By Keith McNeill
Many Clearwater and area residents are aware of the new mountain bike trails built by Wells Gray Outdoors Club at their Candle Creek ski trails.
Possibly some are also aware that Simpcw First Nation hopes to involve the communities in the band’s traditional territories in supporting mountain bike recreation and tourism development through the McBride to Barriere mountain bike recreation and tourism initiative.
A similar story to the Simpcw initiative is told in “Shift,” a short film that is scheduled to be shown as part of the Banff Film Festival World Tour when it comes to Clearwater on Friday evening, Sept. 22.
According to the film synopsis, “Shift” shows how an Indigenous community located near a sacred mountain in the Yukon transforms itself into a world-class mountain biking destination through the hard work of its young trail crews.
Comments from the audience to Shift included, “This film resonated with our locals who live in a community that has seen exactly the same shift as did the indigenous community in the Yukon. […] Overall, this was a favorite film - project started as an economic venture but turned out to be most positive for the youth of the community.”
Other films on the agenda include “Danny MacAskill’s Wee Day Out,” which tells the tale of trail biking near Edinburgh, Scotland; “Dog Power,” a fascinating look at dog-powered sports; “DreamRide,” a mountain bike adventure on a trail that never ends; “For The Love,” which shows pushing the limits during whitewater kayaking first descents; “Four Mums In A Boat,” a film about four British mothers who decided to row across the Atlantic; “The Perfect Flight,” a unique film about falconry; “Poumaka,” which tells the story of a woman climber who travels to French Polynesia to challenge the elusive Poumaka Tower; and “Ruin and Rose,” a hard-core free skiing film.
The films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival world tour will be shown on Friday, Sept. 22 at the Dutch Lake Community Centre. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the show to start at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25 each and are available at Greffards and Greenscapes, Dutch Lake Community Centre – Yellowhead Community Services reception, and at the door (if available).
The event is being sponsored by Wells Gray Outdoor Club.