The first couple of times you go to a festival like ShAFF there's a tendency to try and pack as much as physically possible into every minute, barely pausing for breath in a non stop round of films and talks and ending Sunday night as exhausted as the people you've been watching on screen. The constant assault on your senses then blurs the finer details of the films you've seen and they merge into each other. But it doesn't have to be like this - of all the big annual festivals ShAFF is far more than just the films and with a little pre-planning you can take the most out of the weekend without it taking everything out of you.
ShAFF is more than a film festival with photo exhibition, talks, workshops and kit sale all running alongside the films
Be prepared
There are two keys to surving a film festival, prioritising your time and knowing your venue. You have to accept from the beginning that you can't be in 7 screens simultaneously so you can't see everything, and once you've accepted that then you've already accepted that you're going to have to pick and choose. Knowing your venue means not only do you know how to get from A to B when you need to rush to a screening but also means you can plan the essential breaks that stop films blurring into each other and take essential food and drink on board. Being in a city centre the options extend beyond the in house bar, restaurant and cafe with everything from a Greggs to restaurants available within a few minutes walk; strange as it may seem the city centre can make a great escape after a couple of hours of sensory overload and set you up for another session or two.
To prioritise your time you really need to get to grips with how ShAFF works, with films available is Sessions which can contain anything from a single, long, film with follow-up Q&A to a medley of multiple adrenaline infused shorts. With the big premiers and exclusive lectures the chances are that you'll only get a single shot at seeing them over the weekend so mark those on your calendar first and plan the rest of your weekend around them, but don't assume all the big films are just one offs - The Wideboyz II premiere, for example is on the Friday evening but there's a talk by Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker on the Saturday or you can take the full film in as part of the Climb 1 sessions. If you want to check whether there are repeat screenings of a particular film the easy way to find out is to consult the Films A to Z where every screening of every film is listed with times, dates and details of the session name (e.g. Mountain Films 2).
Tom Randall in action in Wideboyz II © Hot Aches
More than just films
With your priority sessions in place you can plan the rest of your weekend around them, either taking in additional sessions or visiting the Workstation next door where you'll find the ShAFF Lowepro Adventure Photo Exhibition featuring multi award winning Alastair Lee and a line up which includes some of the UK's top photographers and the famous ShAFF Kit Sale. If all that's not enough there's the Speakers and Workshops, some free some ticketed as sessions, to build on your skills. Alongside the ShAFF Lowepro exhibition you'll also find the shortlisted candidates for the ShAFF Lowepro Single Shot Adventure Photo Competition which has drawn entries from around the world and get the chance to vote for the winner.
If ShAFF is famous for one thing, however, it's for being "the friendly festival", where 100% of visitors have said, year after year, they'll be back. It's no coincidence that ShAFF is the festival that film makers choose to attend in person and equally it's no coincidence that year upon year the musicians who bring so much to the evening entertainment go on to record deals and TV appearances. The vibe around ShAFF is special and it's been nurtured over almost a decade with something for everyone of every age. It's a place where you can be sat eating alongside icons of the outdoor world, chatting like long term friends or sharing a drink while discussing the technical merits (or not) of DSLRs in film making with an award winning producer from half way around the world. Kids can get their kicks with the YHA run adventure activities or take in the Young Adventurer's sessions or Teen Screens while the less adrenaline dependent can take in the more relaxed and considered Mountain Films 1 session which includes the multi award winning Distilled and the ground breaking debut film The Cairngorms in Winter with Chris Townsend.
Cityscape Skyline, overlooking the railway station will again feature a free show on Satrday evening, hosted by Red Bull. Photo © LWImages
Our ShAFF tips
So what would we recommend for viewing this year? Well with so many disciplines and so many films it's a difficult choice but there's a few stand out productions we just couldn't miss. It's a very personal selection but makes a good mix with guaranteed quality throughout.
Assault on El Capitan - Assault on El Capitan is the story of the second ascent of one of the hardest routes 'Wings of Steel' by the 'El Cap Pirate' Ammon McNeely and Kait Barber. Following Kait and Ammon up the route the film also examines the controversial history of the first ascent 29 years ago by Mark Smith and Richard Jensen and explores Ammon's life as a climber, base jumper and adventurer.
Deeper than snow - Sheffield University philosophy student Ismar Badzic premiered his debut film 'White Line' at ShAFF last year so we're delighted to be able to share with you his follow-up film about snowboarder Jake Cornish as he returns to Nendaz (Switzerland) for the first time, to explore what happened when he was buried in an avalanche, which nearly cost him his life.
Distilled - 'Distilled' is a multi award winning celebration of Scottish winter climbing and a poignant profile of Andy Cave's journey from the depths of a Yorkshire coal mine to the peaks of the Himalayas. We've already seen it but like a classic itchcock there are some films you never tire of watching.
High Tension - Last year, Mount Everest made headlines around the world this year when it was reported that Ueli Steck (known as the 'Swiss Machine') and Simone Moro, one of the strongest duos in alpinism, were attacked by a crowd of angry sherpas at Camp 2 while attempting a cutting edge new route on the highest — and most crowded — mountain in the world. Filmmakers from the REEL ROCK Tour were embedded with the climbing team which included British mountaineer and photographer Jon Griffith and five times Everest summiteer Melissa Arnot and their exclusive access provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes account of what happened that day, and why.
Into the Empty Quarter - The story of a 1000 mile trek Into The Empty Quarter. Inspired by the great British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Alastair Humphreys and Leon McCarron set off on their own journey to cross the largest sand desert in the world. The trip is hastily planned, low budget and so very different from Thesiger’s, yet the spirit of adventure remains the same.
Life of a mountain - Scafell Pike - An exclusive sneak preview of director Terry Abraham's forthcoming feature film. The full two hour film examines the lives of the people who live and work in the shadow of the Scafells along with interviews with some of the areas legends of fell running, climbing and photography.
Made of Steel - Made of Steel is an inspiring and heartwarming story of how one of the world's greatest female extreme sport personalities recovers from a near fatal parachute accident that almost rendered her confined to a wheelchair for life. Six years after the accident and with a significant handicap Karina Hollekim sets out to ski the famous Haute Route, one of the most coveted and demanding ski trips in the world.
The Last Great Climb - Described as an "epic to end all mountain epics" set in the stunning mountains of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, The Last Great Climb is a multi award winning feature documentary follow top adventure climber Leo Houlding with his tried and tested team of Jason Pickles and Sean 'Stanley' Leary as they attempt to make the first ascent of the NE ridge of 'the master piece of the range'; the majestic Ulvetanna Peak (2931m). One of the most technically demanding climbs in one of the world's harshest environments.
The Limbless Mountaineer - A very special evening with a guest lecture by mountaineer and quadruple amputee Jamie Andrew, including the screening of his forthcoming Channel 5 film The Limbless Mountaineer, followed by expert panel discussion about the risks and rewards of taking part in adventure sports. In aid of Sheffield Hospitals Charity to help raise funds for a satellite blood fridge to support the Northern General Hospital’s Major Trauma Centre.
The Road from Karakol - In the summer of 2011, alpinist Kyle Dempster set out across Kyrgyzstan’s back roads on his bike. His goal – ride across the country via old Soviet roads while climbing as many of the region’s impressive peaks as possible. He was alone. He’d purchased his bike just weeks before and had never bike toured. He carried only a minimalist’s ration of climbing gear and knew ten words of Kyrgyz vocabulary.
The Summit - The deadliest day on the worlds most dangerous mountain. In the summer of 2008, around 70 people from 15 separate expeditions attempted to climb world's second highest summit, K2. 11 climbers lost their lives, making it the worst K2 climbing disaster in history. Piecing together interviews with survivors combined with actual video and beautifully recreated footage, the story that emerges of what happened is at times contradictory but always gripping.
Wide Boyz II - Slender Gentlemen - Premiere of the sequel to Wide Boyz, directed by Paul Diffley and Chris Prescott at Edinburgh based Hot Aches. Wide Boyz scooped the top two spots in our Best Climbing Film category last year for the long and short edit. This time, Sheffield climber Tom Randall and his Peak District partner Pete Whittaker tackle the 8C graded single pitch crack 'The Cobra' in Squamish Canada.
Won't Back Down - Through 20 years of archival footage and photos and intimate interviews with Steve Peat, his family, close friends and competitors, Won’t Back Down takes viewers on a captivating tour of the history of the sport of downhill mountain bike racing and offers a never-before-seen view into the life and legacy of this enduring icon.
Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.