Field Journal

In 2019, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will be celebrating its 10th year of touring the UK and Ireland. The festival will bring together more than 100 adrenaline-packed shows to almost 60 venues between January and May 2019.

The World Tour features two different collections of new films from the world’s most intrepid film-makers. The stars of the films are pioneers and explorers tackling extraordinary expeditions in the wildest corners of the planet.

Tour Director Nell Teasdale said: ‘We’re thrilled to have reached 10 years of bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to the UK and Ireland – and what better way to celebrate than with the latest dose of cutting-edge adventure films from the world’s most prestigious mountain festival!

‘We guarantee that the anniversary atmosphere at the shows will be buzzing – and that audiences will go home inspired to have an adventure of their own as well’.

Films in the World Tour are selected from hundreds entered into the Banff Mountain Film Festival, which takes place for every November in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.

The UK & Ireland Tour starts in Edinburgh on Saturday 19 January and finishes in Guildford on Friday 24 May. All the dates are below. As well as thrilling films, each event features a free prize draw for outdoorsy goodies from the tour partners.

Highlights Include:

FOR THE LOVE OF MARY

The first time 97-year-old runner George Etzweiler completed the race up the northeast’s tallest peak, Mount Washington, he was 69 years old. Despite having a pacemaker, the State College, Pennsylvania, resident continues to compete in the gruelling 7.6-mile race up nearly 4,700 feet of paved road, breaking his own record each year for the oldest finisher. In addition to his ancient, lucky, green running shorts, Etzweiler carries something else special with him: The memory of his late wife of 68 years, Mary.

RJ RIPPER

Kids and bikes. Wherever you are in the world, they go together. The chaotic streets of Kathmandu may not seem like a typical breeding ground for world-class mountain bikers, but then again nothing is typical about Rajesh (RJ) Magar. Since learning to ride on a beat-up clunker, to becoming the four-time National Champion at age 21, RJ’s story is one of boundless childhood dreaming and unstoppable determination, forged from junkyard scraps and tested on the rugged trails of the mighty Himalaya.

THIS MOUNTAIN LIFE

A mother-daughter team attempting a six month, self-supported journey through a mountain wilderness; the gripping story an avalanche burial; a group of nuns who inhabit a mountain retreat to be closer to God; an impassioned alpinist; a focused snow artist; a couple who has been living off-grid in the mountains for nearly 50 years. Shot in cinematic detail, This Mountain Life is a riveting examination of human passion set high in the peaks of British Columbia.