The 25 Most Adventurous Men of the Past 25 Years

Richard Branson

Check out Richard Branson’s round table discussion with Ben Stookesberry and Jimmy Chin here. 

From: London

Age: 67

Feats: Decades of setting records (or failing spectacularly) in the air and on the sea, to say nothing of reinventing the airline business. In 2004, he set the record for fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. Later that year, he launched Virgin Galactic to shoot paying clients into suborbit; he says he’ll be on the first flight.

His (most) near-death experience: Between 1995 and 1998, Branson launched more than four attempts to fly around the world in a balloon. During one trip with Steve Fossett, they made emergency diplomatic pleas to avoid being shot down in Chinese airspace.

The adventurers he admires the most: “I have a good friend, Nick Jacobsen, who is the best kitesurfer in the world, and just jumped off the tallest building in the world, in Dubai. There’s also a Russian balloonist who invited me on a trip to go higher than anyone’s ever been in a balloon. Sadly, for the first time in my life, I had to say no. I’m all in on exploring space travel — for me, that’s the final frontier. Making sure that, for all of us, the sky’s no longer the limit.”

Jimmy Chin

Check out Jimmy Chin’s round table discussion with Richard Branson and Ben Stookesberry here. 

From: Mankato, Minnesota

Age: 44

Feats: Photographed the world’s top adventure athletes on their most out-there expeditions, from Tibet’s Changtang Plateau to the big walls of Borneo to the top of One World Trade Center. Three of his photos are in these pages: Alex Honnold, Conrad Anker, and the opening image.

His (most) near-death experience: Fighting his way out from under 60 feet of snow and debris during a 2011 avalanche in the Tetons. “I never bought into the out-of-body-experience until I had one.”

The talent that keeps him alive: Lungs and stamina. “It came from being a competitive swimmer from age eight — my dad made me swim everything from 50 meters to the 1,500. I’m not nearly the strongest guy out there, but I can sustain pace on the mountain.”

The adventurer he admires the most: “I’m a purist at heart, and look up to guys who carry that torch, like Mike Horn. He’s the classic guy who’s also embraced new tech and is pushing it in ways that weren’t possible before. That guy’s a total animal.”

How We Picked Them

Handpicking 25 men to represent the world’s most adventurous is like trying to determine who’s the best character on The Wire. But we did our best, leaning on the following criteria to justify our picks: We judged worthiness strictly on feats from the past 25 years, which explains why some unassailable badasses like Ed Viesturs or Yvon Chouinard aren’t included. And we placed a premium on consistency and commitment, so it’s not enough to pull off some mind-blowing feat if you just return to your stamp collection. These guys did it time and again, and some died trying. Mainly, each of our adventurers managed to redefine what was imaginable for future generations. Feel free to disagree. Or not.