Banff Film Festival 2011 - Santa Fe

Been pretty busy lately. Like no-getting-out-on-the-trails busy. I can usually make time by sleeping less but the math on all that won't work this week so I'll take a few days off and get back into it when things settle down.

I did take a quick work break to make it to Banff at the Lensic last (Wed.) night. Between my days in Boulder and my move back to Santa Fe this has to be about the 10th Banff Film that I've attended. Steve Bing with Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works is the local sponsor that brings this event to town every year and this year they brought us two nights of film which is pretty sweet. I was all ready for some crazy adrenaline-pumping video shorts for added motivation to crush it in April, but I must have picked the more melancholy night of the two which was unfortunate.

The scene at intermission

The scene from left balcony - intermission

There was a clever biking spot with kids, there was a film about a legless vet training for the Para-olympics, an interesting film about caving and one about fly-fishing Kamchatcka Russia. The feature film was about an alpine guide coping with an avalanche that caused the deaths of several clients. The winning spot for me was a five minute film on skiing. I'll need to youtube some of the winners from year's past to get the adrenaline back up. This one with climber Alex Honnold still has me shaking my head.






In addition to being something I look forward to every year, this year's event was also a benefit to the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. So get out and support these guys if you get an opportunity. Saw lots of people there including Lucy Ranney and her husband, Oceana Holton and her friend Leslie, and lots of familiar biking and skiing folks. Had a cold Pacifico even though I haven't trained worth a damn since Saturday. Can't wait till next year.

Postscript:  Can't find any of these video shorts online, but I did find a trailer for Eastern Rises - the short about fly-fishing in Kamchatka which was pretty badass even though I don't fish. Enjoy.