Exum Senior Guide Jim Williams Honored With the Lowell Thomas Award
Exum Mountain Guides is proud to announce that the Explorers Club will present the prestigious Lowell Thomas Award to our distinguished senior guide Jim Williams. The other Lowell Thomas Award will go to Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and an Exum guide forty years ago. The awards will be made on October 15 at the Lowell Thomas Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. The Club announced that the awards “recognize explorers who not only have pushed beyond the outer edge of the known envelope, but those who have done so safely and have come back to tell others how.” That certainly describes Jim.
Jim’s exploits are well known at Exum, among his many clients over the years, and in the international climbing community. They include-to mention only the cream of the crop-the first person to guide all the classic “Seven Summits” within one year, co-leader of the 1989 Ski Expedition to the South Pole; co-leader of the 1991 Geographic Expeditions Patagonian Ice Cap Traverse; co-leader of Geographic Expeditions’ 2000 Shackleton Traverse, South Georgia Island; extensive guiding on Everest, Nupste, Lhotse, Denali, Ama Dablam, the Cartenz Pyramid, Elbrus, and Aconcagua; numerous expeditions to Chile, Peru, Africa, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Tibet; and the successful ascent in 2000, with clients, of Mt. Everest.
For years it seemed to us that Jim lived on the great mountains of the world. We know of no one who can match the extent of his travels and adventures, the variety of challenges and summits. We also note that he is much beloved and respected by his fellow guides and companions in the mountains. He has served, with distinction, on the board of the American Mountain Guides Association. We at Exum are honored by his presence.
Jim lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where, in addition to guiding for Exum, he runs Exploradus, LLC.
