Skip to content
Accessibility
Camping, Hiking and Climbing (8)
-
Everest from WithinSylvie Van Brabant & Claude-André Nadon 2001 52 minThis feature-length documentary retraces the journey of 4 Canadians who set off to climb the perilous north side of Mount Everest without the use of oxygen or sherpas. The group's ordeal gives us a rare insight into the human condition under stress, and, while immobilized on the edge of the mountain by extreme weather, we share the tensions that afflict the group's solidarity - threatening the dream of attaining the summit itself. -
How to Climb a MountainWalford Hewitson 1954 30 minIn this short documentary vignette, members of the Alpine Club of Canada display their skill and talk to host Fred Davis about why they climb. The film take us to a ten-thousand-foot peak in Yoho National Park, a practice slope on Grouse Mountain near Vancouver, and a steep precipice known as Devil's Leap, providing ample scope for a demonstration of mountain climbing.
-
Ice BirdsMarc Hébert 1978 15 minCrystal Pillar, White Lady, The Whale--these are the names given by ice-climbing enthusiasts to the spectacular ice formations surrounding Quebec's Montmorency Falls. Ice Birds shows two experienced climbers scaling the breathtaking wall of the Crystal Pillar with precision and considerable daring, appearing from below as black spots on the vast landscape of one of nature's masterpieces. Film without words.
-
The New BoysJohn N. Smith 1974 27 minThis short documentary takes us to St. John's Cathedral Boys' School, at Selkirk, Manitoba, one of the most demanding outdoor schools in North America. As the school can’t accommodate every student wishing to enroll, boys of 13 to 15 years old are put through an initiation tougher than they have ever faced. They paddle canoes through some 500 kilometers of wilderness in 2 weeks, portaging and camping all the way, thereby learning vital outdoor lore, cooperation and self-confidence. The school opened in 1962 on the former Dynevor Indian Hospital, which was operated by the Anglican Church from 1896-1957. In the decades following the release of this film the school was the subject of multiple lawsuits pertaining to sexual assaults that occurred there and even student deaths due to its arduous outdoor activities.
-
Pukaskwa National ParkBill Mason 1983 17 minThis short documentary by Bill Mason explores Pukaskwa National Park on Lake Superior, providing a background of the park's geological past and plant life. The film also shows scenes of hiking, canoeing and camping. The result is to put us back in touch with the natural elements that our ancestors both fought and enjoyed.
-
Summer Is For KidsStanley Jackson 1949 11 minThis short film presents a delightful portrait of a young boy's sojourn at summer camp. In idyllic mid-century fashion, two weeks at a Muskoka summer camp are presented as a welcome respite from the congestion of an urban area. From the preliminary scramble for the upper bunk in the cabin to exploring in the woods, cooking food over a fire, and—most exciting of all—passing the beginner's swimming test, Roger's camp adventures are full of joy, camaraderie, and learning.
-
Sheer SportMarc Hébert 1969 49 minIn this documentary, climbers from the Club de montagne canadien scale a nearly perpendicular wall of Precambrian rock, 65-meters high, in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal. Mini-transmitters carried by the climbers, and daring camerawork, convey every moment of suspense as two men and a woman grope and pull and inch their way upward. Two veteran mountaineers, Fritz Wiessner and John Brett, appear briefly in the film.
-
Thousand Islands SummerRoger Blais 1960 13 minThis is a light-hearted film about a summer camp for young girls and their energetic enthusiasm for outdoor life--swimming, hiking, campfire gatherings. Photographed at Camp Mohawk in the beautiful Thousand Islands holiday area of the St. Lawrence River, this colour film provides a good example of the organization, care and preparation that make a summer camp a happy, healthy experience.
