Climbing Film Tour
The Climbing Film Tour is back for its 6th season, featuring an impressive selection of short films that celebrate the global climbing community.
The Climbing Film Tour is a unique platform that allows climbers and filmmakers from around the world to share their stories with the community. Each year, films are submitted and selected by our Vertical Life climbing team to go on tour with screenings in hundreds of gyms, cinemas and other locations around the world.
Together, these films showcase the spirit, diversity, and creativity of climbing. Meet the stories behind this year’s tour:
LES PASSAGERS DU VIDE AND THE TREASURE OF THE ARAVIS GATE
Legend has it that the Aravis Gate, carved by giants and time itself, hides a treasure that has remained untouched for millennia… That was all it took for the cheerful crew of Les Passagers du Vide to take on an extraordinary challenge: to stretch a line across this mythical stone arch and go in search of its forgotten treasure.
On September 6th, 2024, suspended more than 50 meters above the alpine ground, six highliners open a breathtaking 200-meter-long line above the village of La Giett’, in the Val d’Arly. This film captures their bold adventure — a journey through the void, filled with laughter, balance, fear, and pure beauty.
“The Treasure of the Aravis Gate” is more than a physical feat — it’s a poetic and human experience, a suspended quest for the invisible, led by friendship, creativity, and the art of walking on air.
Filmmaker: Antoine Mesnage, Loris Poussin
CLIMB TOGETHER
In his hometown of Khon Kaen, Thailand, Ekalak “O” Hongliam rallies an international crew—including professional rock climbers Anna Hazlett and Tom Randall—to help turn his local cliffs into a legal, sustainable climbing destination. Their mission: not just to open routes, but to open minds—to a future where climbing uplifts an entire region.
Filmmaker: Anna Hazlett
BEAUTY IN A FALL
In her toughest adventure yet, Canadian mountain guide Julianna Howatt seeks to embrace her identity as a trans woman following a fierce struggle with cPTSD.
From a young age, Julianna didn’t feel like she belonged. However, upon finding the weird and wonderful world of rock climbing, she dedicated her life to mountain sports and became an IFMGA guide. Despite her love for the work, existing in the mountain guiding industry led her to feel unsafe publicly expressing her true gender identity. It was only after a life-changing accident and a series of serious wake-up calls that she took time off guiding and started to seek support and therapy for cPTSD.
Join Julianna on her journey to self-discovery in the face of an industry that struggles to accept folks who currently fall into the margins of mountain culture. Visiting the mountain-scapes that were her livelihood, she confronts her past experiences and her journey’s cost.
After having taken a step back from her role in the mountain community, Julianna is now ready to share her story and use her experience to advocate for an inclusive future for the guiding community.
Filmmaker: Nat Segal
FIRST RUSH
First Rush is about rediscovering strength and embracing vulnerability—proving that fear isn’t the end of the journey, but the beginning of something greater.
It tells the story of Marina’s journey from fear to courage after surviving a life-changing lightning strike. Once an adventurous soul, the strike left her questioning everything—her mind, her body, and her sense of self.
With no experience and uncertain of her abilities, Marina faces sea cliff climbing with the weight of fear on her shoulders.
Filmmaker: Marina Xena
LA RUBIA
In this all-female production, 32-year-old Canadian climber Bronwyn Hodgins faces burnout after a series of Big Wall expeditions. Unsure how to move forward she decides to shift her focus to sport climbing, thinking it will be less mentally strenuous than big walls. Little does she know that this new curiosity for training and athletic performance will plunge her into the most intense mental undertaking of her life…
In this documentary, we are immersed in Bronwyn’s dedication to training for and then trying La Rubia 5.14c (8c+) in southern Spain, a much harder level than anything she has climbed before. We feel the emotional turmoil that slowly consumes her as she fights to maintain a healthy mindset and chase her dream without relapsing into burnout.
Beautifully captured by her friend and camerawoman Julia Cassou, the documentary La Rubia brings us on a raw and honest journey of obsession and determination, doubt and uncertainty, and the value of friendship at the hardest moments.
Filmmaker: Bronwyn Hodgins, Julia Cassou
Don’t miss the chance to see these films on the big screen with the climbing community. Check out the tour schedule, find a screening near you, and grab your tickets.
