Parents' Guide to The Dark Wizard

THE DARK WIZARD is a docuseries that chronicles the complicated life and career of the late free climber Dean Potter. The pioneering extreme athlete was 16 when he taught himself how to free solo (rock climbing without ropes or safety gear). Within 10 years, Potter was breaking speed records and transforming extreme high-altitude sports. In addition to climbing, Potter pushed the envelope of highlining, BASE jumping, and wingsuit flying, and went on to develop FreeBASEing, in which free solo climbers wear BASE jumping parachutes to keep from fatally free falling if they lose their grip. As his fame grew in the climbing world, Potter continued to push himself, taking on high-risk challenges to prove that he was the best in the sport. But few knew that he struggled with his mental health, which led to isolation, psychological and emotional turmoil, and, some argue, an intense drive to cheat death as a way of finding peace. Interviews with Potter's friends, including Brad Lynch, Dean Fidelman, and his former partner Jen Rapp, along with folks like pro climbers Cedar Wright and Hans Florine describe who he was and their experiences with him. Writers like Dan Duane and filmmaker Eric Perlman highlight how media coverage helped create a mystique about him, while images and passages from Potter's private journals document how conflicted he was throughout. Archive media also feature conversations with the late climber and some of his extreme adventures up until he died in a wingsuit BASE jumping accident on May 16, 2015 at Yosemite National Park.