Climber to Tell Story of Borneo Adventure
Sam Lightner, Jr., All Elevations Unknown
Wednesday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.
Max Bell Auditorium

In the spring of 1999, armed with little more than a description from a book and a map labeled "all elevations unknown," Sam Lightner, Jr. and his German rock-climbing buddy, Volker, set off into the jungles of Borneo on a mission to climb a mountain that was only rumored to exist. Lightner tells the story of their quest in his book All Elevations Unknown, published by Broadway Books. On Wednesday, September 12, join Sam Lightner as he recreates his journey at the first Banff Centre for Mountain Culture Speakers’ Night of the 2001/2002 season.

For internationally renowned rock climber Sam Lightner, the black-and-white photograph in an old French Atlas was a tempting challenge. Simply captioned "Mount Lawit, Borneo," the image of the tall, spindly spire, its perfectly sheer sides shrouded in mist, was just the kind of adventure Lightner sought.

When they set off on to find Batu Lawi, the local name for the mountain, Lightner and his companion had only their climbing expertise to rely on and a copy of a little-known book titled World Within, written by Major Tom Harrisson, a British World War II soldier who had been one of the first white men ever to explore the interior jungles of the island and interact with its native peoples.

In 1944, Harrisson was given the near-impossible task of parachuting into the island’s thickly forested interior to head up a small commando force. Their mission: to gather intelligence on Borneo’s Japanese invaders and help reclaim the island for the Allies. Critical to this plan was giving the Allied pilots a marker, a beacon that would break through the area’s constant cloud cover. The British found their answer in a spear-shaped pinnacle that rose above the mists, to which they gave the name Peak 200.

All Elevations Unknown weaves together the story of Lightner’s Borneo expedition with that of Harrisson. These two men, separated by more than 50 years and a world of life experiences, are both irresistibly drawn to Batu Lawi.

In pursuit of the elusive mountain, Lightner and his team spent several days hiking dark, soggy trails through a dense forest that left them constantly soaked to the bone. Some of the challenges they faced included: leeches, sweat bees, deadly spitting cobras, poisonous bamboo vipers, wild boar and traversing a mossy log perched 50 precarious feet above a ravine.

Don’t miss this amazing story of adventure in the jungles of Borneo. Lightner’s presentation takes place Wednesday, September 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Max Bell Auditorium. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased at the door.

Copies of All Elevations Unknown will be available at the Banff Book & Art Den, and will be available for purchase and signing by the author at the event.