Most of us will never experience in person what it’s like to scale the world’s highest peaks or kayak in world-class rapids. Thanks to the Banff Mountain Film Festival, stunning glimpses of this culture will be available to people of all outdoor skill levels in the Flathead.
The Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol hosts the 2010/2011 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour on Nov. 16 and 17 at Flathead High School’s auditorium. Each night, the audience will view six or seven different films, from five-minute shorts to longer features.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the film competition, which attracted 257 entries from 32 countries in 2010. It began in the small, Canadian ski town of Banff, Alberta and is dedicated to “featuring the world’s best footage on mountain subjects,” according to the Banff Centre.
The world tour begins in Banff before setting off to multiple destinations. In Montana, Kalispell, Missoula, Great Falls, Billings and Bozeman will host film screenings.
This year’s showing is the 21st time the Nordic ski patrol brings the internationally acclaimed film festival to the Flathead, says Steve Burglund, a member of the ski patrol since 1978.
“We are the longest-running showing in Montana of the Banff Film Festival World Tour,” Burglund said.
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From the film “Wolverine” |
Burglund made the trek up to Banff last weekend for the festival and to catch the award-winning films so he would know which ones are headed to Kalispell. One film in particular – titled “WhiteWater” – looked especially promising because it features local kayaker James Byrd, he said.
The films feature everything from skiing to kayaking to ice climbing to travel, and offer special peeks into the culture surrounding these activities, Burglund said.
Showings in the Flathead began when the Nordic ski patrol decided it wanted to be more of a presence in the valley, he said.
“We were looking to expand our presence and become part of the search and rescue community,” Burglund said. “Raising money was necessary to purchase equipment and to pay for travel and training. So it’s just kind of grown from there.”
Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol works directly through the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office from Nov. 15 through April 15 for winter rescues, though some years they are called into Glacier National Park later in the year, Burglund said.
Money from the festival admission will go toward the ski patrol’s costs, which include equipment, travel, and training. Each member of the ski patrol is certified for level 1 avalanche rescue and has ski-mountaineering and high-angle rescue skills.
Burglund expects about 40 participating members this year, all who are also trained in outdoor emergency care. The ski patrol is a participating member of the National Ski Patrol as well.
Having been a member since the late 1970s, Burglund said he still enjoys the work.
“It’s still interesting and fun,” he said. “And I love to ski.”
In the Flathead, the film festival has become more than just a time to watch some breathtaking movies, Burglund said. It has become an amalgamation of hardcore outdoor enthusiasts and their biggest fans who may prefer to stay on the bunny hill, he said.
“It’s really a social gathering,” Burgland said. “It’s a fun gathering of the outdoor community and then arm-chair adventurers as well. It puts you right there.”
Tickets for the film festival cost $12 and are available at Sportsman Ski Haus, Rocky Mountain Outfitters and Montana Radio Cafe 101.9 FM in Kalispell. In Whitefish, tickets can be found at Runner Up Sports, The White Room and Sportsman Ski Haus.
Audience members can expect great films, Burglund said, as well as a raffle during intermission. Some of the festival’s international sponsors, which include The North Face, Deuter, Mountain Hardwear and Outdoor Research, will offer the prizes, he said.
Festival awards were given out on Nov. 7. Some of the honored films included grand prize winner “Mi Chacra,” which follows a man who works as a porter at Machu Pichu in Peru’s Sacred Valley; “Summer Pasture,” by Lynn True, Nelson Walker, and Tsering Perlo, won the award for best feature-length mountain film, and tells the story of life on the high grasslands of Tibet; and “Eastern Right,” a film about fishing in Siberia, Russian vodka and Sasquatch sightings won the award for best film on mountain sport.
The festival offers a unique chance for Flathead residents to look at the outdoors through the eyes of the people who take playtime to the limit, Burglund said.
“I can’t think of another opportunity throughout the year in the Flathead that would give you the diversity of outdoor sports that are represented,” Burglund said.
For more information, visit www.flatheadnordic.org or www.banffcentre.ca.