A Life Outside Shines A Light On Mountain Guiding Legends

If you’ve ever dreamed of trading the office for the high peaks, Wyoming PBS has something for you. Their new documentary, “A Life Outside: American Mountain Guides,” premieres Jan. 17 at AlpinFilm at The Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyo. And this isn’t just a screening—it’s a homecoming, with director Mat Hames, Wyoming PBS, and the state’s legendary mountain guides in attendance.

The film doesn’t stop at Jackson. It’s already been picked up as a special award screening at the Lookout Wild Film Festival in Tennessee, and in 2026 it heads to festivals in Durango, Colo., and Patagonia, Chile. More stops are on the horizon.

Clocking in at 90 minutes, the documentary dives deep into the risky, adrenaline-fueled world of American mountain guiding, paying tribute to the Wyoming roots of the profession. At the center is Paul Petzoldt, the iconic mountaineer who founded NOLS and Exum Mountain Guides—basically, the guy who turned climbing into a profession in the U.S.

“Paul taught us that the outdoors shapes character, leadership, and respect in ways few classrooms ever could,” says Wyoming PBS CEO Joanna Kail. “To premiere this film in Jackson, in the heart of Wyoming’s mountains where it all began, is really special. His influence is still felt by climbers, guides, and adventurers around the world.”

Director Mat Hames calls the film “a love letter to guiding, teaching, and mountaineering in the Tetons,” adding, “After two years making this film, there’s nothing better than showing it first to the people who lived it—the guides of Exum, Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, and NOLS. Wyoming is where guiding became a true profession, and this night is about honoring that history.”

The Jackson premiere will also feature a 30-minute panel discussion, giving attendees a chance to hear from the guides themselves about life on the mountains.

What’s the film about?

Think of it as part adventure, part biography, and all heart. The documentary weaves a modern-day climb gone wrong with the epic story of Paul Petzoldt—a Wyoming-born adventurer who scaled K2, set Matterhorn records, trained soldiers in the Alps, and built the blueprint for mountain guiding in America.

Shot in the Grand Tetons and the Alps, “A Life Outside” follows guides who risk everything every time they rope up—not for glory, but to get their clients safely back to the trailhead. Through Exum guides on the Grand Teton and NOLS students in the Wind River Range, the film shows how Petzoldt’s principles—decision-making, calm under pressure, and respect for the mountains—live on in every climb.

Funded by Wyoming PBS, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wyoming Humanities, and the Wyoming Community Foundation, “A Life Outside” is more than a film—it’s a tribute to the wild, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous work of mountain guiding in Wyoming.