2011/12 World Tour Films

Hop onboard a 23-foot 1970 Airstream trailer and join three young women on their search for people who are living simply. They find out it’s not all that simple to step out of the mainstream and pursue your passion for the outdoors.

Stunning time-lapse sequences, creative visuals, great skiers, and deep powder are highlights of this excerpt from the award-winning feature film that looks at snow sports and the environment.

The beautiful and ever-changing icefalls of Alaskan glaciers provide a stunning setting for some unusual ice climbing adventures.

One man’s quest to revolutionize the world of animal avalanche rescue.

Pete McBride grew up on a ranch in Western Colorado, a child of the Colorado River. After a life spent visiting other countries to tell stories as a National Geographic photojournalist, in 2008 Pete decided to follow the water from his family’s ranch to see where it ends up. This is the story of Pete’s journey, and a story about the lifeblood of the American West.

Experience Gasherbrum II in the middle of a deep, dark winter as seen from the raw, honest perspective of alpinist Cory Richard’s camera. This film deftly captures the interwoven roles of pain, fear, and doubt — and reveals a harrowing descent that amplifies their isolation and exposure.

An intrepid crew of scientists and explorers takes the ultimate plunge — scuba-diving beneath the North Pole in temperatures so low that a special heating device is required in their diving suits. Over a two-month period, they overcome incredible obstacles to give us a rare kaleidoscopic glimpse of the ice from below and the luminescent sea creatures they encounter.

Josh Dueck was an aspiring skier and coach until a ski accident in 2004 changed his life forever. Despite his comeback and success in the world of competitive sit-skiing, he wasn't content. Josh’s dream is to tackle the backcountry and the steepest and wildest mountains in the world — and with his infectious outlook, he may just catch his dream.

Join Arnaud Petit and Stéphanie Bodet as they attempt what might be the toughest route in the Alps, a majestic 3,900-metre pinnacle that juts from the Mont Blanc Massif: Grand Capucin. Close camera work and lively discussion along the route allow us intimate access to a refreshing and effective climbing partnership. French with English subtitles.

Two Nepali adventurers channel the Hindu God of Wind on their mission to launch a paraglider from Mount Everest’s summit and travel to an ocean they have never seen.

A young married couple with a passion for adventure turn their camera on themselves, even in their weakest moments, as they attempt to walk, paddle, and ski under their own power from Seattle to the Aleutians. Filmed over the period of a grueling year, this film reveals the rugged beauty of the wild northwest coast of North America and the true meaning of intrepid.

“Kadoma” is the nickname for Hendri Coetzee, a legendary South African kayaker who is known for exploring some of Africa’s wildest rivers. In December 2010, American pro kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesbury followed Coetzee into the Democratic Republic of Congo for a first descent of the dangerous Lukuga River. Seven weeks into the expedition, tragedy struck.

A caveman discovers skiing, thanks to his new friendship with a woolly mammoth.

A brief portrait of a passionate athlete who has melded climbing and photography. Jimmy Chin believes that “the most honest photos happen when both the subject and the photographer are just in the moment, and the rest of the world has just fallen away.”

Tim Cope, his band of horses, and his dog Tigon travel overland 10,000 km from Mongolia to Hungary, following the footsteps of legendary warrior and nomad Genghis Khan. Cope visits distant parts of the world rarely seen, places on the cusp of modernity yet proud of nomadic traditions. The Last Frontier captures the culmination of his stunning three-year journey, the crossing of the Carpathian Mountains.

A revolution is taking place, led by Canadian maniac Will Gadd. After 30 years of ice climbing, Gadd has finally realized his dream of climbing radically overhanging, heinously difficult ice at British Columbia’s spectacular Helmcken Falls. Gadd and Tim Emmett dodge exploding icicle bombs and send the hardest pure ice climb in the world.

There’s a nine-year-old girl from New York City taking the bouldering world by storm, and her name is Ashima Shiraishi. Guided by her coach and former bouldering star Obe Carrion, this tiny master is crushing competitions and raising the bar for her peers. A trip to the bouldering mecca of Hueco Tanks provides a glimpse of the past for Obe and the start of amazing new adventures for Ashima.

American climbing dirtbag Andy Lewis is taking the discipline of slacklining into the future as he solos the world’s longest high-lines and masters the hardest aerial tricks, while pushing his equipment to the limit. As Andy goes higher, harder, and faster with climbing, slack, and B.A.S.E., we all wonder how far he can go before it’ll be one step over the line.

Deep canyons with steep, spring-fed creeks provide Kate Wagner with a soul-session in this paddling paradise.

Brian Ward discovers an unexpected and new-found love for water, in its frozen and expanded form.

What does it take to be a ski bum? An unending dedication to powder skiing? The ability to do anything in your ski boots? A lifelong quest for deep snow? Find out with this unusual and inspiring band of skiers in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.

In the high desert of South America, winter takes hold, and a handful of drifters emerge from the whiteout, ready to cast their lot onto inhospitable lands and forsaken peaks. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is the inspiration for a poetic and visually stunning film that ventures beyond the frontiers of most mountain sports films.

Photographers join the Gitga’at First Nation of British Columbia in an attempt to photograph the legendary spirit bear, with the help of a local guide who is deeply connected to the bear and its environment, a place threatened by a proposed oil pipeline.

Get a glimpse behind the scenes of a season with big mountain legend Xavier de le Rue. Dealing with dangers, joys, and the ups and downs of a winter spent skimming his board over steep and gnarly lines, it’s all in a day’s work for one of the world’s finest snowboarders.

The Ennedi Desert of Chad is a hot, sand-scoured, and unfriendly place. But from its vast belly rise clusters of breathtakingly lovely spires, towers, and rock formations. Veteran climber Mark Synnott, known more for his far-flung adventures than his technical accomplishments, brings young climbing stars Alex Honnold and James Pearson to the Ennedi to explore its untouched landscapes.

People collect all kinds of things: stamps, coins, art. This is a collection of trails.

Follow two intrepid tree climbers on a pioneering one-kilometer transect through the forest canopy over five days.