Jon Walsh is an ACMG Certified Climbing/Skiing Photographer, Woodworker and Assistant Climbing Guide. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Jon was not a climber when he moved to Whistler, BC from Toronto, Ontario at the age of 18. Climbing came into his default repertoire - his new friends in Whistler did and literally showed him the ropes. "In the beginning, rock climbing was just something fun to do once in a while, when I wasn't skiing or biking," says Walsh. "Then it kind of matured in me and became an obsession, a lifestyle, whatever you want to call it."

With the luxury home building boom in Whistler at the time, Walsh found a way to support himself by working in carpentry, a career that gave him the flexibility to climb almost as much as he wanted. . In 1997, he lived most of the year in Squamish. He remembers his tight-knit team at Whistler thinking he was crazy. "There wasn't much in Squamish," he said. "He hadn't developed at all yet." But Squamish had the one thing Walsh was most concerned about: easy access to seemingly endless granite rock formations.

Walsh's obsession and rapidly expanding expertise on rock would take him to some of the world's most iconic climbing destinations, including the Bugaboos, Chamonix and Patagonia. It was a pivotal time in the history of climbing, when athletes began to experiment with speed and lightness on tall walls, transforming what were once multi-day climbs (which required carrying food, water and camping gear for the night), all in one. day or even afternoon activities. "We would be in these remote places, surrounded by this really beautiful natural environment, and climbing really big routes, like 30 pitches, and we were taking off without being encumbered with carry bags and all that," Walsh says. He remembers that he wasn't always successful, but it was always an incredible adventure.

After several first ascents around the globe, Jon is now known as one of the great mountaineers, with several first ascents around the globe. A follower of the less traveled routes, Jon is the most reliable partner when trying a seemingly impassable new goal. Where others see obstacles, Jon sees possibilities. While others call it suffering, Jon attributes it to part of the process, learning something new with each outing.

Today, Walsh remains a rock climbing pioneer, embarking on new adventures on rock and ice, and mixed climbing. He continues to establish new routes, especially in the Bugaboos and the Rockies, an experience he compares to putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle. He also considers himself a collector of the world's classic climbing routes. Jon Walsh also admits that there are two things that may be more important to his happiness than the rock: his daughter and his cabinetmaking business in Calgary.