2015 Banff Mountain Book Competition Awards

Grand Prize

The Phyllis and Don Munday Award 

$4000 - Sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada

Richard Wagamese, Emblem/McClelland & Stewart (CAN, 2014)

“Medicine Walk tells an old kind of tale: a pilgrimage to a special place, powerful stories told along the way, the stitching-up of a ravelled relationship between father and son. In this novel the story is distinctively Canadian, yet relevant to so many mountain cultures, as it speaks of a first nations family – diverted and displaced by recent history – who must re-create a deep connection with one another and with home. That home in the Western Canadian mountains is a central character here. Richard Wagamese gives the rivers, the hillsides, the ridges and the valleys a powerful voice in his beautiful, tragic and hopeful story." 

- Harry Vandervlist, 2015 Book Jury

Adventure Travel

$2000 - Sponsored by the The Juniper Hotel & The Wild Flour Bakery and Café

Jeremy Collins, The Mountaineers Books (USA, 2015)

Mountain Fiction & Poetry

$2000 - Sponsored by Highline Magazine

Richard Wagamese, Emblem/McClelland & Stewart (CAN, 2014)

"The mountains of British Columbia are far more than a setting in Medicine Walk: they have a spiritual role to play in this moving story of a broken family's quest for memory, home, and reconciliation" - Harry Vandervlist, 2015 Book Jury

Mountain & Wilderness Literature - Non Fiction - The Jon Whyte Award

$2000 - Sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Kelly Cordes, Patagonia Books (USA, 2014)

Pride, ambition, achievement, and the weight of a person's word are all entangled - and elegantly untangled - in The Tower, as it tells the story of climbing Cerro Torre, one of the most iconic mountains in the world both fifty years ago and in the present day.  Cordes' impeccable research and journalistic approach provide a comprehensive history never before tackled with such thoroughness and precision. - Majka Burhardt, 2015 Book Jury

Mountain Image

$2000 - Sponsored by Alpinist Magazine

John Griffith, Vertebrate Publishing (UK, 2014)

Alpine Exposures is a collection of impeccable alpine imagery from hard-earned locations throughout the Western alps infused with accounts of the true learning curve and expression of alpinism.  From the Grandes Jorasses to the Aiguille Verte, Griffith manages breathtaking photographs from seemingly impossible positions. - Majka Burhardt, 2015 Book Jury

Guidebook

$2000 - Sponsored by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides

Members of the FRCC Guidebooks Committee, Wired Guides (UK, 2015)

"Lake District Rock is an authoritative guide produced by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club.  It comprises a selection of the best climbs to all the main cliffs of the Lake District.  The photo diagrams are very clear and should get you to the start of your route without much fuss.  The route descriptions are enticing and informative.  And, of course, there is a sprinkling of inspirational photographs to get you going just in case you have missed the point of climbing in this beautiful part of England.  This guide book is a classic of the genre, get it and climb in the Lakes - you won't be disappointed." - Victor Saunders, 2015 Book Jury

Mountaineering Article

$2000 - Sponsored by the Canadian Mountain Studies Initiative, University of Alberta and the Alpine Club of Canada

Ed Douglas, Alpinist (USA, January 2015)

"A timely and deeply thoughtful reflection on the Himalaya as a cultural crossroads where the "old myths" of romantic and exotic thinking continue to play their part, while local working people struggle to navigate "the ongoing corruption, poor regulation and complex realities" of the trekking and tourism industries, which make it possible for visitors to experience the power of this place." - Harry Vandervlist, 2015 Book Jury

Mountaineering History

$2000 - Sponsored by the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Bernadette McDonald, Rocky Mountain Books (CAN, 2015)

"Redemptive moments amid the tragic recent history of a proud people; the inspiration provided by a classic work of literature, hardly known to the outside world; a charismatic cast of much better-known and highly accomplished mountaineers - what's not to like in this impeccably-researched story of Slovenian climbing in the early years of independence?" - Harry Vandervlist, 2015 Book Jury

Special Jury Mention

Keith Partridge, Sandstone Press (UK, 2015)

The Adventure Game's greatest strength is that of a new narrative voice encompassed in its pages.  Partridge lends a unique perspective to the world of outdoor adventure by writing about his experiences while operating a film camera, a profession intrinsically linked to the industry but a view not often told.  His anecdotes are engaging and unabashedly authentic.  A must-read for all armchair adventurists. - 2015 Book Jury