Biography
Born in Toronto, Canada, Ryan Pyle spent his early years close to home. After obtaining a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto in 2001, Ryan realized a life long dream and traveled to China on an exploratory mission. In 2002 Ryan moved to China permanently and in 2004 Ryan became a regular contributor to the New York Times. In 2009 Ryan was listed by PDN Magazine as one of the 30 emerging photographers in the world. In 2010 Ryan began working full time on television and documentary film production and has produced and presented several large multi-episode television series for major broadcasters in the USA, Canada, UK, Asia, China and continental Europe.
Social media links
Instagram: @ryanpyle (Fans: 220,000+)
Facebook: @ryanpyle (Fans: 440,000+)
X: @ryanpyle (Fans: 12,000+)
YouTube: @ryanjpyle (Fans: 29,000+)
Weibo: @ryanpyle (Fans: 400,000+)
Seven on seven – mountains climbed & filmed
SOUTH AMERICA – Aconcagua (Argentina) – 6,960m | 22,837 ft
AFRICA – Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) – 5,895m | 19,341 ft
EUROPE – Mt. Elbrus (Russia) – 5,642m | 18,510 ft
High mountains climbed & filmed
Huayna Potosi (Bolivia) – 6,088m | 19,974 ft
Mt. Illiniza North (Ecuador) – 5,126m | 16,818 ft
Mt. Wilhelm (Papua New Guinea) – 4,509m | 14,793 ft
Mt. Kuiten Peak (Mongolia) – 4,374m | 14,350 ft
Mt. Pasochoa (Ecuador) – 4,200m | 13,800 ft
Mt. Tubkal (Morocco) – 4,167m | 13,671 ft
Mt. Kinabalu (Malaysia) – 4,095m | 13,435 ft
Mt. Xue (Taiwan) – 3,886m | 12,749 ft
Mt. Apo (Philippines) – 3,142m | 10,311 ft
Jabal Umm ad Dami (Jordan) – 1,845m | 6,083 ft
Recent awards
2021 – Winner: Asian Academy Award: Best Cinematographer
2020 – Winner: Asian Academy Award: Best Non-Fiction Series
2020 – Winner: Asian Academy Award: Best Director
2020 – Winner: Asian Academy Award: Best Lifestyle Host
2019 – Winner: Best Director – Asian Television Awards
2019 – Nominated: Best Documentary Series – Asian Television Awards
2014 – Explorer of the Year – Geographical Society of Philadelphia
2013 – Gold Medallion – Governor General of Canada
2012 – Guinness World Record – Adventure Motorcycle Riding
2010 – PDN Photo Annual – Winner
2009 – PDN 30 – Emerging Photographer
Television series
2020 – The Nomad: Season #1 – Amazon Prime
2020 – Extreme Treks: Season #4 – BBC Earth
2020 – Expedition Asia: Season #1 – Discovery Channel
2018 – Extreme Treks: Season #3 – BBC Earth
2017 – Extreme Treks: Season #2 – BBC Earth
2016 – Tough Rides: Brazil – Travel Channel
2014 – Extreme Treks: Season #1 – Discovery Channel
2014 – China’s Great Gateway – Discovery Channel
2014 – Tough Rides: India – Travel Channel
2013 – Tough Rides: China – Travel Channel
Publications
2017 – Sacred Mountains – Photography Book
2016 – Tough Rides: Brazil – Written Book
2015 – Sacred Mountains of China – Written Book
2014 – Chinese Turkestan – Photography Book
2014 – The India Ride – Written Book
2013 – The Middle Kingdom Ride – Written Book
Countries (and territories) filmed in
Silent Trekking – Philippines, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, USA, Greenland, Ecuador
Extreme Treks – Tanzania, Morocco, China, USA, Peru, Nepal, Italy, Oman, Russia, Iceland, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, Argentina, Jordan, Uganda, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Poland
Expedition Asia – Philippines, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan
Tough Rides – China, India, Brazil
The Nomad – Heidelberg, Germany; Valletta, Malta; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro
Affiliations
The Asian Institute
The Explorers Club
Guinness World Record Holder