Before Michael Gardner's death in 2024, he and his best friend Sam Hennessey had started a film project about their unique alpine-climbing partnership. In his original pitch, Michael asserted it won't be a climbing film. "Maybe it’s a rom-com?”

Reticent alpinists and reluctant first-time filmmakers, the pair documented their remarkable seasons in Alaska, the Tetons, and Nepal, primarily through self-capture, bringing in fellow climber and filmmaker Drew Smith along the way. After Michael’s untimely death in Nepal, Drew and Sam committed to finishing the project, holding fast to Michael’s original vision.

Teeth to the Wind delivers a haunting yet lighthearted portrait of alpinism's allure, the deep bonds it forges, and the truths about life that echo even in death — what they called "the spirit."