Rustyn was born in Seattle, Washington where he grew up in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. At a young age, he quickly discovered his love for snow and ice which led him to adventures of climbing and travelling abroad. After working as an alpine guide in the United States, in 2004 he relocated to Patagonia where he started a guide service outside of Torres del Paine National Park.
For twenty-five years he has been leading climbers, travellers, and trekkers through the most extreme terrains of around the world. Aside from his guide service, he operates an equipment rental centre and backpackers’ hostel.
In addition, he conducts daily lectures to eager Patagonian backpackers looking for tips and pointers about trekking in the wild. Many years ago, he moonlighted as a travel writer, focusing on Southern Chile, and for many years he published an English-speaking travellers’ newspaper in Patagonia and this led to his first trip to Antarctica—writing about his experiences there.
Always looking for the next adventure, Rustyn now finds himself working around the world, including Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, and the Amazon, helping others explore these incredible regions.