Phil Ershler, the cofounder of IMG, feels not enough people understand the difference between a good climber and a good guide. “I know some climbers who are incredible—amazing athletes—but I wouldn’t trust them to walk my mother across the street,” he says. “Nobody’s going to remember Phil Ershler as a great climber—that won’t be on the epitaph—but I think they will talk about the fact that I was a pretty fucking good guide.”
