Predictably after our Cory Pass exertions we opted for a lazy morning. In fact a lazy day altogether. Mickey has gym membership at the Banff Springs Hotel and had offered to take us to the hotel pool to enjoy the Spring waters. We arranged that Mickey would take a break from his office to have lunch with us at the hotel. The views of Tunnel, Sulphur and Rundle mountains from the terrace made it easy to see why they built this dominating hotel here. After lunch Mickey left us but not before taking us, as guests, into the hotel pool where we swam and relaxed for a couple of hours. We both enjoyed the warm, mineral water, 32m pool and spring water hot tub although Jill put in considerably more and faster lengths than Dave did! Jill shouldn't have been surprised that her arms ached, she can't recall when she last swam in earnest, but she was!

Gaye had been keen to see some mountain films showing at the Banff Centre and wanted some company and we'd said we'd be pleased to see them too. As ever Mickey was a top host and invited us round to dinner first. Gaye lives in Canmore so she offered to drive. We enjoyed the warm evening sun and delicious BBQ bison steaks (can't get more free-range than that) on Mickey's balcony deck. This was all enhanced by Dave not having to drive and so enjoying a beverage or two.

We'd been warned to wrap up well for the outdoor film showing, in the Shaw Amphitheatre, which didn't start until 9.30pm. The Banff Centre (http://www.banffcentre.ca/about/) specialises in creative arts with a mountain theme and the event was billed as the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival Summer Screening: Adventure Under the Stars.

The first film, "The Equation", 
was a unique, somewhat pythonesque and wacky story of "adventure botanist" Dr. Julian Desvaux and his search for beauty in the form of a flower - the Breathing Orchid. Gaye and Jill were both a little disappointed that this was more surrealism than actual documentary but Dave had not had any expectations and enjoyed. "Mountains in Motion" 
was a local production using time-lapse photography to showcase the Canadian Rockies. Interesting to see the rapidly changing moods and seasons but no story as such.

We agreed that the highlight film of the evening was the final one. "Crossing the Ice
" was a warts and all documentary recording 2012 
Australian adventurers, James Castrission and Justin Jones, taking on the perilous journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and back again, completely unassisted - basically just two seemingly ordinary young Aussies dragging their food and shelter across 1140 kilometres of barren ice. Cas and Jonesy seemed so laid back and relaxed; they'd never skied before deciding to take this on! However, they had clearly got prepared and well-equipped so were not by any means just the happy-go-lucky characters they played up to on camera. The film has a twist in that on arriving in the Antarctic their exploits have an eerie similarity to Captain Scott's race to the South Pole: there's a Norwegian on the ice. He's more experienced, he's tackling the same record, and he has a couple of days' head start. We would not want to spoil your enjoyment of the outcomes so if you want to know who survives/wins you should look out for the film. Who knows it may play at the Kendal/Rheghed Mountain Film Festival sometime in the future......