The Banff Mountain Film Festival is in Revelstoke next week and unlike past years, we're one of the tour's first stops for 2016.
The festival showcases the best films that celebrate mountain culture — from ski porn to tales of adventure to personal stories.
The show takes place at the Roxy Theatre on February 8 & 9 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for one night, or $30 for two nights. A preview of the lineup for each night follows the trailer for the tour.
Monday, February 8
The Important Places
Using a mix of old 16mm footage and new footage…we document the special bond of father and son while exploring the necessity of returning to “The Important Places” in our lives.
55 Hours in Mexico
Fly to Veracruz on a Friday, rent a car, climb the third-highest peak in North America, ski down and return to your desk Monday. How hard could it be?
Climbing Ice
An expedition into the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland in hopes of finding unique environments in which to climb. We follow award winning photographer Tim Kemple and ice climbers Klemen Premrl & Rahel Schelb while they discover new ways to push the boundaries of climbing ice.
Women's Speed Ascent
Mayan Smith-Gobat and Libby Sauter knew that the women's speed record for the ascent of The Nose on El Cap was their's for the taking. Crushing the old record after just a few days of attempts, Mayan and Libby put their names in the record book of the infamous route in Yosemite National Park.
Unbranded
Four men and 16 wild mustangs set off on a 5,000 kilometre journey across the American West from Mexico to Canada. In the spirit of true adventure, whiskey is drunk, tempers fly, tragedy strikes, and the bonds of friendship hold fast. But can the journey help save the plight of the wild horses roaming on public lands? Only time will tell. (Photo by Fin Fur Film)
Nature Rx
Is life a little too mundane or overwhelming? Feeling tired, irritable or stressed out? Maybe Nature Rx is just the ticket.
Living Rivers
Kevin Benhardt has forged the new and emerging river surfing scene in Montana. He speaks briefly to the awe of the sport, and to his connection to the river and then the visual show of what makes river surfing such a unique story ensues.
Warmth of Winter
Outside, the snow flies and the wind roars. But here, quiet and safe in a candlelit womb, the warmth and the wood wrap around you like a blanket, and the mind melts into reflections of days gone by. Take shelter from the storm. Sit down by the fire, have a drink, and take a load off. There is no warmth like a warmth found in winter.
Builder
Builder tells the story of trail building, through the eyes of some of the sport's best riders and most creative builders.
Denali
There's no easy way to say goodbye to a friend, especially when they've supported you through your darkest times.
Eclipse
The odds are low, the risks are high - photographer Reuben Krabbe is determined to capture a photo of a skier in front of the 2015 solar eclipse in Svalbard. But the weather's bad, the guide is sketchy, the pressure is massive, and the skiers just want to ski.
Tuesday, February 9
Paradise Waits
How do you celebrate winter when the snow finally falls? Freeskier Tim Durtschi takes tram laps at Jackson Hole and big mountain skier Angel Collinson rips up some Alaskan lines. (Photo by Teton Gravity Research)
Curiosity
Chasing curiosity can lead us down a dangerous, challenging, and frightening path. It can also lead us to have the greatest experiences of our lives. "Curiosity" follows the stories of team athletes Rory Bosio, Timothy Olson & Hal Koerner in their constant pursuit of exploration.
Salween Spring
Travis Winn has been running rivers in China for 15 years. He's achieved first descents, but has also watched rivers disappear behind dams. Now he's founded a rafting company to bring Chinese to see their rivers before they're gone. Salween Spring is Travis' meditation on change, personal struggle, and kayaking along China's frontier.
Darklight
In 2014, the award winning film Afterglow followed skiers down impossibly lit, virgin powder slopes in the dead of night. Get ready for the sequel, this time on two wheels.
Reel Rock: A line across the sky
Long considered impossible, coveted by many and attempted by a few, the Fitz Traverse has fueled the imaginations of climbers in Patagonia for decades. Tracing the iconic skyline of Cerro Fitz Roy and its six satellite peaks, it spans four miles and 13,000 feet across snow and ice-covered rock, with epic route finding and endless rapelling. Seizing their chance during a rare extended weather window, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold went big.
Nature Rx (see above)
Operation Moffat
Operation Moffat takes inspiration and wit from the colorful climbing life of Britian’s first female mountain guide Gwen Moffat. Writer Claire Carter and filmmaker Jen Randall scramble, swim and barefoot climb through Gwen’s landscapes, grappling with her preference for mountains over people, adventure over security, wilderness over tick lists.
unReal
Imagine a world where you ride the perfect trail perfectly, and sometimes snow isn't the only thing that falls from the sky. When you spend all of your time at work dreaming of mountain biking, which life is real?
Paddle for the North
On an adventure of a lifetime, six young guys paddle to some of the most remote rivers in North America. It's a 1,500 km, 63-day mission to truly discover the secrets of the north and to show the world why some places are worth preserving before they are changed forever. (Photo by Simon Lucas)
You can watch the trailers for each movie at the Banff Mountain Film Festival website.
