Manitoba ice climber Ray Hope has reached new heights.

“Prairie Ice Farmers,” a short film directed by Hope, was selected for the 2024 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.

The film follows a group of ice climbers who have created a vibrant community in the heart of the Canadian Prairies as they live and breathe the thrill of climbing.

Ray was inspired to make the film based on his own passion for climbing.

“I started 10 years ago. I was on a trip to Japan and I did some rock climbing there, and it changed my life,” he said in an interview with CTV Morning Live Winnipeg.

Since then, he and his wife Jackie have taken annual trips to the Canadian Rockies to go mountaineering.

During the COVID pandemic, the Hopes were grounded in Manitoba, unable to get to the mountains to do what they loved.

To pass the time, they took up acting, drawing inspiration from their gravity-defying passion.

“We thought the story of ice climbing in Manitoba was very unique, and we thought that story needed to be told, and we wanted to tell it,” he said.

The film charts the rise of the passionate climbers who created St. Boniface’s 60-foot ice tower, as well as the community that formed around it. It also travels to the Kenora region, where the unique topography of this region has been designed to create a frozen playground for climbers.

The film took three years to complete.

Hope submitted it to the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival and was selected for its lineup.

“Being selected is quite an honor.”

It is expected to premiere at the event on November 12.

The film is also part of an online program, allowing people to watch it from home for a fee. Details can be found on the festival website.

– With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé