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A Life Outside: American Mountain Guides (2026)
Directed by Mat Hames
“He conquered the mountains, then showed us the way”
Documentary · 1h 27m
A gripping look at mountain guiding and its deep roots in the legacy of Paul Petzoldt — founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School and North America’s oldest guide service, Exum. The film weaves the story of a modern climb gone wrong with the life of Petzoldt, a pioneer who scaled K2, set records on the Matterhorn, trained soldiers to fight Nazis in the Alps, and defined adventure itself. Featuring today’s mountain guides alongside rare archival footage and breathtaking cinematography from Wyoming and France, this feature-length documentary explores risk, grit, mentorship, and the enduring call of the mountains.
Cast
Paul Petzoldt
Glenn Exum
Crew
- Director
- Mat Hames
- Editor
- Sean McQueeney
- Producer
- Laura Utt
Details
- Release date
- 2026-01-17
- Runtime
- 1h 27m
- Genres
- Documentary
- Original language
- EN
- Countries
- United States of America
- Production
- Wyoming PBS, Alpheus Media