Chasing Ice: Editor's Choice Film Pick

"[Balog's] hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate."

I love movies. If I'm not out hiking, or writing about hiking, or photographing hiking, or putting together a magazine about hiking, I'm usually catching up on the latest features on the silver screen—everything from the blockbusters at the multiplex to the indies at the local art house. (My favorites are the theater-pubs!)

I recently caught the trailer for a new movie titled Chasing Ice. The film tells the story of National Geographic photographer James Balog and his efforts to capture evidence of global warming by photographing the shrinking glaciers and icefields of the arctic over a period of three years. Through the use of high-tech time-lapse photography, Balog and crew were able to witness a very real, and very sobering, environmental epidemic. I was immediately captivated by the amazing imagery in the film—and this is just from the 2-minute trailer! (See the trailer below.)

The topic brought home to me the very real condition that is global warming. On recent trips to both North Cascades and Glacier national parks, rangers have commented that in 20–30 years, there may not be any more glaciers left in these places. That's a disturbing premise. It's these immense sheets of ice that are responsible for carving and sculpting these magnificent landscapes, and lend themselves to these places' beauty and admiration.

Winner of more than 20 international film awards, Chasing Ice offers undisputed evidence that our planet is changing—and what we can do about it. Look for Chasing Ice in the Seattle and Portland areas starting November 16.

> Seattle showtimes at the Egyptian Theater Nov 16-22.

> More about the film and future showings.

Watch the trailer