Jumping off cliffs, biking extreme downhills and kayaking down waterfalls are all part of a night of action-packed films the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno Geography Club is hosting for adrenaline junkies who enjoy pushing the limits in the world of sports, or for the many who prefer to watch from the sidelines.
The club, part of the Associated Student of the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä (ASUN) organization, will be hosting the Radical Reels Film Festival, a sub-festival of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. The event will take place in the Joe Crowley Student Union Theater from 6-10 p.m. on Sept. 19. The festival will feature short films that highlight action sports such as mountain biking, BASE jumping, skiing, snowboarding and many other adrenaline sports.
While the 20 club members may not participate in activities as high energy as those in the films, they have joined together since being founded in the fall of 2011 to share many exciting experiences. These include learning to fly fish, attending a rock climbing gym with faculty and taking a week-long backcountry ski trip. It is their hope that this film festival will help fund their desire to do other events such as these in the upcoming year.
"Part of the club function is to get ASUN funding to attend conferences that help build skills as geographers and to network," said Douglas Boyle, faculty advisor for the Geography Club and associate professor in the University's Geography Department.
The idea behind the club is to give students an educational and social experience as both individuals and geographers.
"The Geography Club hopes to sponsor a "We Care" event that brings a soup kitchen to the Reno-Sparks Mission, which we have participated in before," Sarah Honeycutt, president of the club, said.
Boyle and Honeycutt, along with the other members, want to see a large enough number in attendance that this event will help fund their trips and volunteer projects in the future. They believe that, even though the films are sports related, they are diverse and exciting enough that there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Go to the Banff Centre website to view the Radical Reels Film Festival trailer.
The 11 short films to be featured at the festival are:
- All. I. Can: Perseverance - Big mountains and steep lines are the focus in this high energy excerpt from the award-winning feature film All.I.Can.
- The Art of Flight - Featuring Travis Rice and a cast of riders, this excerpt from one of the year's hottest snowboarding films is chock-full of action and mind-blowing stunts captured in stunning high-definition.
- Cat Skiing - Shot and edited in only seven days - discover the true meaning of cat skiing.
- Concrete Dreams - Bobtrack downhill skateboarding is a sport that didn't actually exist - until Danny Strasser began his tour of Europe's tracks.
- From the Inside Out - A partnership between standard setting Anthill Films and the progressive riders of the Coastal Crew, this is a freeride mountain biking film from the athletes themselves.
- Frontier - From Mexico to Iceland, Frontier features huge waterfalls, remote areas, breathtaking scenery and some of the most challenging whitewater ever paddled.
- Here We Go Again - DH Production's 25th film adventure showcases their DIY style and blue collar work ethic. No matter where you're at or who you are, it's all about having fun on the bike.
- Miller's Thriller: Ski Base - The Jackson Hole backcountry is the spectacular site for some amazing ski BASE jumps.
- Narsicame - Look at me - and my headcam!
- Reel Rock: Race for the Nose - Welcome to the wildest competition known to man - the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan. For 50 years, the best climbers in the world have been one-upping each other on this massive granite monolith in Yosemite National Park, racing up 3,000 feet of vertical rock in under three hours, and risking life and limb to shave mere seconds off the record time.
- Whitewater Grand Prix - Some of the world's best kayakers come together for a six-stage competition on spectacular whitewater.
Tickets for the Radical Reels Film Festival can be purchased for $10 by students, and $12 for general audiences, online at Brown Paper Tickets. They will also be on sale at the door, for cash only, on the night of the event.
Film-goers have another opportunity to view and vote for award-winning films at the Manhattan Short Film Festival, also later this month. For more information, go to kunr.org.
Read more about the Geography Club at the University's Department of Geography website.
