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Iain Kuo

Iain Kuo

Meet Iain. Skier. Mountaineer. Climber. General outdoor enthusiast with a love for big peaks and photography. It's the best of both worlds when those passions combine.


Where is your hometown?

Gwynedd Valley, PA

Where do you currently reside?

Jackson, WY

What are your favorite ways to spend time outside?

Skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking, and trail running.

What is your most beloved piece of Turtle Fur gear?

An old patterned neck tube that I've had since I was a kid and worn skiing and snowboarding every year since I got it! After many years, it's still just as comfortable and effective as ever.

What Turtle Fur product comes with you on every adventure, and why?

My active performance neck tube - it's just as effective for keeping me warm in chilly temps as it is for keeping the sun and bugs off in summertime!

What is your most cherished outdoor memory? 

Tough question. Maybe it's catching the alpenglow on the Fitz Roy massif in Patagonia from our campsite on the frozen lake below before skiing blower powder in front of some of the world's most iconic peaks, in late August. We were fortunate to have amazing weather and conditions and the remote slopes all to ourselves near the southern tip of the South American continent.

Or perhaps ringing in 12 consecutive months of skiing for the first time with my friend Tony during a five day unguided hut-to-hut ski tour in the backcountry outside Bariloche, Argentina. It was probably my first serious multi-day, unsupported backcountry adventure. We had to change our route on the fly midway through and underwent one of the most frustrating bushwhacks I've ever done during a 17+ hour day. In the end we completed the trip successfully. Won't ever forget that one!



If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why? 

At the moment I'd like to go back to Nepal to climb more big peaks in the Himalaya. Skiing from those high altitude summits is a big personal goal for me.

What is your day job?

None! I work a few nights a week as a waiter at a restaurant in Jackson to keep my days free for adventuring and photography.

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of?

Reaching the summit of Ama Dablam at sunrise and watching first light hit Mount Everest and Lhotse from across the valley in the Khumbu. My guide Vinayak and I were the first party to the summit on that particular day.

Two truths and a lie:

1. I have climbed and shot photos above 23,000 feet in Kyrgyzstan.

2. I grew up skiing as a kid.

3. I began a career in finance in New York City before moving to Jackson Hole to ski.

Instagram: @mtniain

Website: www.mtniain.com

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