The up-and-coming scene for ice climbing in the country is none other than…Michigan?
Yep, that’s right. The tiny town of Munising, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, population 2,500, is home to Grand Island National Recreation area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and 100 named ice climbs within 30 miles, making it one of the largest concentrations of climbable ice in North America.
Now, a small group of filmmakers want to share the story of this region where Midwesterners dreaming of big peaks have cut their teeth since the 1980s.
Clear & Cold Cinema intends to show this area’s unique ice features and promote it as a climbing destination.
The product of their work, “The Michigan Ice Film,” is due to be released in Winter 2016. It will explore the history, geology and natural beauty of the Lake Superior shoreline of the Upper Peninsula and weave stories of the region’s original climbing pioneers with tales from Michigan’s better-known climbing athletes.
They recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the rest of the film. They’ve already surpassed a funding goal of $2,000 with 35 days to go. Check them out; the project seems worthy of support.
