BeWild: Graham Zimmerman - A Fine Line

The Mountaineers BeWild Speaker Series puts passion and adventure on center stage! Join us at BeWild with Graham Zimmerman on November 9 to unlock inspiration, seek adventure, connect with nature, and work to protect the wild places we cherish.

Graham is an acclaimed alpinist, Piolet D'Or Recipient, and Mountaineers Books author. He'll be joined in conversation by Fitz Cahall, creator and host of The Dirtbag Diaries Podcast to share stories from his new book,  A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains. 

Books will be available for purchase, and a book signing with Graham will follow the talk. 

Event Details

Doors at 6:00 pm
Presentation: 7:00 pm
Q&A at 7:45 pm
Book Signing: 8:00 pm

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

As a professional climber, Graham Zimmerman is one of the most acclaimed alpinists of his generation. After graduating from Otago University in 2007 with a degree in geography, he focused on alpinism, a pursuit that has taken him on expeditions to Alaska, Patagonia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and all over the lower 48 and Canada. His awards include the 2020 Piolet d’Or, 2016 Cutting Edge Award for Excellence in Alpine Climbing, 2014 Piolet d’Or Top 5 Finalist, and 2010 New Zealand Alpinist of the Year. Dedicated to using his platform for good, he holds leadership roles in a range of nonprofits and outdoor companies, including the American Alpine Club and Protect Our Winters. His sponsors include TINCUP, Outdoor Research, EXPED, and SCARPA. He lives in Oregon with his wife, Shannon, and their dog, Pebble.

Through podcast and film, Fitz Cahall has helped tell stories that define the outdoor community  He founded the original outdoor podcast the Dirtbag Diaries and co-hosts Climbing Gold with Alex Honnold. He serves as creative director at the branding and story studio Duct Tape Then Beer.  When he's not working, you can find him climbing at Index or wandering around Tiger Mountain.

ABOUT THE BOOK

How do we reconcile our love of outdoor adventure with the inevitability of loss in high-risk sports? Still in his thirties, Graham Zimmerman has made first ascents from Alaska to Pakistan, and in 2020 he received the Piolet d’Or for his climb on Pakistan’s Link Sar with Steve Swenson. A sponsored athlete who is sought out as a climbing partner, Zimmerman knows that he must find a balance between his ambitions as an alpinist and his social responsibilities--as a husband, climate advocate, and community leader. His generation has faced devastating grief in the mountains, and his cohort has witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change in the form of disappearing glaciers and increasingly erratic weather. Zimmerman writes of the exhilaration he feels while climbing but also the painful realization that summiting at all costs is an outdated model. As A Fine Line traces Graham’s journey, mountain lovers everywhere will see themselves in this coming-of-age story of adventure and personal reckoning.