Meet Skyler Pinion | Photographer & Paragliding pilot

We had the good fortune of connecting with Skyler Pinion and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Skyler, what makes you happy? Why?
I find happiness in my adventures and work that I create. Photography allows me to share my experiences from all over the world, as well as the story of athletes, cultural people, and earths wonderful landscapes. I always get a sense of joy whether it be photographing Paraglider pilots above the rockies, or capturing the perfect shot on a brand shoot in South America.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a big wall climber, paragliding pilot, and photographer to name a few. Through self-learning practices, mentorship, and perseverance I have been able to make my lifestyle a profession. The road along the way has been challenging and after multiple years of practicing my arts they are now finally becoming sources of income. After finishing high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I followed my passions of climbing some of the biggest walls in the world, learning how to fly, and taking photographs along the way. Eventually, if you do something long enough and follow your personal flame, something will catch fire!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take my best friend on a hike to the top of Colorados highest peak Mt. Elbert and fly us off the top via tandem paraglider! I did this solo last summer and it was a blast! Definitely a great way to see and experience the Rockies. A couple days prior, we could spend time in the nearby town of Leadville tasting the local cuisine, swimming in alpine lakes, and checking out some historic mining sites. High mountain pies is a great place to eat in Leadville due to their one of a kind pizzas. Since the elevation is over 10,000 feet, a special skill is needed for baking any type of goods, especially pizza, but this place really hits the spot.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldnt be where I am today without my close friends, the paragliding community, and mentors along the way such as Scott Eubank who is an amazing adventure/athlete photographer , Emilio Santamaria a Yosemite big wall climber and close friend , and David Chen who is a well known paraglider pilot pushing the limits of todays flying.

Website: https://www.skypinion.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skypinion/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Skyclimbfly

Image Credits
Skyler Pinion