Members: Helen Boothman (+ husband Andy & (female) friend George), John Dobson, Ding Koy, Geri Mihalkova, Dave Shotton (standing in as meet leader on the night for Emily Pitts)

This was the Manchester showing of the annual European Outdoor Film Tour, organised by Moving Adventures Medien (of Munich) with the local partnership of Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports.

Ding, John Dobson and Dave S met up for a quick pint in The Salutation before the event, then went along to the RNCM in time for the show and met up with the others. The evening was well-attended by the public though not filled to capacity. The show lasted from 7.30 to about 10.15pm, with a short interval for a break and raffle (though none of the KMC party won any of the goodies on offer!).

The 8 films shown (generally as a special EOFT edit) were as follows (in order and in best film critic style):

North of Nightfall (mountain biking down the gypsum dirt slopes of the remote Axel Heiberg Island – uninhabited apart from a few seasonal research scientists – in the Canadian Arctic; exciting film of MTB acrobatics with a salutary sequence of a successful emergency reduction of a dislocated shoulder 12 hours’ flight away from the nearest hospital)

A To B Rollerski (Latvian biathlete Raimonds Dombrovskis rollerskiing over 6700km from the far north of Canada to the Mexican border, originally in 1988 and again in 2014)

The Frenchy (inspiring film about hyperactive but catastrophe-prone octogenarian (“41 years old...each leg”) ski racer and mountain biker (and enthusiastic bestower of ‘bisous’) Jacques Houot, French born but now resident in Carbondale, Colorado, USA. “No problem!”)

8000+ (French parapentist Antoine Girard on a 3+ week solo flying traverse of the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan, including a flight over the summit of Broad Peak (8051m) and an encounter with a bemused group of heavily armed locals)

Viacruxis (intriguing and beautifully-made Spanish stop-motion animation film with wooden actors (in the most literal sense), depicting in rather graphic detail the tribulations of two mountaineers struggling by day and night to the summit of an improbably pointy mountain)

Mbuzi Dume – Strong Goat (another inspiring film, about an ascent of Kilimanjaro on one leg and crutches by the German all-round sports enthusiast Tom Belz, whose left leg was amputated at the age of 8 due to bone cancer)

The A.O. (film of the successful project by the Czech sport climber Adam Ondra to climb (redpoint) the world’s first 9c, Silence (in the Hanshelleren Cave in Flatanger, Norway), in September 2017, including his intensive (and extensive) mental and physical training including visualisation, physiotherapy techniques and a little blindfold sport lead climbing)

Frozen Mind (short but breathtaking film of fast snowboard and ski descents of some very steep-looking slopes above Chamonix)

Trailers and clips of many of the above can be found on popular online video services if you want to find out more.

European Outdoor Film Tour 2018.

You are cordially invited to join Dave Shotton, who is masterminding this year’s trip to EOFT, for an evening of adventure, jeopardy and excitement. EOFT shows the best outdoor films of the year and is guaranteed to be a night of fun and action-packed adventure.

Drinks at 6.30pm at the Salutation Pub. If you need to eat, get there earlier, as it’s usually busy.

Meet at 7.15pm in the foyer of the RNCM.

Tickets: £13.50 and worth every penny to support outdoor film makers. Buy here: https://www.eoft.eu/tickets/details/event-european-outdoor-film-tour-201819-rncm-theatre-2018-11-12_19-30/