screened more than 50 movies this year鈥攖heir picks of the year鈥檚 best adventure and environmental films. We narrowed that list down to our ten favorites based on what really hit us in the gut. Some excellent films aren鈥檛 on here鈥攊ncluding Art of Flight, The Freedom Chair, and All.I.Can鈥攂ut we already featured those online.听
10. 鈥楽poil鈥
EP Films, 40 Minutes
It was a rule among the Gitga鈥檃t First Nation of British Columbia: do not speak of the spirit bear. More elusive and rare than the giant panda, the spirit bear is considered sacred among the native population of British Columbia, who recently broke their silence out of concern for the bears鈥 future.听Trip Jennings听补苍诲听Andy Maser听document a pristine natural area endangered by the听development of oil reserves听in and around the听Great Bear Rainforest. Their two-week expedition, which included seven accomplished wildlife photographers and three听videographers, offers an eerily beautiful look at the ghost-like species and its primeval habitat. As one听听photographer put it, 鈥淭his place has been hidden away from all the craziness that鈥檚 been happening on planet earth.鈥澨
Read More:听Wild British Columbia听August 2011,听
9. 鈥40 Days at Base Camp鈥
Dianne Whelan, 89 Minutes
One of the most hotly anticipated Everest films to come out in recent memory,听Dianne Whelan鈥檚 no-holds-barred documentary听uncovers the less palatable side of that emblematic mountain.听Whelan听focuses on the realities of Everest that we don鈥檛 typically see. She holds her camera on porters hauling tons of supplies to Base Camp鈥攁nd equally massive loads of trash out. Using a mix of frank interviews, handheld confessionals, and compelling scenics,听Whelan听constructs a narrative about the environmental impact of our mountaineering obsession. We hear from the climbers not usually featured in films. For example, the first听Nepali听woman to summit Everest suggests, earnestly, that it鈥檚 time to stop climbing and just 鈥渃lean the mountain.鈥
Read听More:听High Times听June 2007,听Kevin听Fedarko
8. 鈥楻ace for the Nose鈥
Sender Films, 24 minutes
“The most badass competition there is,” brought to you by the adrenaline junkies over at . We get a cam鈥檚 eye-view of Dean Potter and听 as they compete for the speed-record on the Nose of El Capitan. The goal: thirty-one strenuous pitches in well under three hours. Since 1991, X Games gold medalist Florine has fiercely defended his position as the fastest El Cap climber out there. Hoping to change that, Potter and his climbing partner Sean Leary blast the 3000 vertical foot wall with palm-sweating speed. 鈥淎s much as people say, they鈥檙e not competitive, it鈥檚 a bunch of shit,鈥 as Florine says.听
Read听More: American Climbers Break Speed Record on the Nose November 2010, by Adam Roy
7. 鈥楾he Man and the Mammoth鈥
Public Ritual, Sherpas Cinema, 6 Minutes
We had to recognize the wizards at听, who must really like to shred. There鈥檚 no other explanation for the late-night,听RedBull-fueled听creative sessions it must鈥檝e required to animate this听Claymation听skiing short. The six minute film took three months to make. One 8-second shot, in which a hermit on skis jibs over the Granville Street Bridge in Vancouver, took 11 hours. Animator听听says many fingers were burned conjuring rail sparks with a sparkler in听gail-force听winds.
Don't Try This at Home:听听gives an indication of how difficult it is to make听claymation听ski porn.
6. Obe and Ashima鈥
Sender Films, 22 Minutes
It鈥檚 rare to find a climbing film that is at once moving and not at all tragic. But听听pulls it off in this unusual short film about a nine-year-old听bouldering听prodigy and her animated coach. Throughout its screening,听, a two-time听听junior national champion from New York City, drew more enthusiastic audience encouragement in her climbing scenes than any others we saw at Banff. The scene where听Shiraishi听traverses a V11 in听Hueco听Tanks, Texas had people up out of their seats. As her coach,听, puts it, 鈥淪he absolutely, 100 percent has听it. A nine-year-old shouldn鈥檛 have听it. It鈥檚 weird.鈥
Read听More:听The Science of Young Crushers听July 2011,听Adam Roy
鈥5. 鈥楰adoma鈥
Clear H2O听Films,听鈥42 minutes
In 2010, legendary South African explorer听Hendri听Coetzee听adventured into the heart of the Congo with American kayakers听Ben听Stookesberry听and Chris听Korbulic. The expedition film they set out to make derailed, tragically, when听Coetzee听was taken by a crocodile on the听Lukuga听River. The film听Stookesberry听produced after his friend鈥檚 death is an unadorned homage to a great explorer and a lost companion. Eerie but honest, it seems听Coetzee听is allowed to reflect on his death in his own words: “Some of the things that we're about to witness are so intense and horrible that they should stop the show. But they don't. People still laugh and dance. Yes the bad things happen, but so do the good things鈥攁mazing things, and the show goes on.”
Read听More:听Consumed, February 2011, by听Grayson Schaffer
4. 鈥楾owers of the Ennedi鈥
鈥婥amp 4 Collective, 14 minutes
Frankly, we look forward to anything made by听Renan听Ozturk. Ignoring travel advisories, he and听听swept across the en-sepia-toned听Ennedi听Desert听in northeastern Chad to produce another visually staggering climbing odyssey.听A four-day journey from the nearest hospital, climbers听Mark听Synnott,听, and听Alex听Honnold听broke rotten rock to claim first ascents of the听Ennedi's听unknown towers.听The film documents the ups and down of the journey, like听Honnold听free-soloing a crumbling 80-foot tower and the team being held at听knifepoint听by desert bandits.听
Read听More:听Jimmy Chin and听Renan听Ozturk听Climb Chad听November 2010,听Joe Spring
鈥3. 鈥楽olitaire鈥
Sweetgrass Productions, 45 Minutes鈥
Call up your buddy with the big screen, or rent out the main street movie theater for a night, and order a听听of Solitaire. This ski flick from Zac听Ramras听and Nick Waggoner deserves a high-resolution treatment鈥攁nd really shouldn鈥檛 be called a 鈥渟ki flick.鈥 It鈥檚 more of a skiing magnum opus. Shot on a shoestring budget, it took the filmmakers and a 31-person crew of fearless backcountry skiers and听snowboarders听two years of trekking from Peru鈥檚 Cordillera Blanca to Chile鈥檚 Patagonia to collect all the footage. In an insane display of authenticity,听听used no mechanized transport: they tramped unsupported to every location, waited out the weather in tents, used听paragliders听to film from the sky, and traversed glaciers in order to access remote ranges. Are you getting the film鈥檚 vibe yet? This听oughta听help. The only human voice in the film is a Spanish-speaking Joseph Conrad, intoning passages from听Heart of Darkness.听
Read听More:听
2. 鈥楥hasing Water鈥
Peter McBride, 18 Minutes鈥
Growing up on a Colorado cattle ranch, photojournalist听听would spend long hours irrigating the family fields鈥攁nd wondering how long it would take for the excess water to flow to the sea. Over a three-year period, he paddled, flew, and walked the 1500-mile length of the听Colorado River听to track its path through the U.S. to Mexico and satisfy his boyhood curiosity. With stunning cinematography, McBride captures a 鈥渟ymphony of human thirst鈥 as the Colorado is tapped in every direction along his journey, supplying water to 30 million people and 3.5 million acres of farmland. Forced to abandon his kayak in Mexico, McBride finds that the Colorado turns into a dried up delta long before reaching the Gulf of California. The harrowing message: 鈥淔or 6 million years, the Colorado ran to the sea. Since 鈥98, it has not…We are all eating the Colorado.鈥澨
Read More:听Peter McBride鈥檚 Colorado River听March 2011,听Joe Spring
1. 鈥楥old鈥
Forge Motion Pictures, 19 Minutes
Cory Richards听likes to say听that 90 percent of climbing is failure. This past winter he came close to disaster after an avalanche hit his team on a harrowing descent on听Gasherbrum听II. In听Cold, Director听Anson听Fogel听pieced together Richards鈥 footage from GII, gave it a stellar audio treatment, and created a narrative line that explores the physical and emotional extremes of attempting an 8,000-meter peak in winter. In a surprisingly expansive 19 minutes,听Fogel听and Richards have crafted a climbing film with more insight and action than most multi-hour features.听Cold听took home the award for Best Film 鈥 Climbing, as well as the Audio Post-Production Scholarship, before nabbing Banff鈥檚听. 听
Read听More:听Partly Crazy With A Chance of Frostbite听May 2011, by听Grayson Schaffer
SPOIL
EP Films, 40 Minutes
It was a rule among the Gitga鈥檃t First Nation of British Columbia: do not speak of the spirit bear. More elusive and rare than the giant panda, the spirit bear is considered sacred among the native population of British Columbia, who recently broke their silence out of concern for the bears鈥 future. Trip Jennings and Andy Maser document a pristine natural area endangered by the development of oil reserves in and around the Great Bear Rainforest. Their two-week expedition, which included seven accomplished wildlife photographers and three videographers, offers an eerily beautiful look at the ghost-like species and its primeval habitat. As one photographer put it, 鈥淭his place has been hidden away from all the craziness that鈥檚 been happening on planet earth.鈥澨
READ MORE: Wild British Columbia听August 2011,
40 Days at Base Camp
Dianne Whelan, 89 Minutes
One of the most hotly anticipated Everest films to come out in recent memory, Dianne Whelan鈥檚 no-holds-barred documentary uncovers the less palatable side of that emblematic mountain. Whelan focuses on the realities of Everest that we don鈥檛 typically see. She holds her camera on porters hauling tons of supplies to Base Camp鈥攁nd equally massive loads of trash out. Using a mix of frank interviews, handheld confessionals, and compelling scenics, Whelan constructs a narrative about the environmental impact of our mountaineering obsession. We hear from the climbers not usually featured in films. For example, the first Nepali woman to summit Everest suggests, earnestly, that it鈥檚 time to stop climbing and just 鈥渃lean the mountain.鈥
READ MORE: High Times June 2007, Kevin Fedarko
Race for the Nose
Sender Films, 24 Minutes
“The most badass competition there is,” brought to you by the adrenaline junkies over at . We get a cam鈥檚 eye-view of Dean Potter and as they compete for the speed-record on the Nose of El Capitan. The goal: thirty-one strenuous pitches in well under three hours. Since 1991, X Games gold medalist Florine has fiercely defended his position as the fastest El Cap climber out there. Hoping to change that, Potter and his climbing partner Sean Leary blast the 3000 vertical foot wall with palm-sweating speed. 鈥淎s much as people say, they鈥檙e not competitive, it鈥檚 a bunch of shit,鈥 as Florine says.听
READ MORE: American Climbers Break Speed Record on the Nose November 2010, by Adam Roy
The Man and the Mammoth
Public Ritual, Sherpas Cinema, 6 Minutes
We had to recognize the wizards at , who must really like to shred. There鈥檚 no other explanation for the late-night, RedBull-fueled creative sessions it must鈥檝e required to animate this Claymation skiing short. The six minute film took three months to make. One 8-second shot, in which a hermit on skis jibs over the Granville Street Bridge in Vancouver, took 11 hours. Animator says many fingers were burned conjuring rail sparks with a sparkler in gail-force winds.
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME: gives an indication of how difficult it is to make claymation ski porn.
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Obe & Ashima
Sender Films, 22 Minutes
It鈥檚 rare to find a climbing film that is at once moving and not at all tragic. But pulls it off in this unusual short film about a nine-year-old bouldering prodigy and her animated coach. Throughout its screening, , a two-time junior national champion from New York City, drew more enthusiastic audience encouragement in her climbing scenes than any others we saw at Banff. The scene where Shiraishi traverses a V11 in Hueco Tanks, Texas had people up out of their seats. As her coach, , puts it, 鈥淪he absolutely, 100 percent has it. A nine-year-old shouldn鈥檛 have it. It鈥檚 weird.鈥
READ MORE: The Science of Young Crushers听July 2011, Adam Roy
Kadoma
Clear H2O Films, 42 Minutes
In 2010, legendary South African explorer Hendri Coetzee adventured into the heart of the Congo with American kayakers Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic. The expedition film they set out to make derailed, tragically, when Coetzee was taken by a crocodile on the Lukuga River. The film Stookesberry produced after his friend鈥檚 death is an unadorned homage to a great explorer and a lost companion. Eerie but honest, it seems Coetzee is allowed to reflect on his death in his own words: “Some of the things that we’re about to witness are so intense and horrible that they should stop the show. But they don’t. People still laugh and dance. Yes the bad things happen, but so do the good things鈥攁mazing things, and the show goes on.”
READ MORE: Consumed, February 2011, by Grayson Schaffer
Towers of the Ennedi
Camp 4 Collective, 14 Minutes
Frankly, we look forward to anything made by Renan Ozturk. Ignoring travel advisories, he and swept across the en-sepia-toned Ennedi Desert in northeastern Chad to produce another visually staggering climbing odyssey.听A four-day journey from the nearest hospital, climbers听Mark Synnott,听, and听Alex Honnold听broke rotten rock to claim first ascents of the Ennedi’s unknown towers.听The film documents the ups and down of the journey, like Honnold free-soloing a crumbling 80-foot tower and the team being held at knifepoint by desert bandits.听
READ MORE: Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk Climb Chad November 2010, Joe Spring
Solitaire
Sweetgrass Productions, 45 Minutes
Call up your buddy with the big screen, or rent out the main street movie theater for a night, and order a of Solitaire. This ski flick from Zac Ramras and Nick Waggoner deserves a high-resolution treatment鈥攁nd really shouldn鈥檛 be called a 鈥渟ki flick.鈥 It鈥檚 more of a skiing magnum opus. Shot on a shoestring budget, it took the filmmakers and a 31-person crew of fearless backcountry skiers and snowboarders two years of trekking from Peru鈥檚 Cordillera Blanca to Chile鈥檚 Patagonia to collect all the footage. In an insane display of authenticity, used no mechanized transport: they tramped unsupported to every location, waited out the weather in tents, used paragliders to film from the sky, and traversed glaciers in order to access remote ranges. Are you getting the film鈥檚 vibe yet? This oughta help. The only human voice in the film is a Spanish-speaking Joseph Conrad, intoning passages from Heart of Darkness.听
READ MORE:
Chasing Water
Peter McBride, 18 Minutes
Growing up on a Colorado cattle ranch, photojournalist听听would spend long hours irrigating the family fields鈥攁nd wondering how long it would take for the excess water to flow to the sea. Over a three-year period, he paddled, flew, and walked the 1500-mile length of the Colorado River to track its path through the U.S. to Mexico and satisfy his boyhood curiosity. With stunning cinematography, McBride captures a 鈥渟ymphony of human thirst鈥 as the Colorado is tapped in every direction along his journey, supplying water to 30 million people and 3.5 million acres of farmland. Forced to abandon his kayak in Mexico, McBride finds that the Colorado turns into a dried up delta long before reaching the Gulf of California. The harrowing message: 鈥淔or 6 million years, the Colorado ran to the sea. Since 鈥98, it has not…We are all eating the Colorado.鈥澨
READ MORE: Peter McBride鈥檚 Colorado River听March 2011, Joe Spring
Cold
Forge Motion Pictures, 19 Minutes
Cory Richards likes to say that 90 percent of climbing is failure. This past winter he came close to disaster after an avalanche hit his team on a harrowing descent on Gasherbrum II. In Cold, Director Anson Fogel pieced together Richards鈥 footage from GII, gave it a stellar audio treatment, and created a narrative line that explores the physical and emotional extremes of attempting an 8,000-meter peak in winter. In a surprisingly expansive 19 minutes, Fogel and Richards have crafted a climbing film with more insight and action than most multi-hour features. Cold took home the award for Best Film 鈥 Climbing, as well as the Audio Post-Production Scholarship, before nabbing Banff鈥檚 . 听
READ MORE: Partly Crazy With A Chance of Frostbite听May 2011, by Grayson Schaffer