Meet Ryan Waters | Owner – Mountain Professionals

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

Hi Ryan, how do you think about risk?
Though I am a professional adventurer and guide who has been in and around lots of real risks in my career, there is a specific decision I made that sticks out for me regarding taking risks in life… which now pertains to my business directly and where it led me.

I worked as a geologist after college for a few years in consulting. I loved the work for the most part because I had a good mix of field work and office work, with a bit of domestic travel mixed in. The issue was, I was pretty obsessed with all things mountaineering and climbing on the side. The boiling point came when I decided I just could not put off the feeling anymore that I should be pursuing some life in the outdoors and mountains. When I applied for and got offered a job as an instructor in outdoor education and rock climbing… I had a massive decision to make. I often call it my mid-20s crisis, where I then made the decision to leave my stable career path with a good salary and a 401k, to go make almost no money, live mostly out of the back of my SUV, and take a huge risk, not knowing what exactly this road was leading me down.

It turned out to be the ignition that lit the fire in me to pursue that outdoor guide career and eventually begin my own guide service that runs trips the world over.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have made the circuitous and unlikely journey from football player, to fraternity guy, to geologist, and outdoor instructor. The end result was that I became a mountain guide. I figured out a way to make a career out of travel, time in the mountains, and as I like to say, not having days of the week to pay attention to for almost 20 years.

I consider myself a mountain climber first foremost, and then a guide, but I am also just a professional adventurer kind of on the side. Any and all things are are tied to work is some form, so going on my own personal expeditions is actually good for my guiding career because it obviously solidifies one’s resume. I have climbed Everest six times so far, and stood on the summits of various 8,000 meter mountains in the Himalayas 14 times. But, I guess what I am most know for is being the first American to finish the True Adventurers Grand Slam. This consists of climbing the Seven Summits, (the highest peak on each continent), as well as to ski coast to pole unsupported and unassisted trips to the North and South Poles. It is a pretty small club of only roughly 11 people in the world to have done it.

The other irony is that some of those trips were pretty exceptional on their own right, for example the first time I skied to the South Pole, it was actually with my female partner and we managed to do the first unsupported/unassisted ski traverse of the Antarctica landmass. A journey that took us 70 days to ski 1200 miles across the continent.

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?
Fortunately, Boulder is a pretty easy place to entertain. It goes without saying that if those in question are into outdoor sports, there are plenty of options for climbing, biking, etc…

The obvious starting point is Pearl Street. The heart and soul of Boulder, you can hit up so many great places to eat, have cocktails, or simply people watch. Though my favorite restaurant in Boulder is off the main drag. Aloy Thai, on Canyon near 28th st. is literally my favorite Thai food anywhere, and I have been to Thailand probably 15 times. So start with dinner there, then head to the west end of Pearl St. to hit up the bar at Kitchen Upstairs or the rooftop lounge at Avanti.

Boulder also has tons of great breweries, but my favorite is Upslope… a stopover at the tasting room is a must.

A hike or climb up in the Flatirons would be a great outing for a day and then a visit to Denver for some big city sights.

For my friends we typically then show people places to the further west of course, a day trip to Breckenridge for mountain biking or skiing, or a weekend at friends in Crested Butte. So much to do!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I just finished writing a book that comes out in the fall of 2022. What I discovered in writing that story was a profound affect that the people I encountered along the way had on my success with goals. It starts of course with family, having a supportive close knit family who maybe only thought twice and then moved on when I gave up a more “normal”, lifestyle for the dirtbag adventurer life, this was irreplaceable.

Then, dovetailing with that theme of taking risks, making things happen for myself and making opportunities happen, the circles of people who entered in and out of my life were often ironically perfectly placed to accomplish my goals in the outdoors. A mountain climber who happened to get the opportunity to guide mountains like Everest and 8,000 meter peaks in Pakistan, happened across two of the best polar skiers in the world, who became partners on my South Pole and North Pole Expeditions.

Website: www.mtnprofessionals.com

Instagram: @ryanwatersphoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.waters.9210

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpZvIGmNJtiXmIHqWZTdA3A

Other: Pre-order book An American’s Grand Slam, by Ryan Waters and Hudson Lindenburger https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56217851-an-american-grand-slam