Media Release
For immediate
release
September 2, 2006
Canadian mountain centre receives prestigious mountain award
The Mountain Culture division of The Banff Centre was awarded a 2006 King Albert Mountain Award today at a ceremony in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This prestigious award, administered by the King Albert I Memorial Foundation, honours “individuals or institutions who have distinguished themselves through exceptional achievements in the mountain world.” In its announcement, the Foundation acknowledged Mountain Culture for its “broad and worldwide known mountain programs and… Bernadette McDonald and Leslie Taylor for their outstanding leadership of this unique mountain institution.”
The King Albert Mountain Award was presented to McDonald and Taylor at an awards ceremony at the Segantini Museum in St. Moritz. Established in 1993, the King Albert Mountain Award commemorates the mountaineering and humanitarian achievements of King Albert I, king of the Belgians from 1909 to 1934. Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre is the first North American institution to receive the award.
Bernadette McDonald is the former vice-president of Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, and within that division was also the director of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals until her retirement earlier this year. During her 18 years at the helm of the film festival, it grew from a weekend event to a twelve-month, global touring program with an international program of films, authors, speakers, and exhibitions spanning seven continents. McDonald is the editor or co-editor of a number of books, including Voices From the Summit, Extreme Landscape, and Whose Water Is It? and the author of I’ll Call You in Kathmandu: The Elizabeth Hawley Story.
Leslie Taylor is associate director, Mountain Environment for the Mountain Culture division. She is the lead editor of Human Use Management in Mountain Areas, Ecological and Earth Sciences in Mountain Areas, and Sustainable Mountain Communities, represents North America on the international board of the Mountain Forum, and was the mayor of Banff, Alberta, from 1989 to 1995.
The Centre’s Mountain Culture programming promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share and find inspiration in mountain experiences, ideas, and visions. Programs include the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals and Photography Competition, Banff Mountain Summits, Mountain Communities Conferences, filmmaker, writing, and photography workshops, plus mountain grants and archives.
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Media Contact
Jill Sawyer
Media and Communications Officer, The Banff Centre
403.762.6475
