Chris Warner

Age: 46, Years climbing: 31, Hometown: Golden, CO, Favorite product: Mythos

blog: www.sharedsummits.com

Do you clip bolts, plug cams, stack pads, or crush ice?

I own three climbing gyms and an international mountaineering guide service, so...I do it all, happily.

How long have you been an athlete with La Sportiva?

Over 10 years.

What are some of your lifetime climbing goals?

I've been ticking them off: climbing K2, soloing an 8000 meter peak (First American to Solo one: the South Face of Shisha Pangma in 17:20), putting up new routes in the Himalaya (West Face of Ama Dablam in Winter). Some future goals are Kangchenjunga and Makalu, then turning my attention to climbing more and more of the world's classic alpine climbs. To get started, I am leaving in a few hours to attempt the Cassin Ridge with an old friend.

Do you have a claim to fame?

I've led 175 international expeditions and never lost a partner: but I've come close myself. The rappel anchor popped off an icy rock on Shivling, a brutally difficult peak in India. I fell 450 feet through the air and then bounced another 50 feet before landing like a dart in soft snow. I've been tumbled in a giant avalanche on Cho Oyu, only to be spit aside within feet of a cliff's edge. And I've been hit in the head by a free-falling O2 tank at 27,000 ft on Everest, suffering a concussion. We play a dangerous game, so remember to turn back when things get scary.

Do you have any vices?

Red wine is not a vice: they serve it in church.

What makes you tick as a climber and in the real world?

I am driven by goals. Once they come to me, I write them down, give them dates and make them happen.

What drives you to climb? The money? The groupies? The fame? What?

There is nothing in life that demands the very best of my emotional, intellectual and physical abilities. Being so fully immersed in a challenge fills my soul.

What is your favorite movie?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, of course. The ultimate road trip movie.

Do you have any nicknames? Explain:

The other day I rec'd an email from a guy I climbed my first peak with (the Grand Teton in 1982). He addressed it to "Jersey." No one's called me that in 20 years. When Jersey was your nickname, you have too much to live up to. (and that was before Snooki)

What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep? Why?

On Shisha Pangma I climbed for 34 straight hours, making me think that the longest I was awake was probably 40 or so hours.

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?

Jersey!

What did you have for lunch yesterday?

I was climbing in Eldo and ate a Mojo Bar.

If you could hook up a thought monitor to your head, would you see pictures, hear words or would music be playing?

I am a bit of a sesquipedalianist.

What really scares you about climbing?

crevasses. I've fallen in so many and each time I wet my pants.

If your life was made into a movie, what would it be called?

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 2. (Road tripping with a hot chick and cute kid)

Where would you live if it could be anywhere in the world?

I've already moved there: Golden, CO

Have no food or have no gasoline?

No Gas!

Do you wish you had sexier feet?

With size 14 feet, few are sexier.