With a busy work life and a fast-paced daily routine, how long has it been since you took time to relax? Too busy for the outdoors—what’s cool and fun to do in the bustling city center?
From May 20 to May 21, the 2017 Banff Outdoor Carnival, jointly organized by Banff China and Esquire China, was held at the vibrant fashion landmark Sanlitun Taikoo Li in the capital, bringing an unconventional outdoor feast to the sweltering city.
Opening Ceremony: A stunning opening performance kicked off this year’s Banff Outdoor Carnival
The opening show brought together many top domestic and international outdoor sports guests. It started with extreme trampoline performances by Andrew and Nina combined with parkour by Wang Weiqiang’s Super Team, followed by a bike trials show by China’s top trials rider Zhang Jingkun, and then a dynamic longboard performance by China’s leading longboarders Onion, Duoduo, and Luyao. The audience’s enthusiasm was instantly ignited.
Trampoline master Andrew Seed’s trampoline performance
At the opening ceremony, Tina Qian Haiying, founder of Banff China, announced the grand opening of the 2017 Banff Outdoor Carnival. Canadian Ambassador John McCallum, Alberta Province Counsellor Winston Kan, and sponsor representatives including Amer Sports China General Manager Mr. Chen Shaoli, Yunhaiyao Marketing General Manager Ms. Chen Na, and Daqi Finance Asia-Pacific Institutional Business Director Mr. Zeng Yifan also delivered speeches. Banff China ambassadors Fan Lixin, world ice climbing champion Ines Papert, director of Mira Lloyd Belcher, and WildAid China Acting Chief Representative Steve Blake all praised Banff China’s achievements and expressed hopes for the event and the future development of Banff China. Chen Jie, Deputy Marketing Director of Sanlitun Taikoo Li, and Tang Jie, Marketing Director of Esquire, also attended the event.
Group photo of opening ceremony guests
This opening ceremony not only launched the carnival but also marked the beginning of Banff China’s 2017 full-year events. From June to September, exhibitions will be held in five cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. The Adventure Film Masterclass program is in full swing, and environmental initiatives with partners like Friends of Nature and sponsors will promote the message of “reducing the use of single-use plastic products.”
Banff China founder Tina Qian Haiying speaking at the opening ceremony
Tina Qian Haiying, founder of Banff China, outlined Banff’s international status, its development since being introduced to China in 2010, and its impact on audiences and the industry. She also expressed her hope to attract more people in the trendsetting hub of Sanlitun Taikoo Li to embrace outdoor extreme sports as part of their lifestyle, leading a new wave of living through this fresh approach.
Surprise-filled Experience Zone: Big-name performances you can try, bringing outdoor thrills to the urban jungle
The carnival featured a Mountain Zone and an Ocean Zone. From “the depths of the ocean to the heights of the mountains,” there were exciting performances and workshops on rock climbing, longboarding, trampolining, trail running, bike trials, paddleboard yoga, and more, offering the audience a visual feast. After the excitement and cheers, visitors tried various extreme sports in the experience zone. Highlights included China’s first Kids Parkour Fitness Competition, a fun Couples’ Rock Climbing Competition, and other crowd-pleasers. There were also interactive experiences like DJI VR Skiing, 360-degree camera trials, Trek cycling trainer sessions, and a “City One-Hour” cycling challenge. In this concrete jungle of skyscrapers and traffic, the carnival gave everyone an adrenaline rush.
The fun Couples’ Rock Climbing Competition drew a lively crowd
Paddleboard Yoga workshop was a hit
Insightful Master Classes: Meet the pros, attend workshops, and learn more about the outdoors
For this carnival, Banff China invited top experts from various outdoor fields to share their knowledge in the Banff Master Class series, delivering both professional and entertaining sessions at Sanlitun Red Theatre.
At the sessions, Ines Papert, a 21-time world ice climbing champion, shared the story of how she and Luka Lindic established a new mixed ice-climbing route called “Lost in China” on the southeast face of Kyzyl Asker Peak (5,842m) in the Western Tien Shan range on the border of Kyrgyzstan and China. Lloyd Belcher, director of the 2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival entry Mira, presented behind-the-scenes stories of the film, which follows a Nepali girl who changes her fate through running, achieving world No. 2 ranking in just one year and being hailed as one of the most promising female ultra-runners globally. Renowned Chinese alpine photographer Chen Yewei, popular runners Hui Yu and Shanhu, shared insights from high-altitude photography and trail running. Additionally, China’s first wingsuit pilot Xu Kai, pilot Yang Sheng, cave diver Wang Yuan, and DJI Media CEO Qiao Yan shared captivating stories, along with an eco-talk by The Bulk House. Their presentations were enlightening, and the audience found them highly rewarding.
World ice climbing champion Ines Papert (muse of the 2017 Banff Mountain Film Festival visuals)
Eco-story sharing by The Bulk House
Engaging Screening Session: Fun and informative, covering nature, environmentalism, travel, and family
In addition to the master classes, there were engaging screenings at Red Theatre, such as WildAid’s Wu Xiubo: Night Visit with a Manta Ray, which tells the story of WildAid ambassador Wu Xiubo learning about manta rays’ survival threats and calling for wildlife protection.
Travel expert Lao Ji premiered his documentary Antarctic Preschool, recounting the legendary journey of him and his wife taking their 4-year-old son Xiao Xinxiba to Antarctica.
Meanwhile, at Sanlitun Taikoo Li’s CINKER PICTURES, the Banff Mountain Film Festival highlights screening was hugely popular and hard to get tickets for.
Antarctic Preschool premiere
WildAid special screening of Wu Xiubo: Night Visit with a Manta Ray
Carnival’s first night session: Large-scale laser projection interactive experience Light Animal lets you “safely” get up close with giant marine creatures
Banff China, in collaboration with the China Cetacean Alliance, introduced the large-scale laser projection interactive experience LightAnimal to China for the first time. Through this initiative, they aim to promote wildlife understanding and protection without harming animals or the environment. Many parents brought their children to experience this light-based interaction with massive sea creatures, where kids enjoyed perfect encounters with whales and dolphins.
First LightAnimal experience in China
LightAnimal child interacting with a whale
With the successful conclusion of the 2017 Banff Outdoor Carnival, the national tour of Banff China’s “Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour China,” “International Ocean Film Festival,” “Sunshine Running Film Festival,” “Panshi Film Festival,” and “China Outdoor Image Project” will officially kick off. The “Huangpu First Phase” of China’s adventure film initiative—the Adventure Film Master Class—is also now open for enthusiastic applicants.
We thank all friends who attended or supported us in spirit over the past two days, and we are grateful to the many guests, entrepreneurs, and industry opinion leaders who delivered wonderful presentations at the carnival. We hope to experience the excitement of extreme sports together again in future events.