Kaity Brown
Townsman/Bulletin Staff
The Radical Reels Tour, a world-wide conglomeration of breath-taking films of high-adrenaline sports, is coming to Kimberley for the first time.
The tour will be featured at the Kimberley Conference and Athlete Training Centre on September 10 showcasing some of the most sought after films right on our doors step.
"It has taken me 12 months to get that film (festival) brought to Kimberley," said Grant Sharam, the general manager of the conference centre.
And for good reason, Sharam said: "Every year in Banff, it's sold out. You can't get a seat.
"They cover sports – anything crazy that you can do out there. There's rock climbing, there's skiing and snowboarding of course, mountain biking, kayaking, skateboarding," said Sharam.
There are also some more unique daredevil stunts, such as jumping out of a plane in a winged suit and shooting down steep hills like a skeleton racer but with a suit made out of skateboard wheels instead.
Due to the popularity of the Dirtbag Festival, Kimberley's film festival featuring all local talent, Sharam said that there is obviously an appetite here in Kimberley for this kind of production and entertainment.
Kimberley is a perfect place for the Banff Film Festival to make a stop in because the community is packed with outdoor adventurers, from snowboarders to bikers to kayakers and hikers.
"It pushes the boundaries of everything we do in recreation. On a regular basis we will go out and we ski the ski hill or we will do a mountain bike ride, but to see these things pushed to their absolute extremes, extend the boundaries of what we believe we can do, to see someone doing something that extreme can inspire us to push our own efforts a little bit further," said Sharam.
Sharam encourages everyone to come and see the films, not just the die-hards and the daredevils. The festival is a family-friendly production that is sure to entertain people of all walks of life.
"I think that once you see it, you'll be back every year. When this festival is released every year, people travel from all over North America to see the first release," he said.
"It's a great thing to be able to do – to bring this to Kimberley – because it really would require people to travel to see it any other way."
Tickets for the event are $15 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6 to 12. They can be bought at the Kimberley Conference and Athlete Training Centre in person, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, or by calling 250-427-0601. Tickets are also being sold at the Kimberley Visitor Centre.
For more information, visit www.meetkimberley.ca or www.radicalreels.com.