Media Release

September 30, 2009
High resolution photos available
Media accreditation and tickets

Elite climbers Chris Sharma and Ueli Steck headline 2009 Banff Mountain Festivals

Speakers include Royal Robbins, conservationist Mike Fay, extreme athlete Karina Hollekim and ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes
Banff Mountain Film Festival • October 31 to November 8
Banff Mountain Book Festival • November 5 to 6
The Banff Centre • Banff, Alberta, Canada
Tickets and information: 403.762.6301 or 1.800.413.8368
Complete schedule
A presentation of Mountain Culture and Environment at The Banff Centre

At the age of 14, Chris Sharma won the US Bouldering Nationals. A year later, he completed a 5.14c climb, which was the highest-rated climb in the American rating system at the time. Now 28, Sharma’s reign in sport climbing and bouldering continues to be one of firsts, setting new standards and breaking records around the world. His historic ascent in 2001 of a route he called Realization, was the first confirmed 5.15a in the world. “He has everything,” says 2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival jury member Kerrie Long. “He’s young, talented, beautiful and articulate. And yet, this is a gritty story of persistence and determination — he’s always reaching for the route he might not be able to do.”

On Thursday, November 5, Sharma will be sharing stories, pictures and film clips as one of several elite climbers and adventurers headlining the 2009 Banff Mountain Festivals, speaking on expeditions past, present, and future. Running October 31 to November 8, the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the Banff Mountain Book Festival will bring together a world-class lineup of mountaineers, adventurers, outdoor athletes, filmmakers, environmental leaders, authors, photographers, and thousands of enthusiastic audience members to one of the mountain community’s biggest events of the year.

Along with Sharma, speakers for the 2009 Festival include climber Ueli Steck, who will present on Friday, November 6. One of the world’s top alpinists, known for his record speed ascents, Steck won two major awards this year. He received the Piolet d’Or for his first alpine-style ascent of the north face of Tengkampoche (6500m) in Nepal’s Khumbu Valley. He was also given The Alpine Club’s ‘Spirit of Mountaineering’ award for his key role in the attempt to rescue mountaineer Inaki Ochoa at 7400 metres on Annapurna in 2008.

Speaking on Saturday, November 7, best-selling author Dean Karnazes is known as the ‘Ultra-Marathon Man’ for expanding the limits of human endurance. He once ran a 200-mile relay, solo, and has completed a 350-mile run. Recently, Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, ending with the New York City marathon, which he completed in three hours and 30 seconds.

On Thursday, November 5, conservationist Mike Fay will present on his explorations among the world’s tallest trees. With a career in environmental science that spans 25 years, Fay’s latest book, Redwood Transect tracks a 1,000-km walk through the entire range of the California redwood forests. Best known for the megatransect, his 2,000-mile walk through the heart of Africa, the National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence has spent his career on projects that have led to seemingly impossible victories for environmental stability in unique ecosystems.

Legendary ‘clean climber’ and prolific author Royal Robbins, known for being one of the first advocates of boltless, pitonless climbing, will bring the first of his memoirs, My Life, to the Banff Mountain Book Festival on Friday, November 6. The Festival is rounded out with talks by explorers, adventurers, and athletes including mountaineer and author Steve House, whose most recent book is Beyond the Mountain, wildlife photographer Steve Winter, whose rare shots of snow leopards in Ladakh made the June 2008 issue of National Geographic, and athlete Karina Hollekim, a climber, extreme skier, and BASE jumper best-known to Banff audiences as the subject of the award-winning films Fatima’s Hand and 20 Seconds of Joy. 

On the evening of Sunday, November 8, an international jury will announce the winners of the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival, followed by a screening of some of the winning films.

Created 34 years ago, the Banff Mountain Film Festival has become the premier event of its kind in the world. The Festival showcases the best films from around the world 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 be screened during the eight-day Festival, and an international jury will award prizes for the best films 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 celebrates its 16th year in 2009.

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For more information on Mountain Culture and Environment at The Banff Centre:
http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/

Interviews, photos, media tickets:
Jill Sawyer • Media & Communications Officer, The Banff Centre
jill_sawyer@banffcentre.ca • 403.762.6475 • www.banffcentre.ca

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is presented by National Geographic and The North Face, sponsored by Deuter, Outdoor Research (OR), Parks Canada, Three Cups of Tea, Polartec, and PrimaLoft, with support from MSR, Fernie Alpine Resort, PETZL, World Expeditions, Mountain Hardwear, Mountain Equipment Co-op, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and The Calgary Herald.

The Banff Mountain Book Festival is presented by National Geographic and Redwood Creek Wines, sponsored by Deuter, Outdoor Research (OR), Three Cups of Tea, Parks Canada, and PrimaLoft, with support from Alpine Club of Canada, Café Books, The Candadian Broadcasting Corporation and The Calgary Herald.