Banff Mountain Film Festival 2006
Saturday Noon-Hour Seminar — November 4
Hot Topics: Surviving the Survival
12:30 – 1:45 p.m., Max Bell Auditorium, Free
We’ve all heard the stories: epic retreats in screaming winds, high-altitude bivouacs, avalanches, frostbite, plane crashes. Some people survive — and others do not. The devastation for the loved ones of the deceased is profound, but what about the survivors? How do they accept their own good fortune, while simultaneously grieving the loss of their partners or friends? How do they move on, ensuring that this new beginning of the rest of their life is positive and productive? Our four panelists have faced these issues — they are the survivors.
Simone Moro: Italian Himalayan climber whose best-known survival ordeal was Christmas Day on Annapurna in the company of his closest friend, Anatoli Boukreev. Simone survived; Anatoli did not.
Rick Ridgeway: Twenty years ago, in the wake of a massive and terrifying avalanche, Ridgeway cradled his dying friend Jonathan in his arms and pledged to keep watch over Jonathan’s infant daughter, Asia.
Nando Parrado: Dropped into a drama that transcended comprehension, he survived one of the most famous tragedies in aviation history and, in the process, managed a rescue for the few who were still alive.
Edurne Pasaban: This Basque über-alpinist has climbed eight 8000-metre peaks and is one of two surviving women to have summited K2.
Moderated by Geoff Powter.