The Daily - January 31, 2020 - 76

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S T O R I E S

PICTURE PERFECT

CLIMBING UP

Ming Poon started by shooting Phish shows and now photographs the best
backcountry snowboarders and skiers on the planet.
OPEN ANY SKI MAGAZINE AND

you're likely to come across Ming
Poon's work. The Vermonter
turned California-based photographer's images grace Backcountry magazine, Teton Gravity Research, Powder, and many more.
He also partners with Jeremy
Jones at Protect Our Winters,
working side by side with heavy
hitters in the industry, including
Conrad Anker, Michelle Parker, and James Q. Martin. His
images get the word out about
what people can do to help fight
global warming. We caught up
with him on the Show floor to
find out more about his life and
transition from stressed international businessman to successful
adventure shooter.
"Although I've loved photography since I was a kid, I didn't
consider it seriously until 2014,"

he says. "My mom had an old
Minolta film camera with a
couple of lenses. I fell in love
with this camera and shooting
around the age of 8."
"Before I committed to being a full-time photographer, I
did a lot of things for work," he
says. This included working as
a librarian during college at the
University of Vermont, a pier
attendant on Lake Tahoe, and
a mountain guide. His biggest
job prior to photography was
managing his family business in
Beijing. He learned Mandarin in
order to do international business, and for five years he distributed transistors and capacitors. But after years of breathing
smog-filled air and watching his
and his now-wife Mollie's health
decline from their stressful, chaotic life in China, Ming decided

Ming Poon

/ OUTDOOR + SNOW SHOW 2020

it was time to head back to the
U.S. for a fresh start.
He started by shooting Phish
shows and climbing and splitboarding in his free time and he
called up his old ski and photography friends, who helped
steer him toward his new life
as a professional shooter. His
mountain skills allowed him to
access terrain only few others
could, and he always got the shot.
Within a few years-with mentoring from his friends such as top
athletes Jeremy Jones and Cody
Townsend and adventure photographer Corey Rich-he learned
the trade and picked up enough
clients to make it work. He and
Mollie eventually bought a home
in Lake Tahoe, and he now skis
and climbs whenever he gets the
chance. He got his life back.
-Chris Van Leuven

Ben Rueck's ascent to
Adidas Outdoor athlete
took an unusual route.
"I've done a lot of jobs-
whatever I could do to
pursue the dream," says
Adidas Outdoor athlete
Ben Rueck. His previous
gigs include grave digger
and substitute high school
chemistry teacher. Eight
years ago, the climber
joined the Adidas Outdoor team, and under the
leadership of managing
director Greg Thomsen,
he slowly made his way up
the ladder. In lieu of pay,
he started out getting free
T-shirts from the company. Today, he's a fully
sponsored athlete (with
additional sponsors) who
travels the world to climb.
He's been to every continent except Antarctica-"I
don't like the freezing
cold," he says-establishing first ascents up to 5.14,
including nails-hard traditional lines.
Rueck is a frequent
partner of "Dawn Wall"
co-star Kevin Jorgeson,
and for years the two have
swept up first free ascents
in Yosemite. Their projects include long lines on
Sentinel Rock and Higher
Cathedral Spire. Rueck's
latest project is a six-pitch
mixed-sport-and-trad 5.14
that, when completed, will
be one of the hardest in
the Utah desert. He and
Jorgeson plan to get back
on the line next week-after the dust settles from
the Show.
-Chris Van Leuven

L AU R E N DA N I L E K

A T H L E T E

The Daily - January 31, 2020

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