Andreu Lacondeguy catches air in ‘Lacon de Catalonia,’ the opening film of the Radical Reels festival at the Rio Saturday.
Double-check Andreu Lacondeguy for wings on his back, because the mountain biker likes to get high.
“Big is better,” says Lacondeguy in Lacon de Catalonia, the opening film at this weekend’s Radical Reels film festival at the Rio. “More time. Something goes wrong, you see it. You can extend the tricks way more. You can fit more shit into a trick, and it’s way more fun.” It’s fun for the audience, too, as he pulls off amazing superman tricks and backflips, on both his mountain bike and a motorcycle, in his dirt park outside Barcelona.
The little sister of Banff Mountain Film Festival (which arrives in Santa Cruz each winter), Radical Reels showcases the best in new adventure sports films, and celebrates two things: going fast and getting air. Lacon de Catalonia has both those extreme sports qualities in spades.
The next film keeps that pace. Freestyle skiers in the 14-minute cut of Being There launch off one steep snow ramp after another, spinning after each jump, as they cruise down the steady slope of a white mountain in front of a stunning panorama of a Nordic river.
Next is Wingsuit Downhill Target Punch: Alexander Polli has a way of taking badass-ery to a new level and then jumping off of it. Soaring in his wingsuit through steep, picturesque canyons, he challenges the barriers of what’s possible in human flight.
But this isn’t all fun and games. In a surprising twist, Of Souls+Water Shapeshifter puts a philosophical spin on the sport of whitewater kayaking as a deep voice contemplates the existence of magic, alchemy and “the supernatural.” Rave music and intriguing cinematography are included.
But now it’s time for personality profiles. The audience meets two young climbers, a driven bookworm on break from school and a buff guy in a bathrobe, each with a unique approach to rock climbing. When Santa Cruz native Chris Sharma and Adam Ondra go on a trip together in Reel Rock 7: La Dura Dura, it doesn’t take long for a friendly climb to turn into a competition, although neither one of them would ever call it that.
After an intermission, Where the Trail Ends picks up where the adventure left off—on steep, un-groomed cliffs. In this flick, world-class mountain bikers head to China and Argentina on mountainous lands untapped by other free-riders. Picture what extreme skiers do as they speed down steep walls of snow and ice. That’s what Andreu Lacondeguy and his friends are doing on sandy cliffs in 115 degree desert heat—even throwing in jumps when they come across natural ramps. When they fall, they somersault.
Then back to Spain. In Endless Roads, seven beautiful Spanish women on long boards haul down a steep, windy mountain road in Mallorca that resembles Santa Cruz’s Empire Grade—both in its frightening curves and its scenery.
Jeremy Jones, the focus of Further, has another winter adventure for us. He insists on hiking to summits alone with his snowboarding gear on his back, even when it means tunneling his own path. The payoff is in the near-vertical declines as he tears down powdery slopes and puts plumes of snow all around him.
Solo trips are one thing, but Whitewater Grand Prix – Big Wave Enduro is all about competition. Some of the world’s best kayakers race down Chilean rapids in this film, and a select group of three pulls into the lead.
As the one-night festival winds to a close, two skiing aerialists wearing sails achieve liftoff in Wanna Ride? Maxence Cavalade and François Bon sail above clouds, dodge dangerous precipices and corkscrew through the air as they explore French Alps.
And lastly, to call Jean-Yves Blondeau a rollerblading daredevil would be an understatement. The French adrenaline junkie has two rollerblades on his chest alone and over 30 wheels on a full-body metal suit that he wears as he lies on his belly to speed down curvy French roads. The Rollerman is as good an end as any to an epic journey around the world.
Radical Reels
Saturday Sep 28, Rio Theatre
8pm, $16
