Artesonraju