For all of you adventurers out there in the Denver area, the Kendal Mountain Film Festival may a perfect way to spend a night in Denver. The festival makes its way to Mayan Theatre on Broadway Wednesday, October 5th.
The Kendal Mountain Film Festival started in 1980 in the UK and now makes its way around the world. The festival is run by climbers, skiers, runners, and paddlers who are as comfortable in the mountains as they are producing a festival. The festival vision is and always will be, “To inspire more people to explore, respect and represent mountains, wilderness and their cultures”.
North American Tour Films
This year’s films are a collection that promises to inspire and entertain. Here is a preview of the films.
The Process
Director – Matt Pycroft – ColdHouse Collective – UK, 15 minute film – Climb/Run – Male (Lake District)
Tom Randall is a world class crack climber. He is also a terrible runner, which is why his latest challenge seems like an odd choice. He decided to link up two of the Lake District’s biggest and toughest endurance challenges, the Bob Graham Round and The Classic Rock challenge into one hellish 24 hour mad dash. A funny, honest, genuine and heartfelt story.
Spellbound
Director – Richard Sidey – NZ – 5 minute film – Wingsuit flying – Male
Wingsuit BASE jumping is often presented as a thrill-seeking adrenaline rush. Spellbound takes us deeper into the more contemplative aspects of jumping, as David Walden and friends venture into the mountains around his home in New Zealand.
The Traverse
Director – Ben Tibbetts and Jake Holland – France – 33 minutes – Ski Mountaineering – Female Facing some of the most challenging terrain in the world, Valentine Fabre and Hillary Gerardi, two world class athletes, attempt to be the first women to ski the Haute Route non-stop from Chamonix to Zermatt.
For Valentine, the Haute Route has deep personal resonance. Her husband had set the men’s record shortly before a fatal mountain climbing accident a decade ago. For Valentine, completing the route is the ultimate tribute to his memory.
When Valentine met Hillary, she found a capable partner for this arduous and emotional journey. Despite being relatively new to ski mountaineering, Hillary has vast reserves of stamina that carry over from her career as a professional mountain runner. Together they set out on this non-stop 100km traverse, climbing 8000m over some the most beautiful high mountain terrain in the world. Will their months of training prove to be enough for these women to establish the record?
Bicycling Presents – Leo Rodgers
USA – 6 minutes – Bike – Male
He lost his leg, then rediscovered the bicycle. Now He’s unstoppable. Leo Rodgers is the irrepressible gravel-racing hero we all need right now.
Chasing Ghosts – Director – Eric Bendick – USA – 15 minutes – Environmental – Male
Deep in remote Florida swamps, a team of researchers and photographers have made a new discovery that upends what we thought we knew about the ghost orchid, one of the world’s most iconic flowers, and how it reproduces.
In their quest to identify the pollinator of the ghost orchid for the first time, this team spent three summers standing waist-deep in alligator- and snake-laden water, swatting air blackened by mosquitoes, and climbing to sometimes nausea-inducing heights. They came away with an even deeper love for Florida’s wildest wetlands—and with surprising revelations that may help to conserve both the endangered orchid and its shrinking home.
A Woman’s Place
Director – Menna Wakeford – UK – 21 minutes – Climb – Female
A funny, heartwarming and honest conversation with The Pinnacle Club. Highlighting women’s long-standing involvement in climbing, and aiming to rebalance a narrative which has been primarily about men; join members of the club as they celebrate their centenary during a global pandemic.
Running Thoughts
Director – Fitz Cahall – USA – 3 minutes – Run/Art – Mix
Sometimes, an hour is all you get. Often, an hour is all you need. In those 60 minutes, for every question that gets answered, a new one gets asked. Tension releases into the passing wind. Goals are reaffirmed. Internal yarns are spun. Knots get untangled, and everything makes sense — even if you’ve forgotten it all by the time you get home. Join trail runners Perry Cohen, Junko Kazukawa and José González to hear what runs through their head as they run through nature.
Touching the Water
Hannah Maia – UK – 7 minutes – Run – Female (Lake District)
Mhairi Helme’s poetic reflection of a 100 mile run around the English Lake District inspired by the landscape, the people she meets and her fell running hero, Joss Naylor.
Tickets and Details
The Denver tour is being held at the Landmark’s Mayan Theatre located at 110 Broadway in Denver. Tickets are $10-20 and are available online. Follow this link for more information. The Event is scheduled from 7pm-10pm.
More from the Fatman
If you enjoyed this post you may enjoy more of the posts on my Fatman’s Rambling page. Blogs such as “Hiking Alone not Lonely Hiking“, “Winslow, Arizona” and “Screw it, I’m Trying” as well as many others may interest you there. If you have any comments or topics you would like me to cover, feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or you can keep the conversation going by following me on any of the below social media platforms.