CAMDEN — For outdoor lovers and fans of extreme sports and mountaineering escapades, this is the 14th year Maine Sport Outfitters has brought the Banff Mountain Film Festival to Camden. With the Canadian festival in its 36th year, the Banff Center holds the festival every November in Banff, Alberta, selecting the best films to go on the World Tour that visits approximately 305 cities annually in 20 countries.

We asked Jeff Boggs, manager and buyer for Maine Sport Outfitters, what he loves about this annual film festival. “Honestly, I’m crazy about the whole event,” he said. “I first saw the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour about 18 years ago and loved it. I was able to get us in on the Tour circuit 14 years ago and have been coordinating the event ever since. The films are inspiring, educational, sometimes emotional/controversial, entertaining and fun! They take you to places and activities you may not have been exposed to. It's a great way to spend a wintry February evening.”

The lineup this year is exciting, as always. “All of the films are so different and so fun,” he said. “About five years ago, we were able to add a second night, which enabled us to show twice the number of films. This year, we’ll see 18 different films, which vary in length. Some are three minutes long. One, Ready to Fly, is 56 minutes. Several of the films feature women this year, such as Keeper of the Mountains, Spice Girl and Ready to Fly.

Asked what he’s really looking forward to personally seeing, he said, “The best shows are the ones with a mix of film subjects, such as mountain sports, mountain environment and mountain culture. So, you go from The Burn (out of bounds skiing) to Keeper of the Mountains (a 93-year-old lady who logs all the summit attempts in Nepal). We try to appeal to all interests and ages and show you places you’ve never been.”

Click here for a full list of current films being shown and view the video for more trailers.

Tickets are on sale for the local visitation of the Banff Mountain Film Fest World Tour, set for Friday and Saturday nights, Feb. 7 and 8, at the Strom Auditorium of Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport. Each night’s show begins at 7 p.m. and features a different slate of films. Tickets for adults are $10 in advance and available at Maine Sport on Route 1 in Rockport and Main Street in Camden; price at the door will be $12. Student tickets are $5. For more information, call 236-7120 or 230-1284. Clips of some of the films may be seen in the Rockport store.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com