In 2006, Lincoln Hall fulfilled a lifelong dream to reach the summit of Everest. One of Australia’s most accomplished mountaineers, his climbing career had already spanned three decades when he set out to reach the world’s highest peak. On his descent, Hall was overcome with altitude sickness, and despite hours of effort by his Sherpa guides to revive him, he was pronounced dead and left on the mountain. The next morning, a group of climbers heading for the summit was startled to find Hall sitting upright on the summit ridge, saying “I imagine you are surprised to see me here.”
This fall, Hall brings his new memoir, Dead Lucky, to the Banff Mountain Festivals, a tale of the spectacular fortune and terrible tragedy that have marked his adventures in the mountains. Running October 27 to November 4, the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the Banff Mountain Book Festival present a world-class lineup of mountaineers, outdoor athletes, filmmakers, authors, photographers, and thousands of enthusiastic audience members at one of the mountain community’s biggest events of the year
Speakers and presenters for the 2007 festivals include high-altitude mountaineer Ed Viesturs, the first American climber to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, a feat he completed without the use of supplemental oxygen. Viesturs returns to Banff with his memoir, No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World’s 14 Highest Peaks.
On Wednesday, October 31, British environmentalist and adventurer David de Rothschild will present the latest news and images from expeditions with his organization Adventure Ecology, which is devoted to raising public awareness of climate change and other environmental issues through high-profile expeditions. Also on the bill October 31 is John Harlin III, editor of the American Alpine Journal and author of the recent memoir The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain That Killed My Father. The story of Harlin’s return to the Eiger is the subject of the new IMAX film The Alps, which will screen at the festival on Friday, November 2.
On November 2, climber and psychologist Geoff Powter will talk with Yosemite legend Jim Bridwell for the festival’s tenth annual Voices of Adventure interview. One of the week’s most anticipated events, this interview will delve into the accomplishments of a climber with more than 100 Yosemite first-ascents to his name. Later that evening, Polish mountaineer Krzysztof Wielicki will present a selection of stories from his more than three decades as an alpinist. The fifth person in the world to climb all 14 of the 8000-metre peaks, Wielicki completed six of them solo, and three as first winter ascents.
Created more than 30 years ago, the Banff Mountain Film Festival has become the premier event of its kind in the world. The festival showcases the best films on mountain subjects – alpinism, culture, environment, and sport – and attracts the best in mountaineering, adventure filmmaking, and extreme sports as presenters and speakers. More than 50 films will screen during the nine-day festival, and an international jury will award prizes in the categories of climbing, sport, environment, culture, short, and feature-length.
Each year, running concurrently with the film festival, the Banff Mountain Book Festival brings the spirit of outdoor adventure and the tradition of mountain literature to Banff, uniting writers, publishers, editors, photographers, and readers. Featuring guest speakers, readings, seminars, an international book competition, a book fair, and book signings and launches, the book festival is now in its 14th year.
For high resolution photos of Banff Mountain Festivals speakers and guests:
http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/media/images/2007/guests.asp
For media accreditation for the 2007 Banff Mountain Festivals:
https://secure.banffcentre.ca/mc/media/accred.htm
For a complete schedule for the Banff Mountain Festivals:
http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/
