Jim Williams to Receive The Explorers Club Lowell Award

Exum Mountain Guides is proud to announce that the Explorers Cub will present the prestigious Lowell Thomas Award to our distinguished senior guide Jim Williams. The other Lowell Thomas Award will go to Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and an Exum guide forty years ago. The awards will be made on October 15 at the Lowell Thomas Dinner at Cipraiani Wall Street in New York. The Club announced that the awards “recognize explorers who not only have pushed beyond the outer edge of the known envelope, but those who have done so safely and have come back to tell others how.” That certainly describes Jim.

Jim’s exploits are well known at Exum, among his many clients over the years, and in the international climbing community. They include—to mention only the cream of the crop—the first person to guide all the classic “Seven Summits” within one year, co-leader of the 1989 Ski Expedition to the South Pole; co-leader of the 1991 Geographic Expeditions Patagonian Ice Cap Traverse; co-leader of Geographic Expeditions' 2000 Shackleton Traverse, South Georgia Island; extensive guiding on Everest, Nupste, Lhotse, Denali, Ama Dablam, the Cartenz Pyramid, Elbrus, and Aconcagua; numerous expeditions to Chile, Peru, Africa, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Tibet; and the successful ascent in 2000, with clients, of Mt. Everest.

For years it seemed to us that Jim lived on the great mountains of the world. We know of no one who can match the extent of his travels and adventures, the variety of challenges and summits. We also note that he is much beloved and respected by his fellow guides and companions in the mountains. He has served, with distinction, on the board of the American Mountain Guides Association. We at Exum are honored by his presence.

Jim lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where, in addition to guiding for Exum, he runs Explorandus, LLD.

Bio:

Jackson local Jim Williams could truly be called a guide's guide. Simply, there's no one better, nor more experienced. With a career that has spanned three decades, all continents, and many of the world's hidden corners, Jim has forgotten more campfire stories than most of us remember. Competing equally with stories about his far-flung accomplishments is his renown as an extraordinary chef.

Jim’s lifelong intrigue with world cultures and place inspired him to found Exploradus, an exploration travel company dedicated to exploring remote areas of the world, both for their natural, as well as cultural, beauty. In the summers for the past 25 years, Jim has covered the territory of his own backyard, guiding clients up and down the Grand Teton with Exum Mountain Guides.

Over the course of his career, Jim has led major expeditions to Chile, Peru, Africa, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Tibet. In 1989, he was the co-leader of the initial Ski Expedition to the South Pole, the first overland crossing to the South Pole from the South American side. Because of his familiarity with the extreme landscape and hazards of the Antarctic, he was selected as one of the leaders for the first commercial crossing of South Georgia Island along the route taken by Ernest Shakleton on his epic Endeavor expedition.

Mt. Everest, Nupste, Lhotse, Mt. McKinley, Ama Dablam, Carstenz Pyramid, Elbrus, and Aconcagua—Jim has guided them all and more. His summit of Mt. Everest in 2000 with clients inspired him to become the first person to successfully guide all "Seven Summits", the highest point on each of the Seven Continents, in less than one year.

Jim has been honored numerous times for his prowess and dedication: recipient of the National Park Service Search and Rescue Award – 2003; Named a member in 2005 of the “Durable Dozen" in Best Life Magazine (along with Ulysses Grant, Ernest Shakleton, Chuck Yeager, and others) for Seven Summits guiding achievement; AMGA Certified Alpine and Rock Guide.

There's no one better to share stories of distant lands, extraordinary accomplishments and exotic peoples. Jim's anecdotes and perspective from a life of exploration are unique and thoroughly enriching entertainment.