CLIMBER
ANDRES MARIN
OURAY, COLORADO

In 2018, Colorado based alpinist Andres Marin recently capped a successful trip to Pakistan by soloing the American Route on Great Trango in less than 12 hours. That was after he had climbed the route and Eternal Flame on Nameless Tower with TNF teammates Anna Pfaff and David Allfrey. That’s three summits over 6000 meters in 10 days. While Andres says soloing a 20,000-foot mountain in the Karakoram isn’t his most difficult achievement, it is his most meaningful.

The 35-year-old guide who was born in Colombia and is now based in Ouray, Colorado, started climbing at age 14 in the Cordillera Central of war-torn Columbia, where local peaks were often closed to tourists. In 2003, he moved to the U.S. and fell in love with Indian Creek and the wide cracks and desert towers of Southern Utah. He climbed on ice during his first visit to Ouray, and was hooked. Andres went on to compete in seven Ice and Mixed Climbing World Cups and two world championships until he retired from competition in TK.

These days, when he’s not guiding in his local San Juan mountains, Andres chases big alpine climbs around the world. He’s climbed above 6000 meters at least once a year since he first guided Denali in 2006. With a passion for expedition climbing and exploring new mountains and routes that demand the utmost focus, Andres has notched first ascents on four continents and led exploratory missions to peaks in Kyrgyzstan and the Revelations in Alaska. A recipient of the Mugs Stump Award, an achievement awarded to climbers who exemplify fast, light and clean tactics, Andres is as proud of guiding adaptive climbers up Mt. Rainier and Telluride’s Bridal Veil Falls as he is of his speed ascents.

Accomplishments:

• First ascent of the Mustyr North Face, Kyrgyzstan.
• First ascent of the Southeast Face of B Bowers peak, China/Kyrgyzstan.
• First ascent of Alancoma West Face, Peru.
• Seven-time competitor at the Ice and Mixed Climbing World Cup