Noon: Papiroflexia; Saving Luna
3:30 p.m.: Committed 2: Grit Kids; Grand Canyon Adventure — River at Risk; Tracking the White Reindeer
7:30 p.m.: Mountain Town: Chispas de la Vida; Stranded — I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains…

Eric Harvie Theatre, $9/screening

The 2008 Banff Mountain Festivals begin with an incredible collection of feature-length films from around the world, all told through spectacular images and sounds.

Starts at 11:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday

The sale runs in conjunction with the opening weekend of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, in the Eric Harvie Theatre RBC Lobby. Find one-of-a-kind mountain-themed crafts — great gifts for friends, for Christmas, or just for you! 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Noon: The Cable Car; The Last Continent
3:30 p.m.: The Sharp End; Spray: Window of Opportunity; Latitudes
7:30 p.m.: The Cable Car; Greina; Zum Dirtten Pol (To the Third Pole)

Eric Harvie Theatre, $9/screening

The weekend continues with more incredible feature-length films from around the world.

11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Continues

7:30 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre, $18 in advance/$20 day of

Faster, steeper, higher, deeper! Grab your tickets and hang on to your seats as we present the world’s best skiing, boarding, climbing, biking, and kayaking films!

7:30 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre, $16

7:30 p.m.

Sid Marty debuted the Banff Mountain Book Festival in 1994, and is back this fall to celebrate its 15th anniversary with a look back on 15 (and more!) years of inspiring mountain stories.

7:30 p.m.

John Vaillant calls British Columbia’s Muskwa-Kechika wilderness area “arguably the biggest well-kept secret in North America.” Conservationist Wayne Sawchuk is its most eloquent spokesperson. Both will be in Banff to share the story of their four-week journey across the 6.4 million-hectare area.

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Max Bell Auditorium
$30/day (not including Literary Lunch Break)

9:00 – 10:10 a.m.

At age 23, Dawa Steven Sherpa brings fresh new ideas to the mountaineering forum. His first ascent to the top of Everest in May 2007 set him on a quest to discover the effects of climate change on the Himalayas.

10:30 – 11:40 a.m.

Jennifer Lowe suffered a tragic loss when her husband, climbing legend Alex Lowe, was killed in an avalanche on Tibet’s Shishapangma in 1999. In her new book, Forget Me Not, A Memoir, she offers a portrait of Alex Lowe, and explores her loss, her recovery, and the redemptive power of love.

Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Donald Cameron Hall Dining Room — $20 (includes lunch)

Maria Coffey is no stranger to the Festival. In her latest book, Explorers of the Infinite, she investigates how extreme risk-taking allows athletes and mountaineers to push into new realms of consciousness, and what they encounter there.

1:30 – 2:40 p.m.

Dr. Zeb Hogan is an aquatic ecologist with a big goal: find the world’s largest freshwater fish before they disappear forever. Through National Geographic’s Megafishes Project, Hogan will document the world’s largest freshwater fish — from catfish as large as grizzlies to stingrays that could cover a minivan.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Lynn Martel has interviewed dozens of self-propelled adventurers. In her first book, Expedition to the Edge — Stories of Worldwide Adventure, she has assembled 59 compelling and entertaining stories that capture the exploits, hardships, fears, and personal insights of a who’s who of contemporary adventurers.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Free admission

Join us for a reception to celebrate the launch of Lynn Martel’s Expedition to the Edge in the lobby of the Max Bell. Enjoy a glass of wine, get your book signed, and say hello to some of the adventurers featured in Martel's book.

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Max Bell Building

The Mountain Book Fair features the latest titles in mountain literature, as well as maps, photographs, archival material, antiquarian books, and book signings by famous and soon-to-be famous mountain authors.

7:30 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre — $16

7:30 p.m.

Mountaineer and journalist Topher Donahue will use world-class photography to showcase a 50-hour non-stop free climb; an epic 100-mile ultra-marathon; choker powder skiing; and how small mountain towns are the greatest places on earth to call home.

7:30 p.m.

Winners of the competition will be announced.

7:30 p.m.

Dr. Geoff Tabin knows first-hand that a life of adventure can be combined with human service. Through the Himalayan Cataract Project, he restores sight to tens of thousands of people every year, changing the lives of the Nepali and Tibetan people in the process.

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Max Bell Room 252

Join representatives from Rocky Mountain Books, The Mountaineers Books, Hutchison/Random House UK, and National Geographic Books for an information session on how to get your book published.

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Max Bell Auditorium
$30/day (not including Literary Lunch Break)

9:00 – 10:10 a.m.

When writer, climber, and guide Majka Burhardt first went to Ethiopia, she discovered an endless landscape of rock in a country best known for drought, famine, and war. In Vertical Ethiopia she examines what it takes to juggle fear, success, and global consciousness in the high desert of Ethiopia.

10:30 – 11:40 a.m.

In the 1970s, in between climbing trips that established him as one of the leading alpinists of his generation, Michael Kennedy crafted Climbing magazine into the world’s premier climbing publication.

Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Donald Cameron Hall Dining Room — $20 (includes lunch)

Best known as one of the guides who perished near the summit of Mount Everest during the tragic spring of 1996, Scott Fischer became for many an iconic symbol of audacity, hubris, and the limits of human endurance. In a vivid, candid biography, Robert Birkby — one of Fischer’s close friends — gives us a fascinating, in-depth portrait of who Scott Fischer really was and what led him to the top of the world in Mountain Madness.

1:30 – 2:40 p.m.

Bernadette McDonald has led a life full of adventure and encounters with remarkable mountaineers. Her latest book, Tomaž Humar, is the gripping story of one of the world’s most notorious alpine climbers.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

In 2006, author, photographer, and adventurer Jon Waterman joined a National Geographic-sponsored expedition across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 19.2 million acres. He has created of an exhibition of photographs and artifacts on the conservation of the region. The changing politics of the U.S. now present the opportunity to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Jon will be signing his book Where Mountains Are Nameless: Passion and Politics in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at the opening of the photo exhibition Journey through the Arctic Refuge."

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Max Bell Building Husky Energy Foyer, Free

Journey through the Arctic Refuge, photographs by John Burcham, Jon Waterman., George Schaller, and Forrest McCarthy.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Max Bell Building Husky Energy Foyer, Free

Jon Waterman, Christian Beckwith, Robert Birkby, Majka Burhardt, Betsy and Nick Clinch, Topher Donahue, Ed Douglas, Maurice Isserman, Mark Jenkins, Michael Kodas, Jennifer Lowe-Anker, Lynn Martel, Sid Marty, Bernadette McDonald, Geoff Powter, Wayne Sawchuk, Geoff Tabin, Gordon Wiltsie and others. Cash bar.

Starting at 8:00 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre, Margaret Greenham Theatre, and Max Bell  Auditorium

8:00 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre
$32

In the mid-1960s, climber Peter Habeler forged a partnership with Reinhold Messner that would make them the founding fathers of lightweight, alpine style climbing. Using the latest technical equipment, the duo set the standard for fast and light ascents on difficult routes.

A selection of films in competition will also be screened.
Sponsored by Mountain Equipment Co-op.

8:00 p.m.

Margaret Greenham Theatre
Tickets $32
A selection of films will be screened.

8:00 p.m.

Max Bell, $20

Get revved up for the coming ski season with steep-and-deep films sure to get your adrenaline going. Sponsored in part by Lake Louise Mountain Resort.

7 p.m. Friday, through 4:30 p.m. Sunday

Planning on buying gear this year? Thinking about taking a trip to get away from it all? Want to learn more about mountain organizations in your area? You need to stop by the Mountain Trade Show and Book Fair at the Banff Mountain Festivals!

9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

$45 / day

Program A shown in the Eric Harvie Theatre and Max Bell Auditorium.
Program B shown in the Margaret Greenham Theatre.

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

12:30 – 1:45 p.m.

Max Bell Auditorium

Our panelists will share their thoughts on the past, present and future of K2, along with the role of the media in shaping the public’s perception of Himalayan climbing.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Exhibition Opening and Reception
Sally Borden Building, free

Start at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets $32
Eric Harvie Theatre, Margaret Greenham Theatre, and Max Bell Auditorium

8:00 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre (live)
Tickets $32

Since the early days, alpinist Jim Donini has focused on big wall alpine style routes. He has made first ascents in Patagonia and Alaska, including the notorious Torre Egger, and most recently the southernmost Avellano Tower in Chilean Patagonia.

A selection of films in competition will also be screened.
Sponsored by Mountain Equipment Co-op.

8:00 p.m.

Margaret Greenham Theatre
Tickets $32

9:00 p.m

Eric Harvie and Margaret Greenham theatres

Presentation of this year’s award to Raphael Slawinski.

8:00 p.m.

Max Bell Auditorium
Tickets $32

Instantly bewitched by Antarctica on his first visit in 1987, Gordon Wiltsie has returned to the southernmost continent a dozen times, reveling in the solitude and emptiness that can be found in few other places on earth. He will share stories and photos from his many journeys to the end of the earth.

9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

$45

Program A shown in the Margaret Greenham Theatre.
Program B shown in the Eric Harvie Theatre and Max Bell Auditorium.

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

12:30 – 1:45 p.m.

Max Bell Auditorium, Free

Our panelists have some shared and some diverging views about the present situation, about China’s Olympic bid pledge to improve human rights, and about the future outlook for this beloved home to the world’s tallest mountain.

7:30 p.m.

Eric Harvie Theatre, $25

Introduction of the international jury and announcement of the 2008 Banff Mountain Film Festival awards. Screening of the winning films.

November 1 – 9

Photo exhibition from Jon Waterman.
Max Bell Building Husky Energy Foyer