Mountain Culture and Environment Speakers’ Series

Raphael Slawinski: Pumari Chhish East, Karakorum

Tuesday, September 8, 7:30 p.m.
Max Bell Auditorium
$12 in advance at The Banff Centre Box Office and at the door
Mountain Culture Members Free

With the support of The Alpine Club of Canada

Join us for a presentation by world-renowned Canadian climber Raphael Slawinski as he shares stories and images from his summer 2009 expedition to the Hispar region of the Pakistani Karakoram.

In 2006, Calgary climber Raphael Slawinski, along with Eamonn Walsh, Ian Wested, and Ben Firth, traversed the Hispar Glacier in Pakistan’s Karakorum range, and completed a first ascent of 6164m Ali Chhish. As winners of the 2008 John Lauchlan Award, this summer, Slawinski and his team attempted the notoriously difficult 7000+m peak Pumari Chhish East in the same range. The ascent includes 2400m of continuous technical mixed climbing at high altitude. On September 8, Slawinski will present a talk on both ascents as part of The Banff Centre’s Mountain Speakers’ Series.

A physics instructor at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Slawinski has conquered some of the most challenging routes in the world. He’s logged first ascents on the west face of Mount Alberta (with Eamonn Walsh), a new traditional rock route on Banff’s Mount Rundle (with Eric Dumerac), the northeast face of Mount Andromeda (with Scott Semple), and the east face of MountChephren (with Jim Sevigny), among many climbs — ice, traditional, sport, and mixed. He and his team won the Alpine Club of Canada’s John Lauchlan Award in 2008 for their Karakorum expedition this summer.

The Mountain Culture and Environment Speakers’ Series is Sponsored by The Juniper.

This September 8 event is supported by The Alpine Club of Canada.