Shap 4 - the Rainchasers organised International Kayak Film Festival has been and gone. There were a variety of films on show, from the huge waterfalls run by the Hucking Huge and Demshitz teams, through to Dave Biggins' 'Another Dagger Day, showcasing some of the hardest white water on offer in Scotland. It was good to see kayakers from both sides of the pond running lines at the cutting edge of the sport.

Winners from the Rainchasers / Pyranha / Windermere Canoe Kayak short film competition were shown, with Ando's 'Cold Hands' the overall winner.

This short film, which showed Ando's handpaddling descent of the Rheinfall, wowed the audience of Shap village hall. Jonny Briggs' film, 'Progress', was a short story of his development from a complete novice through to a more experienced kayaker, whilst 'Dogumentation' filmed a day on the river, where slightly more unusual obstacles were encountered (see all the entries here).

The main feature of the night though was Kent Ford's 'Call of The River'. This was a clipped down version of the full DVD (BUY HERE - last few copies remaining...!) which was shown at our Solstice Race this summer. It was humbling to watch this film again, which shows how the sport developed from it's grassroots beginnings through to the many disciplines we have today, and in many ways unites the different aspects of paddlesport, common goals, achievements and enjoyment from travelling with kayak, canoe or raft. It was so different to the other films shown, and is a must watch for any paddler.

One of the best aspects of the Shap Film Fest is that it gives a venue for paddlers, both local and from afar, to meet up and share the enjoyment we all take from our sport. Of course, any money raised goes into the Rainchasers kitty to improve the website, advance river level information etc etc, so attending is both fun and beneficial! We were again happy to show our support to Ned and Rainchasers, and thank him for putting in the effort to continue driving Rainchasers forward and pulling this event together. We look forward to seeing you there next year!

Take a look at the Rainchasers site, and Ned's view of the films and the evening here.