The Banff Mountain Festival is the foremost showcase for mountain and adventure films in the world. Founded by Canada's Banff Centre, an arts and culture institution in Alberta, the Mountain Festival features films (dubbed "Radical Reels") on everything from skydiving to ice climbing to skateboarding to rafting (basically anything extreme a person can do on, near, or above mountains).

Photo from the film Eastern Rises, a 2010 festival winner.

The main event is held each fall in Canada, but various venues in the United States also take part in the festival's world tour. New York City residents can catch a selection of films this Sunday and Monday, but the tour will also be traveling to points South later this Spring. Mountain-friendly spots in Georgia (Atlanta), North Carolina (Brevard, Charlotte), South Carolina (Columbia, Greenville), Tennessee (Knoxville), and other Southern states will host screenings. Check out the full schedule here.

As I was doing the research on Banff and mountain culture, I came across an almost-complete set of Summit magazine. The climbing and adventure lifestyle publication is no longer in publication, but it continues to offer endless inspiration for outdoor enthusiasts.

Click through a gallery of photos below.