REVIEW: Banff Mountain Film Festival - Lighthouse Poole

IT'S probably the best adventure you can have without leaving the comfort of your seat!

The Banff Mountain Film Festival, now in its tenth year, is a collection of cutting edge adrenaline- fuelled films selected from the world's most prestigious mountain festival in the Canadian Rockies.

My family have been fans since the tour first came to the UK, and have watched it grow from a side show with a bit of a cult following, to a mainstream event which now brings more than 100 shows to venues across Dorset.

These extraordinary films from some of the world's most intrepid film makers star pioneers and explorers tackling expeditions in some of the most remote and spectacular places on the planet.

But the best part about this festival is the overall message that anyone can have adventures.

One of the films, This Mountain Life, was about Martina who described herself as an asthmatic unsporty child and her 60-year-old mum Tania who embark on an epic ski traverse from Vancouver to Alaska - six months and 2,300km through mountain wilderness.

Another film Ascend starred Jon Wilson who lost his leg to cancer as young man, but hasn't let that stop him tackling tough mountain bike trails.

This is heart-warming, life affirming, inspirational stuff. But don't worry if you missed it. The festival is back with a different collection of films at Lighthouse on March 6 and April 3, the Regent Centre, Christchurch on March 7 and Tivoli Wimborne April 9-10. See banff-uk.com.