Every year following its banner event, the听听sends select movies out for in-person screenings听in various cities as a world tour. It鈥檚 a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to gather for what鈥檚 often a raucous experience, cringing or gasping or cheering their way through daring feats in the mountains or stories of fascinating characters. This year, Banff is carrying out a virtual world tour starting November 26, offering 17 films that you鈥檒l have to cringe, gasp, or cheer your way through with a lot fewer companions. The films are split into two programs, with a different mix of features and shorts in each,听that can be purchased through 鈥$15 for one program or $28 for both. You can also support , like nonprofits and college outdoor programs, by purchasing tickets through them; some are also offering remote 鈥渓ive鈥 events with additional programming. And with quirky, thrilling films such as these five highlights, there鈥檚 still plenty of fun to be had until the next time we can all get together.听听
鈥楥limbing Blind鈥
The is a 450-foot听rectangular sea stack off听the coast of Scotland, an iconic structure that,听to the inexperienced eye,听looks like it would be extremely weird to climb. The star of the feature-length Climbing Blind, Jesse Dufton, leads the trad route鈥攂ut with the additional challenge of not being able to see it, as he was born with a degenerative eye disease that鈥檚 left him basically only able to perceive light. The film gets into the specific skills and logistics that contribute to Dufton鈥檚 accomplished trad-climbing career听and shows how he tackles the goal of being the first blind person to lead听the Old Man of Hoy (5.10a/b). Like any other climbing film, the joy of watching this one is in breaking down the nitty-gritty of exactly how an athlete works, while still feeling like you鈥檙e watching some sort of magic happen as soon as they鈥檙e on the rocks.听听
鈥榃here I Belong鈥
Many viewers will want to go fishing with Chris Hill after watching Where I Belong鈥攍ess for the fishing than to hang out with the short film鈥檚 charming lead, who鈥檚 as passionate about conservation as she is about the sport. The nine-minute piece touches on Hill鈥檚 career as an environmental lobbyist, her love for听angling, her thoughts on being a Black woman in fishing, and her sometimes-competitive moments on the river with her boyfriend (who she tends to outfish, let it be said). Her story offers plenty of food for thought about finding meaning in what you do, whether that鈥檚 by听discovering a sense of belonging or saving the places you love. For angling tips, though, you鈥檙e on your own: Hill is clearly such a natural that her lengthiest explanation of听her fishing technique is saying to herself, 鈥淲ould a fish be right there? I think a fish would be right there.鈥
鈥楻unning the Roof鈥
A good old-fashioned romp is just the ticket to shake up a monotonous week. Even better if it鈥檚 someone else鈥檚 type-two-fun romp! Running the Roof brings us along for 51 minutes of dust and tears as three friends run the equivalent of ten听marathons in Tajikistan鈥檚 Pamir mountains, a remote area often called 鈥渢he roof of the world.鈥 There is no why, just a plan to run from the border of Afghanistan to the border of China after a drunken bet. As with any good sufferfest, it comes to feel like a meaningful endeavor but stands on its own as an entertaining journey that you might be glad not to be a part of. Once you get past the filmmakers鈥 repeated, astonished assertions that hardly anyone even realizes this place exists (Tajikistan! It鈥檚 a whole country!), just sit back and enjoy the incredible desert views.
鈥榁oice Above Water鈥
This peaceful short film focuses on Wayan, a 90-year-old fisherman in Bali, Indonesia, who can no longer fish. Not because he鈥檚 too old鈥攖he film seizes every opportunity to show Wayan diving into the ocean, paddling his boat, and otherwise being extremely spry. Instead, he can鈥檛 fish because there鈥檚 too much plastic trash in the ocean, so he resolves to take his boat out and clean up the detritus. His single-minded dedication to the task has already amassed a huge pit of such garbage. Wayan鈥檚 charisma is enough to power a full-length film, and his determined work as an environmentalist delivers an impactful message about personal action in the face of overwhelming problems.听
鈥楩ree as Can Be鈥櫶
Climbing may听be one of the most thoroughly and colorfully documented听adventure sports, and the 30-minute Free as Can Be feels like a perfect encapsulation of the sport鈥檚听constant dialogue between present and past. The film brings together Jordan Cannon, a 25-year-old who loves climbing history, and听Mark Hudon, a 64-year-old听Yosemite free-climbing veteran. As the two men听like to point out, they could not be more different. Cannon is听only a few years into his climbing obsession, while Hudon鈥檚 career reaches back to the 1970s. But their goals align when it comes to听free-climbing El Capitan鈥檚 Freerider听(5.13a): Cannon wants to do it in a day, and Hudon wants to be the oldest person to do it. The climbing partners are delightful together, adding endearing intergenerational banter (and quite a bit of singing) to the well-populated genre of Yosemite climbing films.