Andrew McLean has been pursuing steep skiing challenges in remote locations for over two decades and has accumulated over 100 first descents. In 2007 he completed a long term quest to capture first descents on all seven continents when he traveled to Morocco to ski in the High Atlas Mountains. McLean’s specialty is ski mountaineering, which involves climbing up peaks before skiing down them. This process allows him to ski mountains where motorized access is forbidden or impractical. His passion for this sport has led to him being voted as one of the “Greatest Skiers of Our Time” by Powder Magazine and a featured segment in the Sony Classic Pictures 2007 film entitled “Steep.”

Outside of skiing, McLean’s interests include design, writing and photography. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, he worked at Black Diamond Equipment for thirteen years, creating products such as the Camalot, wire gate carabiners, Whippet, Peckers and Talon rock hook. His writings and photography have appeared in Skiing, Powder, Backcountry Magazine and numerous outdoor gear catalogs. He lives in Park City, Utah with his wife Polly who holds the world record for the greatest amount of vertical climbed and skied in 24 hours. They have a daughter named Mira, one good dog and one bad dog.

Highlights

• First ski descents on all seven continents
• Skiing off the top of Denali with Mark Holbrook
• Kite-skiing and couloir crushing in Baffin Island
• Designing the first wiregate climbing carabiner and the Whippet Self Arrest Pole
• Climbing a new route on the Vinson Massif in Antarctica
• Sailing the Drake Passage in full conditions 
• Climbing five routes on El Cap
• Authoring “The Chuting Gallery - A Guide to Steep Skiing in the Wasatch Mountains.”
• Sailing across the Pacific Ocean with my Dad, having a baby girl, getting married (the second time), surviving decades of skiing adventures

Catch up with Andrew on :
Straightchuter.com