Best of Banff on Screen Here Friday

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Created on Tuesday, 18 February 2025 15:12

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By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

One of the adventure films on tour with the Banff Mountain Film Festival this year shows kayakers running waterfalls and rivers on the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago.

Another (“2 Legs is 2 Easy”) follows the challenges and triumphs of a skier who didn’t let the loss of a leg to cancer slow him down.

Photo credit: From “2 Legs is 2 Easy.” (Photo by Tamara Susan)

Those and five other short films at Friday’s screening will take audience members on outdoor adventures around the world, rock climbing, skiing, mountain biking, surfing, “ultra-running” and kayaking.

The Banff World Tour shows the best adventure films from the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, which takes place annually in November in the small town of Banff in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. After the festival competition, now in its 45th year, the films go on tour around the world.

In Sitka the Banff Festival films will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday, February 21, at the Performing Arts Center. The program is a fundraiser for the Hames Center.

“People come to Banff for lots of different reasons,” said Kenley Jackson, program director for the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, which sponsors the event each year. “Some people are looking for inspiration for their next big adventure, or for armchair adventure. And so there’s something for everybody.”

A local committee selects the films to be shown here from four separate packages of entries in the Canadian film competition, choosing the one that they thought Sitkans would enjoy most. As usual, there’s a variety of outdoor activities, and inspiring personal stories, told in films that range from eight minutes to 36 minutes.

Proceeds from ticket sales will support the multipurpose athletic center and fitness gym on the Sitka Fine Arts campus.

The Hames Center has had significant improvements over the past five years and the proceeds of the Banff Festival show will continue those improvements and help pay for new equipment, manager Paige Craig said. Recent improvements, estimated to cost about $600,000, have included new lockers, new showers in the locker rooms and separate changing stations.

“It’s just a more comfortable room for our members to use and just gives the Hames Center in general a really nice new fresh look,” Craig said.

The Hames Center has about 800 to 900 members at any time, with family and individual monthly and annual memberships. Besides offering open gym times and two rooms with cardio and weight equipment, the Hames Center has dedicated times for sports on its regulation-size basketball court, which can be set up for open soccer, basketball, pickleball and volleyball.

One of the growing programs is the spin classes, which are offered four days a week by teachers Susan Compagno and Michaeline Smith. Craig said the popularity of the program has prompted the purchase of some new spin machines –– stationary bicycles made for the purpose.

“Right now the class is capped at 10 people but soon we’ll be able to fill it up with 15,” Craig said.

Craig, who has a background in physical fitness and recreation management, has managed the Hames Center the past three years. She said she appreciates the sport and fitness facility for its role in the community as the only gym with public access.

“Because of that, we have to accommodate to a lot of different groups and meet the needs of everyone in the community,” she said. “That can be a challenge but it’s also really cool that we’re able to do that and we’re able to stay open year round for the community.”

Tickets to the Banff Film Festival show are $20, and can be purchased at fineartscamp.org, or over the phone by calling 907-747-3085.

Below is the full program:

Anytime - Utah (Canada) - In Utah’s rugged, arid landscape, a new era of female freeride mountain biking is born. Follow four trailblazing women as they carve unprecedented lines and push the limits of what is possible (8 Minutes, contains coarse language).

Ian (Australia) - Meet 72-year-old Australian climber, Ian Elliott. Ian’s extraordinary climbing ability defies age stereotypes, showcasing his resilience and challenging societal perceptions (8 minutes).

Going East (Austria) - Join a group of curious skiers on a mission to travel as far east as possible using only public transport, skiing along the way (33 minutes, contains coarse language).

2 Legs is 2 Easy (USA) - Steve Karczewski was born with bone cancer in his left leg and has never known what it is like to have two legs, but that hasn’t prevented him from doing anything and everything he’s ever wanted to do as an outdoor athlete (7 minutes).

Intermission and Prize Drawing

House of Bliss (Iceland)

House of Bliss documents the making of a shelter situated somewhere on the border of reality and the imagination. A private world of contemplation and quiet relief from the outside world (9 Minutes, contains coarse language).

Ice Waterfalls (Spain) - For years, professional kayaker Aniol Serrasolses has dreamed of running the rivers and waterfalls formed by melting ice caps and gigantic glaciers. Accompanied by a team of expert kayakers and Arctic guides, he ventures into one of the most remote and rugged regions of the planet: Svalbard. Amidst the Arctic’s otherworldly landscapes, reality is about to surpass his wildest dreams (36 minutes, contains coarse language).

A Team Sport (USA) - Ultra-runner Courtney Dauwalter is one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport. Continuing to shatter records, in 2023 she became the first person ever to wear the Triple Crown of ultra-running, winning three iconic 100+ mile races back-to-back in one summer. But who is the team behind Courtney and her remarkable success? (16 minutes).