Ski Bums Never Die
Canada
Classification: General
Focus: Snow sports
What does it take to be a ski bum? An unending dedication to powder skiing? The ability to do anything in your ski boots? A lifelong quest for deep snow? Find out with this unusual and inspiring band of skiers in the Kootenay region, Whitewater resort of British Columbia.

Towers of the Ennedi
USA
Classification: General –coarse language
Focus: climbing, exploration
The Ennedi Desert of Chad is a hot, sand-scoured and unfriendly place. But from its vast belly rise clusters of breathtakingly lovely spires, towers, and rock formations. Veteran climber Mark Synnott – known more for his far-flung adventures than his technical accomplishments ignores travel advisories and brings young climbing stars Alex Honnold and James Pearson to the Ennedi in northeastern Chad to explore its untouched landscapes taking on visually staggering climbs. Four days from the nearest hospital these climbers tackle broken, rotten rock to claim first ascents of the Ennedi’s unknown towers along with Alex Honnold free-soling a crumbling 80-foot tower.

Kadoma
Winner of “Best Film – Exploration & Adventure”
USA
Classification: Parental guidance – coarse language
Focus: Exploration, kayaking
“Kadoma” is the nickname for Hendri Coetzee, a legendary South African kayaker who is known for exploring some of Africa’s wildest rivers. In December 2010, American pro kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesbury followed Coetzee into the Democratic Republic of Congo for a first descent of the dangerous Lukuga River. Seven weeks into the expedition, tragedy struck. A powerful film!

Solitaire (Special edit for the Banff tour)
USA
Classification: General
Focus: Backcountry, snowboarding, telemarking
In the high desert of South America, winter takes hold, devouring bleached bones and abandoned shacks. Born in the spires of Argentina’s legendary Las Lenas a lonely two year journey begins through an abandoned world wondering the length of a continent from Peru’s Cordillara Blanca to Chilean Patagonia. Out of this a handful of drifters emerge from the whiteout, ready to cast their lot onto inhospitable lands and forsaken peaks. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is the inspiration for a poetic and visually stunning film that ventures beyond the frontiers of most mountain sports films.

Hanuman Airlines
USA
Website: www.theultimatedescent.com/
Classification: General
Focus: Paragliding, climbing, exploration
Two Nepali adventurers channel the Hindu God of Wind on their mission to launch a paraglider from Mount Everest’s summit and travel to an ocean they have never seen. Their plan is to be the first complete descent from the highest place on earth to sea level. The entire ascent and descent involves many adventure sports such as climbing, paragliding and kayaking – a continuous expedition from the “highest place on earth to the sea”.

23 Feet
USA
Classification: General
Focus: Culture
23 Feet is film about a community of people who make the conscious choice to live simply to do what they love in the great outdoors. Three women set out across the west in their 23 foot, 1970 Airstream to search for the stories of people who have turned their backs on the creature comforts of society to live in school buses, vans, and other small spaces. From an inspiring campfire chat with legendary Yosemite climber Ron Kauk, to hearing the powerful story of a woman who changed her whole life for surfing, 23 Feet gives an intimate look at the ups and downs of dedicating your life to your outdoor passion.

Blue Obsession
USA
Classification: General
Focus: Ice climbing
The beautiful and ever-changing icefalls of Alaskan glaciers provide a stunning setting for some unusual ice climbing adventures. Inspired by a film seen years past at the Banff Mountain Film Festival that had amazing cinematography and very inspiring climbing and ski mountaineering. The goal of the film is to show places that will not be here forever. Coeur d’Alene resident Jordan Halland was involved in the making of this film.

C.A.R.C.A
Canada
Classification: General
Focus: Humor, avalanche rescue
One man’s quest to revolutionize the world of animal avalanche rescue. Recognizing this and the superior benefits of Feline Search and Rescue, the Banff Film Festival World tour has agreed to screen the documentary about C.A.R.C.A. founding cat Tim and his handler Steve Ruskay. The Canadian Avalanche Rescue Cat Association hopes to use the exposure generated from this partnership to persuade ski hill and Search and Rescue operations worldwide that a well trained cat team and handler is the most cost-efficient and proven effective method of avalanche rescue.

All.I.Can: The Short Cut – “Best Feature-length Mountain Film”
Canada
Classification: General
Focus: Snow sports
Stunning time-lapse sequences, creative visuals, great skiers, and deep powder are highlights of this excerpt from the award-winning feature film that looks at snow sports and the environment. “All I Can” features epic natural cinematography and ground breaking skiing from Greenland to Chile.

Treeverse (Special edit for the Banff tour)
USA
Classification: General
Focus: tree climbing!
Follow Brian French and Will Koomjian, two intrepid tree climbers on a pioneering one-kilometre transect through an Oregon White Oak Forest canopy. Their journey would involve packing all their equipment and belongings for the five day journey, unsupported and never touching the ground. Their success would depend upon teamwork, innovative tools and creativity to span some of the 100 foot gaps between the trees.

Seasons: Winter
USA
Classification: General
Focus: kayaking
Shot in the river areas of Idaho, Brian Ward discovers an unexpected and new-found love for water, in its frozen and expanded form.

On the Trail of Genghis Khan: The Last Frontier – “People’s Choice Award”
Australia
Classification: General
Focus: adventure, exploration, culture
After mourning the loss of his father, Australian adventurer Tim Cope returns to continue an epic journey of truly historic proportions. He is joined only by his band of horses, and his dog Tigon as they travel overland 10,000km from Mongolia to Hungary following the footsteps of legendary warrior and nomad Genghis Khan. Cope visits distant parts of the world rarely seen, places on the cusp of modernity yet proud of nomadic traditions. The Last Frontier captures the culmination of Tim’s stunning three year journey crossing the highest peaks of the Carpathian Mountains as well as bureaucratic battles crossing borders where he is then welcomed by Hungarian horsemen who escort him to the Danube river.

Reel Rock: Sketchy Andy
USA
Classification: Parental guidance – coarse language, nudity
Focus: Slack lining, BASE Jumping, craziness!
American climbing dirt bag Andy Lewis is taking the discipline of slacklining into the future as he solos the world’s longest high-lines and masters the hardest aerial tricks, while pushing his equipment to the limit. As Andy goes higher, harder, and faster with climbing, slack, and B.A.S.E., we all wonder how far he can go before it’ll be one step over the line.

The Man and the Mammoth
Canada
Classification: General
Focus: animation, skiing
A caveman discovers skiing, thanks to his new friendship with a woolly mammoth.

The Trail Collector
Switzerland
Classification: General
Focus: Mountain Biking
People collect all kinds of things: stamps, coins, art – this is a collection of mountain biking trails.

Chasing Water – “Best Short Mountain Film”
USA
Classification: General
Focus: Environment
Pete McBride, a Colorado native grew up within a ranching family in Western Colorado. A child of the Colorado River with the river in his backyard Pete spent a life visiting other countries to tell stories as a National Geographic photojournalist. In 2008 Pete decided to follow the water from his family’s ranch to see where it ends up. Like looking for a childhood friend this is the story of Pete’s journey, and a story about the lifeblood of the American West.

Cold – “Grand Prize Winner” / “Best Film – Climbing”
USA
Classification: Parental guidance – coarse language
Focus: Mountaineering
Experience Gasherbrum II in the middle of a deep, dark winter. Cory Richard’s viewpoint from his camera is raw and honest. Most would question how he could have the camera out in those conditions including being lost on Gasherbrum II’s upper slopes during a whiteout, falling into a crevasse and getting buried in an avalanche. This powerful film deftly captures the interwoven roles of pain, fear, and doubt – and reveals a harrowing descent that amplifies their isolation and exposure interwoven with clips of family at home. The effect is sobering.

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2011/2012

Doors at the nexStage Theatre will open at 6:00pm with the program starting at 6:30pm and films at 7pm. (NOTE: Film order is subject to change if there are events beyond our control.)

Proceeds from the event will go to support the Friends of the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center and The Satipo Kids Project which funds 34 school age children from Peru to attend school.

Tickets are $13.00 advance and $15.00 at the door. Tickets will be available after January 7th in Ketchum at Chapter One Bookstore, Backwoods Mountain Sports and the Elephants Perch. For ticket sales before January 7th contact Michael at mountainfever1@frontier.com.

As with previous years the lineup of this year's Banff Mountain Film Festival will include films with worldwide content on kayaking, humor, backcountry skiing, culture and bicycling.  In addition, the Banff Mountain Film Festival photo tour contest winners from 2010 will be on display at the nexStage Theatre each night.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition. The festival began in 1976 and is held annually on the first weekend in November in Banff, Alberta.   This past year, almost 300 films from approximately 35 countries were entered into the competition.   The World Tour leaves on tour immediately following the festival in November and has more than 200,000 people attend approximately 500 screenings in about 285 locations.   These locations can be anywhere from Austria to Argentina and from Iceland to India.

NOTE: These shows sell out every year. Get your tickets early as it is highly unlikely any will be left the night of the show.