Chris Warner is the founder of and director of Earth Treks, Inc, which operates three full service climbing centers specializing in rock and ice climbing instruction and international mountaineering expeditions. An American Mountain Guides Association certified Alpine Guide, Chris has been teaching climbing since 1983. In addition to helping thousands learn the basics of the sport, he has guided throughout the United States, the Alps, Africa, the Andes of Peru, Ecuador and Argentina, and the Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet (including Everest).

Climbing internationally since 1987, Chris has summited at least one hundred times on peaks over 19,000 feet. He has been the leader of several private expeditions to the Himalaya and Karakorum. In the fall of 1989, his small party of three climbers succeeded in climbing a difficult new route (S. E. Ridge to E. Face) on Shivling (21,543 ft.), in the Gangotri region of India. Their epic, seven day, alpine style ascent was chronicled in his article, A Close Shave on Shivling, featured in the April 1991 edition of Climbing. In the winter of 1990, Chris and a partner forged a new route, alpine style, on the West Face of Ama Dablam (22,494 ft.). It took the team three and a half days and sixty roped pitches to climb the 5000 foot face. Mountain Magazine called this climb the hardest accomplished that season in the Himalaya. In the post monsoon season of 1999, Chris and his partner summited on Cho Oyu (26,902 ft./ 8,201 m.) Following that climb, they headed to Shishapangma (8,037m.), where they chose to abandon their climb due to high avalanche dangers. In the Spring of 2000, Chris guided an international expedition to the North Ridge of Everest. They were forced to retreat after two summit bids were ended by blizzard conditions. In 2001, he successfully guided Everest's North Ridge, on an expedition in which 14 people reached the summit. His rescue of other climbers on Everest was featured in the September 2001 issue of National Geographic Adventure. Later that year, he returned to Tibet and climbed Mt. Shishapangma (8,037 m.) via the South Face. His 34 hour ascent and descent of this technical 7000 foot tall face was the first time an American has completely soloed an 8000 meter peak. In 2002, as the armies of Pakistan and India gathered on the borders, Chris traveled to the Karakorum Range and attempted to climb both K2 and Broad Peak. Bad weather, extreme avalanche dangers and tragic accidents brought an unsuccessful conclusion to that expedition.

In 2003 Chris guided a team of 5 climbers on the North Ridge of Everest for the Outdoor Life Network's "Global Extremes" program. This reality TV show aired from early January until early June, 2003. In addition to OLN-TV, the program aired as a prime time special on ABC-TV. Chris' summit bid ended when he was hit by a falling oxygen cylinder, as he was rescuing a group of climbers at 27,400 ft.

In 2004 Chris returned to the Himalaya, soloing Mt. Lhotse (27, 939 ft), the fourth highest peak in the world. From Nepal he traveled by himself to Pakistan's Mt. Nanga Parbat (26,658 ft.). As a storm swept over the summit, he turned back within 300 feet of the top, suffering from frostbitten feet, but happy to be alive.

In 2005, Chris returned to Pakistan with a partner, hoping to reach the summits of K2 (28,250 ft) and Broad Peak (26,400 ft.). On Broad Peak they spent a long night in an open bivouac at 26,000 feet and were stopped by high winds and an approaching storm while pushing towards the summit. On K2, a blizzard dropping three feet of snow, with winds blowing to 70 mph turned ended their summit bid at 23,200 ft

Tales of his climbs have been published in Climbing, National Geographic Adventure, Sports Focus, Sports Illustrated, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, The American Alpine Journal, Mounteverest.net, and dozens of other publications and websites. Profiles of Chris and Earth Treks have appeared Bloomberg Business News, National Geographic TV and the Baltimore and Washington news programs on numerous television programs including ABC, The History Channel, OLN-TV, CNBC,. Chris is a regular guest on DC101's Elliot in the Morning Show, calling in from Tibet or Pakistan while on expeditions.

Chris has also shared his adventures with thousands of people, at more than 200 multi-media presentations. He has been the featured speaker for dozens of corporate groups and business schools including: Aegon, Monumental Life, Charles Schwabb, Raymond James Financial Services, Northrup Grumman, The Allegis Group, Deutsche Bank, The University of Colorado, Loyola University's Executive MBA Program, University of Maryland's MBA Program, Wharton Business School, and Johns Hopkins University. He has also contributed to Upward Bound, a book by entrepreneurs and climbers that explores the lessons learned in climbing that can be applied to operating a business. (Other contributors include: Royal Robbins, Jim Collins, Al Read and Stacey Allison. The book was published by Crown Business a division of Random House in Sept. 2003.)

In 1989 Chris founded Earth Treks, Inc. and established it in the Washington DC area in 1990. Earth Treks has grown dramatically under his guidance. The climbing school teaches over 19,000 people to climb each year. Earth Treks' mountaineering guide service has lead over 130 skill development expeditions since 1992. Over 70 of these trips have been to the Andes of Ecuador, Peru and Argentina.  Earth Treks is closely partnered with the Wharton Leadership Ventures Program, guiding leadership development expeditions for MBA students on peaks in Russia, Africa and Ecuador.

In 1997 Earth Treks opened its first of three indoor climbing centers. Located in Columbia, Timonium, and Rockville, Maryland, the gyms serve over 200,000 visitors each year.

Based on Earth Treks' success, in 1999 Chris was chosen by The Baltimore Business Journal as one of the Top Forty Under Forty business leaders in the region. In 2005, he was named one of "Twenty Five Business Leaders We Admire" by SmartCEO magazine. Along the way, Earth Treks has won awards from Inc Magazine and many community groups and praise from politicians, industry peers and educators.