These are the films that we selected to show at the Caltech screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour:
****** Descriptions of the films we're showing ******
The teenage brother-and-sister team of Pete and Katy Whittaker burst onto the climbing scene with a series of spectacular ascents on grit. In Committed 2: Grit Kids, Pete makes the extraordinary first ascent of a truly iconic line with his entire family gathered to watch.
In Crux, three athletes execute mind-bending feats of bike mastery and redefine technical riding standards.
Canadian rock legend Sonnie Trotter heads to Scotland to do battle on another 'hardest rock climb in the world' in If You're Not Falling. As each day passes, he collects more and more air time: fifty-foot falls from the steep rock buttress that plunges down beneath a historic castle.
The Last Frontier - Papua New Guinea follows a crew of white water kayakers and cavers as they document the island of New Britain's pristine water, habitat and intact indigenous culture.
The heartwarming animated film Papiroflexia tells the tale of a skillful paper folder who shapes the world with his hands.
To make Patagonian Winter, filmmaker Alastair Lee armed renowned alpinists Andy Kirkpatrick and Ian Parnell with two small HD cameras and set the lads loose in Patagonia in the depth of winter. Setting out to chronicle the first winter ascent of Torre Egger, the pair captures what Parnell wryly describes as 'a very genuine Patagonian experience.'
In The Red Helmet, a young boy discovers a magical red helmet that takes him on the adventure of a lifetime. Transformed by these experiences, he confronts his own fears.
In The Sharp End: Eastern Europe, a talented group of climbers explores the unique history, culture, and danger of one of the world's most remarkable climbing destinations.
The Sharp End: Lisa Rands shows us the drive, talent, and courage needed to climb challenging and scary 'highball' boulder problems.
Dangerous pesticides from all over the planet are being carried to the poles by northbound wind and waves. Silent Snow tells the tale of two girls in northern Greenland and the pollution that is dramatically changing their lives.
A renowned skier recounts some amazing backcountry adventures in The Unbearable Lightness of Skiing
***** Here are the films that we didn't have time to show: ******
The longest, the coldest and most difficult of polar expeditions was the dream of a couple who first met at the North Pole. 99 Days on the Ice follows that couple as they fulfill their ambition to journey across the Arctic
The Cable Car tells the story of a sneezing but resourceful old man facing a crisis while riding a lift in the mountains.
Danzak tells the powerful story of a 10 year old Peruvian girl whose life dramatically changes when her dying father and Scissor Dance master asks her to fulfill his last wish.
Beth Rodden makes the first ascent of Meltdown, one of the hardest traditional routes in the world.
The Fine Line is a cinematic journey that unites the cutting edge of winter action sports with education about responsible backcountry usage. It features epic riding, amazing visuals, and stunning true stories of avalanche survivors.
Journey to the Center follows three world-renowned BASE jumpers as they travel 10,000 miles to confront the mist and mystery of an old cave, an ancient culture and their own demons at the center of their dangerous mission: Tian Keng, the Heavenly Pit.
Flying with Eagles presents world paragliding champion Louise Crandal with a new challenge: a Russian steppe eagle is to be her new training partner. But will he fly with her?
For many years, Ian Mackenzie has trekked through the shredded remnants of the Borneo rainforest, dedicating his life to documenting the nomadic Penan people. In The Last Nomads, Mackenzie goes searching for the only remaining hunting and gathering Penan; in doing so, he fears he will see the last glimpse of a vulnerable and ancient people he has come to care about so deeply.
Mountain Town: The Cowboy & The Park Goddess is an excerpt from a featurelength film that profiles the lives of the characters that make mountain towns so distinct. This excerpt presents Isabelle Fallardeau' a young woman whose passion for snowboarding and penchant for power tools has led her to a career as one of the world's only female terrain park builders. Also featured is Mac Smith'a lifelong rancher, environmentalist and ski patrolman who experienced personal tragedy and triumph while leading the development of Aspen's Highlands Bowl.
Nick Devore is a young telemark skier, while Gino Hollander is an 81-year old artist who has maintained a remarkable sense of the sheer joy of living. Mountain Town: The Grasshopper & The Soldier combines the stories of these two very different people.
At the headwaters of the two largest remaining sockeye salmon runs on the planet, a proposed mine may require the largest dam ever constructed to contain the toxic runoff. Red Gold gives a voice to the mining officials involved as well as the Alaskan locals who oppose the development, while offering viewers a glimpse of a unique way of life that would not exist if the salmon didn't return with Bristol Bay's tide.
The Sharp End showcases the climbers who risk everything to do the world's most dangerous and committing climbs. Run-out traditional routes, scary highball boulder problems, ice-covered alpine walls and all-or-nothing free-solo ascents are all part of the game.
Seasons explores what it means to be a full-time rider, as it follows the lives of downhill racers, slope-style competitors, and big-mountain freeriders over the course of one year.
In Shikashika, a family journeys into the Andes to cut enormous blocks of ice, bringing them down to the valley to make a colorful shave ice treat.
Follow the mind-blowing efforts of today's top riders in the amazing conditions that emerged from one of the deepest winters in recorded history. This special Banff tour version of Under the Influence features relentless powder in Jackson Hole and incredibly steep spines in Alaska.