This year's selection of films was unusually good, possibly the best I've seen - Radical Reels. Special mention to Into Twin Galaxies which was the equivalent of three top-grade adventure films in one.

I quite enjoyed this year's Banff Mountain Film Festival - particularly the winner featuring a pair of Norwegian guys spending a year surfing up above the Arctic Circle called "North of the Sun".

One of my yearly traditions is to go and see the Banff Mountain Film Festival. I found this year's set of movies a little repetitive (much as I like Alex Honnold climbing, Russ Sturges paddling and Danny MacAskill doing tricks on his mountain bike I've seen their stuff plenty of times before) - there were a few interesting films though.

The overall winner was a pair of Australian dudes wandering around Antarctica (less successfully than a random norwegian guy it must be said) - Crossing The Ice.

Aussie adventurers James Castrission and Justin Jones embark upon a perilous 2275km journey across Antarctica in a race to become the first people to man-haul their way from the icy continent's rim to the South Pole and back, completely unassisted. In the past, a handful of hopefuls have attempted the feat, but none have succeeded. Dragging their food and supplies across the unforgiving landscape, in temperatures as low as -40°C, the pair experiences the peaks and troughs of being alone and unsupported in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Their journey heats up when they discover their record attempt is in jeopardy; there's a Norwegian on the ice. He's more experienced, he's tackling same route, and he has a head start.

This dog had me (and most of the audience) laughing out loud - Lily Shreds Trailside.

Every serious mountain-bike rider needs a mascot, and Lily the Jack Russell Terrier is on the road to becoming just that. As the star of this film, Lily leaves only dust behind her as she does what she loves best: chasing bikes. Hot on the tail of a rider carving out new lines in Utah, USA, Lily clears a double jump, attempts a wall ride and ultimately, proves that downhill mountain-bike trails were not only made for wheels; paws can do the trick as well.

And lastly, the landscape at the bottom of the Grand Canyon held a lot of novelty value for me - Last of the great unknown.

One of the last places in the American West left to be explored, the Grand Canyon is an immense landscape filled with sweeping vistas. Almost unfathomable in scale, its vast wilderness is home to a labyrinth of concealed tributaries that hide some of the region's most remarkable formations. Led by Richard Rudow, who has clocked up some 70 first descents in the Grand Canyon, a team of seasoned canyoners ventures deep inside these slots to locations where no humans have set foot before.

One of my annual traditions is to go and see each year's Banff Mountain Film Festival.

This year's episode was as good as any, featuring some nifty urban skiing in Canada and some Nepalese guys paragliding down from the top of Mt Everest.

The two standout films from my point of view were "Kadoma", looking at some kayakers taking on first the White Nile then the Congo river, and "Sketchy Andy", highlighting the amazing skills and lunatic stunts of "professional slackliner" Andy Lewis.

The other half of the Banff Mountain Film festival is touring Australia now - Radical Reels.

Every year, the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival presents the wildly popular Radical Reels night – a presentation of the best high-adrenaline films entered into the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival competition. Inspired by the excitement of the Festival event, the Radical Reels Tour has been travelling with a selection of the hottest action sports films since 2004.

The Radical Reels program is made up of short, action-packed climbing, paddling, mountain biking, BASE jumping, skiing, snowboarding, and other adrenaline sport films. We always keep an eye out for films that feature a fresh approach, a new sport, and a radically independent spirit.

I went to see this year's Banff Mountain Film Festival recently which was entertaining as always.

The films featured (at least the ones I remember) are listed below - the kayak guys probably made the biggest impression, largely due to the insanity of what they were doing (with a honorary award to the old Kiwis and some of their amazing footage from the 1970's - AJ Hackett is a funny guy)...

Dream Result - "Top whitewater paddlers travel the world to explore the limits of possibility"

Last Paradise - "Travels through almost 50 years of adventure in the remotest regions of New Zealand"

Euli Steck - The Swiss Machine - "A record-breaking speed alpinist takes his high-speed game to Yosemite"

Life Cycles - "This beautiful celebration of the bicycle is sure to amaze anyone who has ridden one"

Azadi: Freedom - "Skiing plays a role in rebuilding tourism in a country torn by a bloody insurgency"

Into Darkness - "Cavers discover a fantastic world unlike anything we experience on the surface"

The Longest Way - "A one-year walk from Beijing to Urumqi, condensed into five minutes"

Sorry for the mid-week break - I went to see the Banff Mountain Film Festival last night which is worth a look if you like adventure sports.

Some of the films included Dan Heaton showing his unicycle skills, John Silvester doing some high altitude paragliding with a reluctant and increasingly worried cameraman ("Birdman of the Karakorum"), some Vancouver mountain bikers ("Kranked - Revolve"), Alex Honnold climbing the Yosemite half dome in under 3 hours without gear ("Alone on the wall") and the entertaining (but probably faked for a Microsoft ad) Project Megawoosh .