JJ YOSH is an adventurer with a passion for mountain climbing and all the outdoors has to offer. Over the last ten years he has found himself immersed in endless adventures around the world whether it be climbing mountains, backpacking through forests, or kayaking across the ocean.

His pursuits have seen him present several documentaries and short films on his adventures which have been viewed all around the world.

In this interview he talks about his love for nature and the outdoors as well as his exciting plans for the future.

When did your fascination with the outdoors and nature begin and how did this lead you to mountain climbing and the other adventures you enjoy?

My fascination with the outdoors began ever since I could remember. In my early years I would go on nature hikes with my Uncle Doug and catch frogs.

I remember having to force my siblings to go on hikes with me when we would vacation at Lake Tahoe

I remember having to force my siblings to go on hikes with me when we would vacation at Lake Tahoe. My family for the most part was never into the outdoors, so it was hard because my opportunities were limited growing up. It wasn’t until I got to college that my life transformed drastically.

At UC Santa Barbara I co-founded an outdoors club, called the Excursion Club with my good friend Lacy, on a whim, but little did I know what I had gotten myself into. Within a matter of months, I began organising one excursion after another, spending more time organising trips than I did studying school. It became an obsession, a calling you could say. When I was in the wild I felt liberated, energised, and alive. I realised at that point that this was my purpose to connect with the earth and share it with others. Years later my adventures would take on new forms, evolving into month long mountaineering expeditions.

What mountains have you climbed and what climb would you say was your biggest achievement?

I have climbed most of the 14,000 foot peaks in California, and climbed peaks in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Utah, British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, Mexico, Sweden, Indonesia, Thailand, and 20,000 foot peaks in Bolivia. I would say my biggest achievement is my climb in Bolivia up the Illimani over 21,000 feet.

Your amiable personality and love of the outdoors has seen you host a number of TV documentaries and short films. Could you give us a bit more information about these and what they have been about?

All the shorts and documentaries I have produced contain an environmental backbone. In 2007, I travelled from the lowest point of North America, Death Valley to the highest point Denali in Alaska filming our expedition. The goal of this journey was to travel sustainably. Everything from our clothes to our food to even our gear had to carry an eco-friendly footprint.

In 2008, I produced a fun web series, called Flat Broke Green, it was a comical series demonstrating how to be green on a budget. For the past couple years my main focus has been developing an adventure series called, Ancient Tomorrow, which is all about rediscovering our past to live for tomorrow.

You also take part in outdoor photography and film making. How did you get involved in this and what advice would you give to those learning the trade?

I got involved with shooting and editing in my early teens. In college I would film my outdoor excursions and create promos to attract more people to my outdoor club. I believe it was these promos that made my club so successful. After I graduated I continued to film my trips, and began filming more elaborate expedition documentaries.

Adventure filmmaking is a compromise. One of the most difficult things I have been forced to embrace is separating my fun climbing time outdoors with my adventure shooting, it’s a delicate balance, and often you can’t have both. Most people have this grand illusion that outdoor shooting is this on-going epic adventure, and it is, but just not in the glamorous way you think.

In order to get amazing cinematic shots there’s a lot of planning, setting up, and repeating the same movements. A climb that would take a couple hours will take all day, even multiple days to shoot. I have taken my climbing friends on some of my shoots, and they were amazed by how slow and tedious it is. It requires a lot of patience, and it’s a process. You have to haul a lot of gear up the mountain with you, and it’s a lot of work. The better looking the footage, the more time and work it takes. I often say that adventure filmmaking is 20 per cent outside and 80 per cent in the studio – editing, planning, and producing.

Higher Earth Entertainment is a production company started in 2006 with the mission of inspiring, educating, and empowering people to live in harmony with the earth. 

Could you give us a bit of information about Higher Earth Entertainment and how it started?

Higher Earth Entertainment is a production company started in 2006 with the mission of inspiring, educating, and empowering people to live in harmony with the earth. It was created with the intention of bringing together likeminded folks who wanted to change the world for the better. We produce films that surround sensitive topics around the world like rainforest deforestation, cleaner water in underdeveloped areas, etc. The idea is that these films will draw attention and inspire people to take action.

What is the documentary series Ancient Tomorrow all about and how can we view it?

Ancient Tomorrow is a documentary series that follows my team of investigators on adventures around the world as we try to prove the ancient pyramids were at one time power plants. We are currently finalising distribution for a television release. At this time we cannot disclose the network, but I anticipate a public release in spring of 2015.

What is your philosophy on life and how does it aid you in your pursuit of outdoor adventure?

My philosophy in life is simple if you want to care about the earth then you need to experience it. So often I get caught up in my daily routine that I forget just how magical and precious our environment is. Every time I step into the boundaries of nature, I instantly remember what life is about. I know for me, the outdoors is essential for living a healthy and abundant life. It has a way of inspiring us to be who we are, not who we think we need to be for society’s sake. So I moved to the mountains of Colorado just so I could constantly be immersed in nature 24/7.

My outdoor adventures are a way of life for me, and they fuel my creativity and enthusiasm that I need to accomplish my goals in life. And this why I am so passionate about encouraging more people to step outside because I know they too will transform. We are all creatures of this planet, so it’s important that we engage with our roots.

What exciting plans do you have for the future?

As soon as we finalise distribution of Ancient Tomorrow, my team and I will embark on an unforgettable adventure to countries like Cambodia, Japan, Egypt, and even Antarctica to continue our investigation digging up pyramid technologies. So, expect a lot of climbing and trekking as we unearth some hopefully incredible finds. I am also continually traveling around the states and other countries, as I perform as an actor and adventurer in outdoor oriented commercials that you may have seen on TV. Beyond that I have a few other smaller projects that I am working on that involve some exciting adventure stories. The sky certainly is the limited, and I really am just at the beginning.