Film features Vasu Sojitra, UVM graduate and Vermont Adaptive athlete-ambassador

KILLINGTON—“Out on a Limb,” an outdoor short film created by Richmond’s Tyler Wilkinson-Ray’s T-Bar Films and a finalist at the 2014 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, will be one of the many shorts featured at the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2014/2015, presented by Ski Rack at UVM’s Davis Center in Burlington, Jan. 22-24. Proceeds from the event benefit the UVM Outing Club, and proceeds from a special raffle benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.

The short features Vasu Sojitra, who at just nine months lost his right leg to a blood infection. But he never let that disability define him. A graduate of UVM, Sojitra has been known to skin the Green Mountains for a ski run or two before work, jump over fire at the end of a Reebok Spartan obstacle race, and inspire dozens of athletes with disabilities through his work as intern, volunteer and instructor at Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, where he continues to be an athlete-ambassador nationally for the organization.

“Out on a Limb” profiles Sojitra’s inspiring story and follows him as he ventures deeper into the backcountry to summit peaks, drop into avalanche zones, send cliffs, and ski deep powder lines, all completely unassisted.

Sojitra and Wilkinson-Ray will be on hand at the film festival in Burlington. Sojitra also will autograph specially designed posters by Sugarbush Resort, the Vermont Adaptive location where Sojitra has taught skiing to people with disabilities.

“We are so excited to be presenting the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour again this year, and to have a film featuring an athlete from Vermont, filmed by a cinematographer from Vermont, just brings this national and world tour to an extremely local level for all of us,” said Zandy Wheeler, co-owner of Ski Rack, which has been presenting the film festival in Burlington for more than two decades. “In addition to all of the inspiring films, we also will hold a very important raffle, with amazing prizes, to benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. It’s a wonderful community story and such a great way for us all to come together around something we’re so passionate about.”

Tickets for the raffle are available at Skirack in Burlington and at Vermont Adaptive locations at Pico Mountain, Sugarbush Resort and Bolton Valley as well as at the event all three nights. All raffle monies raised from the raffle will be donated to Vermont Adaptive, the state’s largest nonprofit to offer daily, year-round sports and recreational programs to people with disabilities.

The film was awarded Best of Festival at the Winter Wildlands Alliance’s Backcountry Film Festival. The film also was nominated for two Powder Awards and was an official selection at Coldsmoke Winter Film, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (UK), Tahoe Adventure Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.

The Banff Centre’s Banff Mountain Film Festival is the one of the most prestigious mountain festivals in the world. Hot on the heels of the festival, held every fall in Banff, Alberta, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road with stops planned in about 450 communities and 40 countries across the globe. This year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival, and audiences across Canada and the United States, and from Scotland to South Africa to China, Lebanon, Chile, New Zealand and Antarctica get to enjoy it all.

Tickets to the film festival are $15/person/night and can be purchased online at www.skirack.com. Raffle tickets can be purchased online or at the door. For more information, visit www.skirack.com.