Past is Prologue: A Short Film of Twin 6 Year Olds' First Summer Snow Climb

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This was death-defying. It wasn’t supposed to be.

Red Bull Media House wouldn’t care. They shouldn’t; this isn’t on brand for them.

No magazine stories or short-form essays. No epic photos.

This was about my boys seeing that the world is an amazing place. This little snowfield, maybe 300 vertical feet, used to be a grand glacier. To our surprise, the evidence was still there in the from of quite a deep crevasse.

No, the snow and ice aren’t flowing anymore. It is an official glacier, no longer. And while that is very old news for the Rocky Mountains, the changing climate is affecting Washington, Alaska, the Himalaya… Our little climb ended up being a sober reminder of the changes that are upon us.

In parallel, it was also a joyous reminder of the changes my boys are going through, developing their sense of self and place along with new skills. For them, it was an off-trail hike to a climb that very few people make, so there was novelty and purpose. Those are the trips I love: when my boys are able to have a true experience, the kind they grow from; hopefully, the kind they remember.

A side note for those who are looking for ice axes for their little people, they used a ski mountaineering axe. Ski mountaineering is typically over very steep terrain, and so the axes are small. And you don’t want to be weighted down on the descent, so the axes are light. They were using the Petzl Gully, at 43cm and only 9 ounces (255 grams).