Meet Chris Hanson: Cinematographer Capturing Adventure Across the Globe
Chris enjoying the amazing view of baby elephants playing at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in rural Northern Kenya.
INTRODUCTION BY TRICIA HEATON:
At The Island Hopper we use the phrase “sleeper cell” periodically to describe the guest who comes to a trip very quietly, who you might underestimate, and they turn out to be an absolute rockstar! Chris Hanson came into our lives in Vermont… sleeper cell style. He fell in love with our dear friend and we loved him for that. We asked all the questions middle aged women friends ask, we were pleased with the answers… and funny enough… somehow in this processes I missed the “what does he do for a living?” question!
Over the years of getting to know Chris I have been blown away over and over again as I unravel this guy’s amazing talents, career experiences, travel journeys and zest for life. Every corner, every adventure, shows us more and more the depth of someone Don and I want to know better and better. In the past few years we have been to film events hosted by Chris, heard him speak at life changing non-profit fundraisers, and traveled across Kenya with the him. Seeing the world through Chris’ eyes is amazing and we feel so grateful to know him.
Thank you Abby for this interview with Chris Hanson, I am thrilled to share this with The Island Hopper community.
Chris’ website and IG:
Chris-- you travel extensively as a freelance cinematographer and with a lot of heavy equipment. As a former NOLS instructor, I imagine you picked up some valuable packing tips that must inform your travel clothing choices so as not to add unnecessary bulk to your already large load.
Yes, NOLS taught me how to pack light and efficiently. When you carry everything you need for a month on your back, you never look at the world the same. When I fly for a job, I need my camera equipment to fit under the seat in front of me. I drive to many of my jobs, which gives me way more room for all my stuff.
Do you have a travel uniform?
Kinda. Back in the 90s I spent a lot of time driving around the country, living out of my pick-up truck. It was “van life” before the current incarnation. I drove cross country several times, and have been to all 50 states. During the pandemic, I got back into road tripping. I lived in South Carolina and started dating a mountain-girl up in Vermont. I've put over 150,000 miles on my car since 2020. So when you say travel uniform, I'm talking road tripping attire: comfy sweat pants and a hoodie, baseball cap and sunglasses. Flying for me is a luxury, so when I fly, I dress appropriately and professionally. I hate seeing people in airports in their pajamas.
Tell us a bit about when/where you were a NOLS instructor.
My first NOLS experience was a month-long sea kayaking trip in Baja, Mexico when I was 19. It changed my life perspective, and I knew almost immediately that I wanted to work for NOLS. I took the Mountaineering Course in the Wind River Mountain Range the summer after graduating from college, which I was told was the fast-track to becoming a NOLS instructor. I worked a summer for Outward Bound in Maine before taking the NOLS instructors course and then worked for NOLS from 1991-95. I led trips out of Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Alaska and Baja, Mexico. I spent over two years total living in the wilderness, under the stars, either out of a backpack or a kayak. It changed my perspective forever. Living close to nature has been a top priority ever since. I've lived in some beautiful places since leaving NOLS including Telluride, Colorado, Charleston, SC and now Dorset, Vermont.
Chris working as a NOLS instructor in 1993
Are there any essentials you are never without?
I never leave the house without a backpack, water bottle and my journal. That's whether I'm traveling to the coffee shop, or on a road trip or a plane ride. I always travel with a raincoat. My must haves when traveling include a good book, my computer, and a pack of wipes, not necessarily in that order. I always have a sleeping bag in my car.
What is your favorite destination?
I travel a bunch for work and am always happy to get back to Colorado, which I do both summer and winter. Baja, Mexico was one of my favorite places I've ever been, although I haven't been back in 30 years. It was not only the beauty of the country, the desert meeting the sea of Cortez, but, just the best time to be alive and traveling. To be twenty something, living off the grid for months on end. It was hands down the happiest time of my life.
I was lucky to go to Kenya last year (with The Island Hoppers!), my second trip to Africa. Both times I've been to Africa changed my life perspective. Other favorite places I've been to include Ireland, Sweden, Hawaii, and Alaska.
Chris and his mountain girl Sara Garay en route to rural northern Kenya with The Island Hopper and the Kenya Drylands Education Fund.
What has been your most memorable trip thus far?
I spent 10 weeks working above the Arctic Circle during the winter on a TV show called Ice Road Truckers. That was insane. The average temperature that winter was -minus 40 fahrenheit. It was like living on the moon. I nearly lost my mind. I had one night where the northern lights were directly overhead and I felt like I was about to be abducted by aliens. Another day I was in a storm where the temperature with the windchill was 100 below zero.
All the places I've been are memorable. Africa had a huge impact twice. Swimming in bio-luminescence in Baja was most memorable. The number of nights I got to spend under thousands stars changed how I look at my life, living on earth. Sleeping on a beach for 5 months and listening to the waves every night will change you. If you live close to nature for a long time you will learn things through instinct. Call it spiritual. Spirits will teach you things that can't be put into words.
On location with Ice Road Truckers
Where are you dreaming of that you haven't yet been to?
New Zealand. And Japan. I could list 20 other spots but those are the top 2.
I love the story of your trip to film the 2020 Olympics in China during the pandemic. Will you tell it to our readers?
I got invited at the last minute to shoot the Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou, China where the downhill skiing and snowboarding were held. They wanted some extra bodies in case anyone working got Covid. We flew this huge jumbo jet over from San Francisco, that had like 300 seats, and there were 10 of us on it. There were more flight attendants than passengers. When we got to China, they were at the height of the Covid-19 scare and dealt with it WAY differently than we did over here. People wore hazmat suits and you couldn’t go anywhere without scanning your passport and going through facial recognition technology, in and out of every building. People video taped you on their phone every time you got on and off a bus. Not like we were free to travel anywhere other than from hotel to the venues. It was like a sci-fi movie half the time, and being at X Games the other half. And you were scared to get Covid over there. If you got it, they sent you to quarantine for three weeks before deporting you back to the US. So you wore your mask ALL the time. Zhangijaikou, where they held the downhill and halfpipe events for the Olympics, had no natural snow. All the snow was man-made. So the technology to cover those mountains to look like the Alps was insane. And we took a six hour bus ride up from Beijing and we travelled through mountain tunnels that must have taken a million people to build. I hear the Eisenhower tunnel in Colorado took 10 years to build. Imagine traveling though 20 of those to get to a remote mountain town that has no snow, but the Chinese government is determined to host the Olympics there. It was a crazy experience.
Tell us about your current projects:
I was at the X Games in Aspen in January, and I’ll be back there for The Aspen Ideas Festival in June. I work for the Tennis Channel a few times a year which brings me around the country. I’m editing several shorts right now for my own company, Hanson Media House. Oh! I hosted the 3rd Annual Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour in Dorset, VT on January 17, 2026 at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, and the 12th annual Mountainfilm in Charleston, SC in March. I’ll have my backpack, water bottle, journal and wipes with me for sure!
Anything else you’d like to add?
I tell young people all the time, “Go!” Travel when you’re young. You can take months or a year to be in one place. Do it while you can and have time.I wish I had gone to New Zealand in my 20s. I hope to go someday, but it won’t be like what it could have been. Sure, I might hike some trails, drive around to some beautiful parks, and stay in a nice hotel. But I want to go for months on end. Hike a mountain. Sea kayak for weeks. Those windows of opportunity close pretty quickly once you join the rat race.
Vermont life!