An American's Grand Slam

Ryan Waters was following the predetermined path that most people follow. A youth spent on the sports fields of his hometown, a college degree, and a career in the nine-to-five world, the only thing missing was a house in the suburbs and a family. But, then one day he decided to take a chance and try something different.

What followed was an over twenty-year odyssey that saw him become one of the leading mountain and polar guides in the world, with accents on all of the planets continents and numerous trips to both the Poles. It all climaxed in 2014 when he became just the ninth person in the world and first American to enter into the prestigious Adventurers Grand Slam Club.

While he was crisscrossing the world chasing adventure he experienced both love and heartbreak, success and failure, hope and despair. But through it all he kept smiling and travelling on.

RYAN WATERS is a professional mountaineer, mountain guide and polar adventurer. He has worked in the professional guiding and outdoor education field for 18 years. His expeditions have taken him to Nepal, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Tibet, Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, Tanzania, Greenland, Indonesia, Antarctica, the Arctic Ocean and beyond. His guiding resume includes over fifty ascents of the various Seven Summits, well over 35 expeditions in the Andes Range and 24 expeditions to the Himalayas including five summits of Everest, 13 times standing on the summit of various 8,000m mountains. A team unsupported west-to-east ski traverse of Greenland expanded his interests into the polar regions, where he cut his teeth on difficult polar ski expeditions in addition to climbing. In 2010, Ryan and Cecilie Skog completed a 1,120 mile/1,800 kilometer Antarctic ski expedition over 70 days from Berkner Island in the Ronne/Filchner Sea to the South Pole, continuing to the Ross Sea to complete the first ski traverse of Antarctica without resupplies or the use of kites. In 2014, Ryan and Eric Larsen skied for 53 days to complete the last unsupported full ski expedition to the North Pole. The expedition was made into a two-hour Discovery Networks documentary. He has contributed as a writer to several media outlets, several books and documentaries and the book Antarctica, published in Norway by Gyldendal. His photographs have been published in several magazines, books, gear catalogues, web outlets and two book covers. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and is a certified Master Polar Guide with the International Polar Guides Association.

HUDSON LINDENBERGER is a full-time, award-winning journalist and author whose work has appeared in Men’s Journal, Backpacker, 5280, and many other regional and national publications. He was the co-author of On Thin Ice: An Epic Final Quest into the Melting Arctic that told the story of Eric Larsen and Ryan Waters’ trip to the North Pole, a Gold Medalist at the 21st Annual Independent Publisher Book Awards. When Lindenberger is not writing he spends his time in the mountains of Colorado hiking, biking, and climbing.