Banff Mountain Film Festival Magazine

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 2014 –15 WORLD TOUR

LESSONS FROM CERRO TORRE FURTHER NORTH OF THE SUN ARCTIC SWELLS WITH CHRIS BURKARD WIN A TRIP TO AFRICA A Program of

Presenting Partners

As presenting sponsors of the 39th BANFF Mountain Film and Book Festival, National Geographic and The North Face celebrate mountain culture and the spirit of adventure.

For more information on grants that support young explorers and encourage the next generation to discover the outdoors, visit: nationalgeographic.com/yeg for National Geographic Young Explorers Grants and explorefund.org for The North Face Explore Fund grants.

PHOTO: CARSTEN PETER

TREKKING | BIKING | SAFARI POLAR VOYAGES | MOUNTAINEERING Quality small group adventures & exclusive departures

Since 1975, adventurous spirits have chosen us for their active holidays. Contact us!

worldexpeditions.com 1.800.567.2216

47 William St., Ottawa (ON) K1N 6Z9 TICO retail & wholesaler permits

©PatitucciPhoto

“Lighten Up“

ACT TRAI L PRO » ACT Trail Pro 40 and ACT Trail Pro 38 SL » Improved Aircontact back system yields a perceived lighter load » Available January, 2015

www.deuter.com

“ Whisper-light layers that let you breathe”

“ Wool with sex appeal”

“Editor’s Choice Gold Award”

NEW YORK TIMES

NEW YORK TIMES

BACKPACKER MAGAZINE

ICEBREAKER.COM

“ Natural and sustainable” TIME MAGAZINE

THE WORLD’S BEST BASE LAYER #ShareYourNature

bad coffee sucks

good coffee

kicks a ss !

Certified Organic. Certified Fairtrade. CERTIFIED DELICOUS.

Proud Sponsor of the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival

| www.KickingHorseCoffee.com

CONTENTS welcome

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Magazine 2014–15

22

pg.

I had to learn my lesson, that it is not possible to film scenes according to plan when making a documentary film

Features 12 Where Are They Now?

Catch up with the hits from past festivals including the boys from North of the Sun, Hazel Findlay, Leo Houlding, Sufferfest’s Cedar Wright and the Keeper of the Mountain herself, Elizabeth Hawley.

22

Cerro Torre: A Snowball’s Chance in Hell

How to go about making a near-impossible documentary with David Lama, one of the world’s finest climbers, and filmmaker Thomas Dirnhofer.

26

Arctic Swell, Norway

32

The Rise of the Dirtbag Climber

Chris Burkard’s winning photo essay about surfing north of the Arctic Circle.

From Jack Russell Terriers to naked slackliners, Sender Films/Big Up productions have specialized in films documenting dirt bag climbers. This latest installment, Valley Uprising, is an epic history of climbing in Yosemite National Park.

Departments 8 10 37 39 40 42

Welcome Mountain Livin’ Film Award Sponsors Book Award Sponsors Contest Last Words

pg.

12 pg.

Cover Photo: Louise Falls, Banff National Park © Kennan Harvey.

Top: David Lama on the Compressor Route © Corey Rich, Red Bull Content Pool

32

Top Right: Leo Houlding in the film The Last Great Climb. Courtesy of the film makers.

Bottom Right: Dale Bard, Jim Bridwell, Fred East and Jay Fiske atop El Capitan’s Pacific Ocean Wall, 1975 © Warner Braun.

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

7

Welcome to the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour!

I

t seems like everyone has a story to tell these days. Just venture outside for a day and you’ll see P.O.V. cameras strapped to someone’s arm, or their helmet or their ski pole, or maybe even their dog. Dump your footage onto your home computer, add some music, do a quick edit and slam, bam you’re a filmmaker!

So what’s to set apart someone’s home movie from a really meaningful film that speaks to audiences around the globe? Here at The Banff Centre, the largest arts and creativity incubator in the world and the home of the Banff Mountain Festival and World Tour, we’re in the business of inspiring creativity – of nurturing artists from around the world so they can tell their story in creative and original ways, uninhibited by the worries that seep in from daily life. We offer a creative refuge, and storytelling is our specialty you might say. That’s what sets us apart.

The Banff Mountain Festival team spends months sifting through film submissions to bring you the absolute best mountain and adventure films possible. And how do we do tackle the task at hand, you might ask? While everyone on the team has a slightly different screening method, we’re all looking for a few key elements across the board. First and foremost, as you might have guessed, the film has to have a great storyline.

We’ve all seen films where skiers perform huck after huck off steep Alaskan walls and sure, it may be amazing athleticism and tasty cinematic eye candy, but the really great films tell us about the people performing those stunts and what makes them tick. We find out the backstory of what being a climber or explorer or adventurer means when you commit wholeheartedly to something you love. We pride ourselves on being masters of separating the really meaningful, unique stories from the mundane. Of course, amazing cinematography, a catchy soundtrack, perhaps a bit of humour all contribute to a great film and complete the package.

Our goal is to get you inspired, year after year. Which means we’re OK spending what seems like endless hours watching films in a dark room on your behalf if it gets you amped up about being outside, committing to a cause, or changing your lifestyle for the better. We’ll happily take one for the team if that’s what it takes to keep you coming back!

Our goal is to get you inspired, year after year

The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is proud to be a founding member of the

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR Magazine Editor Matt Matheson Magazine Contributors Louise Healy, Bronwyn Lawrie, Nicky Lynch, Jenny Spurr Festival Director Deb Smythe Programming Director Joanna Croston World Tour Manager Jim Baker Senior Producer, Film & Media Woody MacPhail Strategic Partnerships Manager Laurie Harvey World Tour Coordinator Seana Strain World Tour Program Coordinators Mark Louie, Suzanne White, Brenda Williams, Cécile Neff Technical Producer, Film & Media Leanne Allison World Tour Onsite Coordinators Kristi Beetch, Michelle de Camp, Holly Elliott, Amelie Goulet-Boucher, Heather Hendrie, Deb Hornsby, Paul Price, Ray Schmidt, Charla Sharp Tomlinson, Jamie Carpenter Festival Coordinator Christine Thél Film Coordinator Karin Stubenvoll Festival Coordinator, Guest Relations Kaari Van Nostrand Production Admin. Coordinator Bonnie Hamilton Video Packaging Martin Finnerty, Graham King, Willi Schmidt, Mark Tierney MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Marketing Officer Nicky Lynch Media Relations Louise Healy Festival Design and Artwork Kelly Stauffer The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and World Tour is a proud program of The Banff Centre. We would like to express our gratitude to Banff Mountain Film Festival founder John Amatt, and to former director Bernadette McDonald, whose visionary leadership elevated the Festival to the world stage.

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM & BOOK FESTIVAL The Banff Centre Box 1020, Banff, AB, Canada T1L 1H5 1-800-298-1229 Email banffmountainfestival@banffcentre.ca Website banffmountainfestival.ca Banff Mountain Festival Box Office 1.800.413.8368 PUBLISHED BY COTTAGE LIFE MEDIA 54 St. Patrick Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1V1, (416) 599.2000 Publisher Al Zikovitz Associate Publisher Randy Craig Art Director Michael Zikovitz Production Manager Jodi Brooks Assistant Production Manager Denise Gray email adsales@cottagelife.com © 2014 Cottage Life Media

Deb Smythe Festival Director

No part of the publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher and The Banff Centre.

Joanna Croston Programming Director

A Program of

Presenting Partners

Major Partners

Supporting Partners

Bow Valley Power provides Green Energy to deliver the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour in Canada and the United States.

8

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

IT’S TIME TO CARVE YOUR OWN STORY. Watch the new film series, Sculpted in Time by Sherpas Cinema, to see why nature rules in Banff National Park. Visit SkiBanffNationalPark.com #mybanff #sculptedintime

The Banff Centre

MOUNTAIN LIVIN’

I learned so much more in those three days than I had in the ten years of being a photographer. I left with a creative level that could have reached the moon – and for once it was reaching for me back – Ryan Bolton, Wilderness Photography Workshop 2013

BANFF CENTRE RADIO Grab your headphones and get a blast of rocky mountain living wherever you are! Tune in to the new Banff Centre Radio network online. Come explore mountain cultures and communities, life in Banff National Park, the best of the festival and more. banffcentreradio.ca and @radiobanff.

Banff Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop

Banff Wilderness Photography Workshop

Banff Mountain and Wilderness Writing Program

The Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop is a chance for independent and emerging filmmakers to turn their projects into reality, under the guidance of some of the world’s most respected adventure filmmakers. Explore the concepts that are key to every great adventure film in an intensive eight-day filmmakers’ workshop.

The Banff Wilderness Photography Workshop provides emerging and seasoned photographers with an opportunity to learn how to tell compelling visual narratives through images with guidance from internationally acclaimed landscape photographers.

Delve into a writing project, of any genre, in the area of mountain or wilderness culture.

In this unique residency program, six writers work closely with accomplished editors and guest faculty to immerse themselves in their writing projects (essay, memoir, biography, feature article, poetry or work of fiction). This includes writing with a focus on adventure, mountain culture or the environment.

 For

10

more information on 2015 programs give us a shout: arts_info@banffcentre.ca | 1.403.762.6180 | 1.800.565.9989

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

BANFF ADVENTURE FILMMAKERS’ WORKSHOP © DIDRIK JOHNCK

S

o you’re in the mountain mood and can’t get enough of films, books, hiking, skiing, climbing, ANYTHING that taps you into mountain living. Well, when you’re finished watching the films and are still craving a fix, here are some workshops and radio waves to keep you going.

Brought to you by the proud presenters of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and World Tour, The Banff Centre hosts workshops in Mountain and Wilderness Writing, Adventure Filmmaking and Wilderness Photography every year that are sure to top up your tank with mountain livin’ goodness.

Plus they give you the excuse to make your way to Banff.

L E T ’ S TA K E T H I S O U T S I D E .

Meet the ultimate

WINDPROOF

PERSONAL Boiling & Brewing Machine

Because we think a stove should work wherever the wind blows you.

STOVE SYSTEM

®

windboiler.com

Where are The northeast ridge was more spectacular than my wildest dreams – Leo Houlding

From left to right: Sean “Stanley” Leary, Leo Houlding, Jason Pickles and Chris Rabone

ANTARCTICA

Ulvetanna Peak

Where are they now with Leo Houlding

by Jenny Spurr

S

et in the stunning mountains of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, Alastair Lee’s The Last Great Climb follows top adventure climber Leo Houlding and his teammates Jason Pickles and Sean “Stanley” Leary as they attempt to make the first ascent of the northeast ridge of the majestic Ulvetanna Peak, one of the most technically demanding climbs in one of the world’s harshest environments. We caught up with Leo Houlding to see what he’s been up to since the expedition.

In The Last Great Climb, you faced extreme weather conditions. How did you prepare for the cold?

LH: Being from lower latitudes, my team and I were not experienced in extreme cold. We took a two-week training expedition to northeast Greenland in March 2012 to get some experience prior to the main event. It was really cold. We had lots of problems and mishaps but learned so much. I’d say that trip was absolutely crucial to the

12

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

success of the Ulvetanna expedition. It made us realize how well-prepared and equipped you need to be just to survive on an expedition like that, let alone to succeed on such a massive, difficult climb.

How did you feel when the plane first touched down in Antarctica, and when the plane left base camp?

LH: I have never been so excited in my entire life!

When we arrived in perfect conditions, extremely

well-equipped, prepared for any eventuality with a tight, strong crew, I could scarcely believe it was real. And the northeast ridge was more spectacular than my wildest dreams.

When you finished the climb, how did you celebrate?

LH: We hammered three bottles of single malt in a base camp party and carried on celebrating for days in Novo and Cape Town – a fantastic town for a celebration!

What have you been doing since The Last Great Climb?

LH: Ulvetanna was the final expedition with the same core crew in an epic trilogy that started in the Arctic on (Mount) Asgard, led us through the Amazon and up Autana (Venezuela), and with a few Yosemite excursions thrown in, culminated with a dream trip to Antarctica. Even before the expedition we knew this would be our last in this

ALL IMAGES FROM THE LAST GREAT CLIMB © ALASTAIR LEE

The Next Great Climb

they now?

Catching up with filmmakers and characters from past Banff Mountain Festival films

format. What we didn’t know was that just over a year later Sean “Stanley” Leary would die in a wing suiting accident and our crew would be gone forever. It really was to be our last great climb.

What’s next for you?

LH: Since our Ulvetanna trip in the same year Stanley, Jason and I all became fathers, and now Alastair (Last Great Climb filmmaker) is due to have his second child. We talked much about the excitement of sharing that next great adventure together. We planned annual family get-togethers at Stanley’s place in Yosemite and joked about hauling kids up walls.

Now a great hole has been torn through a beautiful picture, and Stanley leaves a widow and son. It has been painful and sobering to be so close to such tragedy while at the same time experiencing the wonder of starting a family.

Hopefully, our families can still share fun times in the future and we can make sure they know what a great man Stanley was.

Follow Leo on @LeoHoulding Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

13

IT’S TIME TO CARVE YOUR OWN STORY. Watch the new film series, Sculpted in Time by Sherpas Cinema, to see why nature rules in Banff National Park. Visit SkiBanffNationalPark.com #mybanff #sculptedintime

WHERE ARE TH

I think that as long as I can walk, I will try to climb – Hazel Findlay

EY NOW?

Life After Spice Girl Turning Fear Into Focus

by Jenny Spurr

MOROCCO

Taghia Gorge

T

he UK climbing scene is known for its strict traditional ethics, dangerous routes and competitive machismo. It’s the last place you’d expect to find a nice little blonde girl putting all the boys to shame, but Hazel Findlay is doing just that. Spice Girl follows Hazel as she teams up with US climber Emily Harrington to tackle the untamed big walls of Taghia Gorge, Morocco and this is what has happened since.

What have you been doing since Spice Girl?

HF: After we filmed Spice Girl in spring 2013, I went to the Alps for the summer and climbed alpine rock routes, then I went to South Africa to rock climb there. Then I went to Yosemite and climbed El Capitan for the third time – in just one day. Later on, I went to Spain and climbed my hardest sport route (Fish Eye, 8c 5.14b).

When did you start climbing, and what inspires you to keep going?

HF: I started climbing when I was seven years old. My dad taught me how to climb on the sea cliffs of South Wales. Climbing has never ceased to inspire me because it is a wide and varied sport. It also takes you to some of the wildest and most beautiful natural places of the world.

How do you stay motivated when the going gets tough?

HF: If you are actually at risk of hurting yourself then it isn’t a question of motivation, it’s a question of how to get out of that dangerous situation. At those times, it’s best to turn your fear into focus on climbing well and not on the danger itself. As soon as you concentrate too much on the consequences of an error, you stop climbing well and are more likely to make an error.

© ERICKSON

What advice would you give to other female climbers?

HF: Enjoy the fact that the sport is a male dominated sport – it’s easy to find a boyfriend!

The mighty Hazel Findlay showing strength and determination on the wall.

What’s next for you?

HF: Right now I’m on my way to Dover to catch a ferry to France, where hopefully I’ll slowly get back into climbing after four months off (due to a chronic shoulder injury). Then it’s off to Australia and the US before the year is up.

Follow Hazel on @hazel_findlay Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

15

WHERE ARE TH

EY NOW?

Jørn Ranum and Inge Wegge outside the winter hut they made and (below) celebrating collecting three tons of garbage.

ARCTIC CIRCLE

NORWAY (far north)

Suddenly what started off as this really crazy idea was now our life –Inge Wegge

16

Further North of the Sun When above the Arctic Circle isn’t north enough

by Louise Healy

E

ating expired supermarket food. Surfing in below-freezing temperatures, and building a hut out of flotsam. All things that are most people’s idea of hell. Doing it all on a remote Norwegian island for nine months, through periods of 24-hour winter darkness? Now that is one crazy idea. But not for Norwegian adventurers Inge Wegge and Jørn Ranum. It’s that crazy idea that spawned their award-winning 46-minute documentary, North of the Sun and won them the People’s Choice Award at the 2013 Banff Mountain Film Competition.

“Suddenly what started off as this really crazy idea was now our life,” said Inge from his home in Norway. “During that winter, we had time to sit down and look at nothing, or everything. We really felt what it was like to be alone.”

Although 90 per cent of the food they ate during their 300-day adventure was past its expiration date (and therefore free), it was no deterrent for the film-school graduates. The combination of surf, cold and completing their “crazy idea” seeped into their collective consciousness and propelled them to embark on similar, albeit bonkers, experiences in the wild.

In the wake of North of the Sun’s international success, Inge Wegge decided to head off with his two brothers and discover the surf at an equally unenviable location – the frozen, uninhabited, Nordic Islands of Svalbard (way north of Norway), which had never been surfed before. It took him a year-and-a-half to even get official permission from the Norwegian authorities to surf and film there.

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

In the meantime, fellow film-maker Jørn Ranum is currently shooting a skateboard film – on a frozen beach in Torgen, northern Norway.

“Being out there in the mountains, something really changed in us,” said Inge. “All of these things you think are important in life, these things you think you have to do, go away. You see the difference between what’s important and what’s not. You learn to relax.”

PHOTOS BY INGE WEGGE AND JØRN RANUM

Svalbard

(very, very far north)

AURÉLIEN DUCROZ, WORLD CHAMPION FREERIDE SKIER

HELLY HANSEN CATWALK

Scandinavian Design is the cornerstone in all Helly Hansen gear. The optimal combination of purposeful design, protection and style. This is why professional athletes, patrollers and discerning enthusiasts choose Helly Hansen.

HE L LY H AN SEN . CO M

Proud Supporter of the 2014 BANFF Adventure Filmmakers' Workshop and Best Film on Mountain Culture

CONFIDENT WHEN IT MATTERS

WHERE ARE TH

EY NOW?

Suffertown USA

What do you do after a Sufferfest? Suffer some more!

by Matt Matheson

S

o you’re Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright, a couple of world-class climbers who’ve decided to bike across California and climb all of its 14,000-foot peaks. You’ve dubbed the journey the “worst trip of your lives” and compiled it as a documentary entitled Sufferfest. You’ve since sworn to never tackle something like that again. What do you do next? Climb Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland? Nope. You dream up something so Suffer-full that you simply have to embark on another Sufferfest. Sufferfest 2: Desert Alpine, to be specific.

Sufferfest 2: Desert Alpine, takes the boys to the 45 desert towers throughout Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico on a 700 mile journey to the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Once there, the duo participates in a series of solar system installations for six remote homes as part of Alex Honnold’s non-profit, Honnold Foundation.

We caught up with Cedar Wright to hear about how this came about and what’s next for him and Alex.

What’s going on now?

CW: I’m currently in post-production on Sufferfest 2 and trying to buck the trend of the sequel not living up to the original. Because of the momentum of the first film we were able to bring a lot more production value to it; we’ve kept the spirit of the original Sufferfest though.

What’s new for Sufferfest 2?

CW: The original Sufferfest started with several conversations down in Chile about alternative energy: what a different world might look like where we could still basically enjoy the sports we love and the travel we love, but somehow in a lower impact way. To that end, Honnold has progressively been contributing to various alternative energy charities in different parts of the world, and when we started talking about this new Sufferfest he had said that he would like to actually be participating in some of the non-profits he had been supporting. Given that I was looking at the desert towers and the work some of our sponsors were doing down there with solar energy, it was a cool way to do something meaningful, have an adventure, and raise some money and awareness for the many people who are actually roughing it out there in the Navajo Nation.

How do the two films rank on the Suffer-scale?

CW: It’s funny because the two films could honestly duke it out for which one was more heinous. In the same way that both of those landscapes were totally unique, the way that we suffered for each was kinda unique. With Sufferfest 2, for example, we were way more cold and uncomfortable in the desert than we were in the high mountains of the Sierra.

What’s next?

CW: There could be a Sufferfest 3? I think if we’re going to do another Sufferfest, we’ll go back to the roots – just me and Alex. And I think at this point it can’t just be another bike tour. It has to be something even more epic. Also, something where I really try to kill Honnold. Maybe if we could combine ski touring with sea kayaking or something. We’ll see. The basic idea with Sufferfest is to come up with an audacious goal, step outside of your comfort zone and try something new and maybe, or maybe not, pull off the goal.

Top Left: Installing solar panelling Top Right: Cedar and Alex on the trail Bottom: The view of desert towers to be climbed

18

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

Follow Cedar on @cedarwright Follow Alex on @alexhonnold

UTAH

COLORADO

Sufferfest 2 country ARIZONA

NEW MEXICO

ALL IMAGES © CEDAR WRIGHT

…the two films could honestly duke it out for which one was more heinous – Cedar Wright

Š 2014 Clif Bar & Company. Trademarks and registered trademarks are owned by Clif Bar & Company, or used with permission. CB14.852

WHERE ARE TH

I think the mountains should not be named after individuals. They should have local names – Elizabeth Hawley

EY NOW?

Peak Hawley NEPAL

Hawley at her Peak

What happens after a mountain is named in your honour?

by Bronwyn Lawrie

E

lizabeth Hawley, 91, is widely recognized as the world’s foremost chronicler of Himalayan mountaineering – despite having never climbed a mountain herself. She bucked the conventions of her time by setting out on her own to Kathmandu in 1960, where she began chronicling Himalayan expeditions for The Himalayan Database. Today, more than 50 years on, she continues to update these records with rigorous accuracy and dedication. We caught up with Allison Otto (Filmmaker – Keeper of the Mountains) and Hawley to find out what they’ve been up to in the last year.

In August 2014, the Nepalese government honoured Hawley’s contributions to mountaineering by naming a 6,182 metre (20,328 feet) peak in the Humla district of northwest Nepal, “Peak Hawley”.

Hawley, however, was unimpressed. “I think the mountains should not be named after individuals. They should have local names,” she said.

Hawley is “still plugging away” at meeting expeditions in Nepal and recording their activities for The Himalayan Database. Since the film’s release, she was awarded honorary membership in the prestigious London-based Alpine Club for her “remarkable contribution to mountaineering.” She is also still an official of the Himalayan Trust founded by Sir Edmund Hillary.

Since Otto’s inaugural film, Keeper of the Mountains, won a Special Jury Mention at the 2013 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and was named one of the “Best Adventure Films of 2013” by Outside Magazine, Otto has been inspired to pursue her next documentary (about a community in southeastern Arizona) while also working on an MFA in Film. Both Scott McElroy (who edited Keeper of the Mountains) and Mark Crawford (who did the musical composition) are part of the team on this new project. In September she took a couple Allison Otto with Elizabeth Hawley. weeks off to hike 162 miles across the Scottish Highlands.

Otto still keeps in touch with Hawley. “Both she and I have found it really wonderful to see so many people enjoying the film and finding Miss Hawley’s life story inspiring,” said Otto.

Hawley from back in the day.

To keep up with Allison Otto, visit smalldogonthego.com.

For Elizabeth Hawley’s latest, we recommend perhaps climbing a peak in Nepal.

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

21

Film Feature

Cerro Torre: A Snowball’s Chance in Hell A LESSON IN HUMILIT Y

by Nicky Lynch

T

owering over the landscape with incomparable steepness, Patagonia’s Cerro Torre is one of the most stunning and coveted mountains in the world.

The first chapter in the history of the mountain begins with a questionable first ascent in 1959 by Cesare Maestri and Toni Egger – where Egger died on the descent and the camera was lost. Many failed attempts followed, and after international pressure to provide evidence of his ascent, Maestri returned to summit the peak in 1970. He guaranteed his success by using a gas-powered compressor, drilling 360 bolts into the mountain to set up the route. Yet more controversy ensued as climbing ethics came to the fore. 

Cushe Ambassadors

MITCH CORBETT & MATTHI A S GIRAUD

T h e

WANDERER c o l l e c t i o n

THE HEART OF A SNEAK, THE SOUL OF ADVENTURE.

Matthias WP // Tan

www.cushe.com

Film Feature

…there was this awareness of how far we could fall from grace – Thomas Dirnhofer

PREVIOUS SPREAD AND THIS PAGE: IMAGES DAVID LAMA © COREY RICH; LAMA PORTRAIT COURTESY OF RED BULL; CERRO TORRE © COREY RICH; LAMA CLIMBING © LINCOLN ELSE

Cerro Torre towering over the Patagonia landscape.

Into this latest chapter on the history of Cerro Torre enters climbing phenom David Lama, whose mountaineering genes come from an Austrian mother and a Sherpa father. Accompanying Lama is adventure filmmaker and mountaineer Thomas Dirnhofer, along with a helicopter, a camera crew – and the addition of yet more bolts and fixed ropes to capture Lama’s first attempt to free-climb the mountain in 2009.

Cerro Torre is prone to bad weather, but after a failed expedition and media backlash, the scandalous storm that ensued was of epic proportions. The expedition, David Lama, the filmmaking ethics, motives – everything about it – became the subject of extensive scrutiny and criticism.

Cerro Torre: A Snowball’s Chance in Hell is certainly not the film about a successful 2009 expedition that Dirnhofer had anticipated making as his first documentary. It’s as much about the making of the film – which turned into a multiple-year odyssey – as it is about Lama’s final efforts with partner Peter Ortner to free-climb what is undoubtedly one of the world’s hardest alpine routes.

Dirnhofer says what initially intrigued him in this project was, “The attraction of the mountain itself, plus the possibilities available when working with a partner like Red Bull Media House. It was also extremely exciting to get to work with a young climber like David, who was so much less attached to the historical context of the climb than we were. Our ambitions did get us into a bit of trouble at first, though,” he added.

Drawing a parallel in the film between the audacity of Maestri and the 2009 film crew installing the fixed ropes on the mountain, Dirnhofer says “We all learned a lot and were able to show that we had learned our lesson during the first year. That’s also why the story of us as the film team is such an important part of the film, because there was this awareness of how far we could fall from grace.” He adds “Using bolts on Cerro Torre may be the dumbest thing you can do. If you shoot a mountain picture or a climbing picture somewhere in the alps, you use fixed ropes, you use bolts there, whatever… but if you do this on Cerro Torre you have a big red alert in the climbing community.”

After the failure of the first attempt, Dirnhofer wasn’t sure if he would be able to deliver the film. “I was extremely disappointed, even ashamed, that I couldn’t make a movie on the first attempt. I had to learn my lesson, that it is not possible to film scenes according to plan when making a documentary film.” When asked what he’d like the audience to know about the film, Lama states, “Everything in the film happened in the moment.

Not a single climbing move

was filmed twice for the sake of the film, no image was brushed whatsoever. Its documentary value is 100 per cent – that was the demand we had on ourselves.“ Cerro Torre is a film that goes far beyond the usual stories of successful ascents. It highlights the emotional side of expeditions, the perseverance, cooperation, courage and humility needed to succeed. And it provides us with a far better understanding of free-climbing and what it entails at this level, bringing to the audience an epic story of filmmaking and human endeavour on one of the world’s most astonishing peaks.

Visit: cerrotorre-movie.com

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

25

Photo Contest

26

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

“The ‘stump’, a Norwegian hot tub and resuscitator of frozen limbs”

In the Arctic you never know what to expect.

You can be in a blizzard one day seeking shelter and then scoring some of the best waves of your life the next – Chris Burkard

BE AUT Y AMIDST THE STRUGGLE B A N F F M O U N TA I N P H O T O E S S AY C O M P E T I T I O N B Y M AT T M AT H E S O N

I

f we’re talking surfing, then I’m typically thinking about clear blue waters, sunny days and tropical paradise but in Chris Burkard’s winning photo essay Arctic Swell, Norway he gives us a glimpse into what it’s like when you swap the suntan for frostbite north of the Arctic Circle in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.

Chris Burkard is a self-taught photographer and artist, based in Central Coast California. His work is layered by surf, outdoor, lifestyle and travel subjects and at the age of 28, he has established himself as a known name in the surf and outdoor industries. Currently, Burkard serves as Senior Staff Photographer for Surfer magazine. This essay speaks to his drive to document the Arctic and arctic surfing.

Burkard’s essay was one of over 100 submitted to the Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition this year. With the help of our competition jury, four essays were selected to be put to a public vote from which Burkard’s essay was the winner.

Established in 1996, the Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition recognizes creative excellence in photography on mountain subjects, and includes a grand prize of $3,000.

The competition aims to showcase the best in mountainthemed photo essays and recognize the best stories told through a series of still images. The 2014 competition jury included notable photographers Gordon Wiltsie, Beth Wald and Sadie Quarrier.

If you want to put your mountain photography skills to the test in the 2015 competition, visit banffmountainfestival.ca for more details.

Presented by:

Sponsored by: “When people think of surfing, the last thing they think of is surfing in the Arctic.”

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

PHOTO ADVENTURES

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

27

Photo Contest

p “With the air temperature in the teens (°F) and water hovering above freezing it takes a big commitment to paddle out.”

u “Some of these places I go feel like a photographic purgatory.”

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

29

LEG END S A N D L O RE THE BEST OF MOUNTAINEERING HISTORY AND ADVENTURE MOUNTAINEERING /AUTOBIOGRAPHY

NEW

$19.95 U.S.

REINHOLD MESSNER: MY LIFE AT THE LIMIT

“It is through resisting death that we humans experience what it is to be human. And it is in this seeming paradox that the most fundamental reasons for climbing mountains or seeking out extreme situations are to be found, whether it’s the South Pole, the North Pole, the Gobi, K2, or Chang Tang. The secret lies in the fact that I can only have the most intense experiences when I push myself to the limits of what is possible.”

The world’s greatest alpinist reflects on a life spent achieving the impossible.

Paperback, 978-1-59485-852-9, $19.95

cover tagline, ne of text is .25” bottom of book

Famed mountaineer Reinhold Messner has had plenty of “most intense experien ces,” including being the first person to climb the fourteen 8000-meter peaks—a ll without the use of supplemental oxygen or high-altitude porters. In addition to his renowned climbing exploits and extreme expeditio ns, he is the bestselling author of more than sixty books and the founder of the Messner Mountain Museums, a collectio n of six European museums centered around mountain themes.

Published for the first time in English, front cover, Reinhold Messner: logo My Life at thelines Limit up is the most personal and reflective of all Herr Messner’ flush s books. left at .25” Guided by from the probing spine, and insightful questions of Berlinand London-based journalis baselin Thomas e oft text Hüetlin, is .25’’ Messner reveals a vulnerable and from human side of his personality that has rarely bottom of bookbeen so openly displayed. He shares not only stories of heroic adventure and tragic loss, but also details of his day-to-day life and his views on such diverse backcover tagline, topics as family, organic farming, the yeti, European politics, religion, the legacy of George baseline of text is .25” Mallory, and the inspiration for his multiple museums. from bottom of book Fellow climber Conrad Anker has said of Messner’s solo ascent of Everest, “It was like landing on the moon. After that, everything else kind of pales in comparis on.”

In this compelling new autobiog raphy, Messner shows us just why that one accomplishment deserves our universa l wonder— and just how much more there has been in his amazing life.

FREE SPIRIT: A Climber’s Life Reinhold Messner

“Messner is not only the greatest high-altitude mountaineer the world has ever known; he is probably the best it will ever know.”

–TIME

REINHOLD MESSNER My Life at the Limit

front cover, logo lines up flush left at .25” from spine, baseline of text is .25’’ from bottom of book

THE LAST STEP: The American Ascent of K2A LEGENDS AND LORE TITLE Rick Ridgeway Interviewed by Thomas Hüetlin Translated by Tim Carruthers

Spine

THE CALL OF THE ICE: Climbing 8000-Meter Peaks in Winter Simone Moro

backcover, left align text to text on backcover

MOUNTAINS IN MY HEART: A Passion for Climbing Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner ROCK CLIMBING: Mastering Basic Skills, 2nd Ed. Topher Donahue and Craig Luebben

Spine

AVAILAB LE backcover, left align text to text on backcover

where books are sold and at mountaineersbooks.org/Legends (use code BANFF14 at checkout to save 20%)

PSYCHOVERTICAL Andy Kirkpatrick

More than 600 outdoor recreation, lifestyle and conservation books in print

Mountaineers Books is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit publisher

Photo Contest

p “The clouds, the moodiness, the northern lights.

It truly is beautiful and epic.”

Follow Chris on: chrisburkard.tumblr.com instagram.com/chrisburkard facebook.com/chrisburkardphotography

This photo essay has also been bundled with an awesome, immersive reading experience called The Swell Window. It combines audio, video and photography and it’s available to download for FREE. This little digital bundle includes new writing by surfer, surfboard shaper, and author Christian Beamish along with Chris’ essay. Get yours from November 2014 onward at banffcentrepress.ca

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

31

Film Feature

Fred Beckey and Eric Bjornstad in Monument Valley Utah. Š Eric Bjornstad Collection

32

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

The rise of the dirtbag climber Sending dirtbags to the silver screen since way back – Sender Films/ Big Up Productions releases Valley Uprising

BY LOUISE HEALY

It all started with a cameo appearance from Biscuit, the Jack Russell Terrier who made waves throughout the canine climbing world when her bold ascents were documented in the film Front Range Freaks. »

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

33

Apparel and gear for all your outdoor adventures

EXPLORE

EXPERIENCE

ENJOY bergans.com

Film Feature

…this was a unique opportunity to look and document how this whole climbing lifestyle is born and the lineage of people doing it – Pete Mortimer

TOP: © WARNER BRAUN

Dale Bard, Jim Bridwell, Fred East and Jay Fiske atop El Capitan’s Pacific Ocean Wall, 1975.

For 14 years, Sender Films/Big Up Productions have introduced Banff audiences to some of the most memorable faces, stories and downright crazy climbing antics on the circuit. Alex Honnold free-soloing Half Dome, Ueli Steck racing up the Eiger, Didier Berthod wrestling with Cobra Crack, and Andy Lewis slacklining naked are just some of the stories that made audiences gasp, laugh and cheer.

Now comes the next installment about the renegade climbers who frequented Yosemite National Park, pushing the limits with the law and carving out the roots of a counterculture of outdoor sports. And who better to document the rise of the pioneering US dirtbag movement than the man behind some of the most revered climbing films around: director Pete Mortimer.

Mortimer’s latest offering, Valley Uprising – the much-anticipated 90-minute documentary chronicling the epic history of climbing in Yosemite National Park – has been in the works for the last seven years, and the World Tour includes a special segment from it.

“It’s about knowing how to document the drama of a climb, and our team is the best team in the world at doing that,” said Mortimer from his home in Boulder, Colorado. It’s fair to say that Mortimer and co-directors Nick Rosen and Josh Lowell know a bit about drama. They are the brains behind the dramatic climbing films The Swiss Machine (2010), Honnold 3.0 (2012),

the Reel Rock Film Tour series and most recently High Tension (2013).

“Valley Uprising is the biggest story for us so far,” said the 40-year-old. “Generally we take really personal stories but this was a unique opportunity to look and document how this whole climbing lifestyle is born and the lineage of people doing it.”

“I get really emotional when I watch the film.

The amazing climbers in film are all part of this great culture and lifestyle, a crazy cast of characters over 60 years who have been drawn by this same call to the beautiful, majestic cliffs in Yosemite.

They have dedicated their lives to progressing the sport and interacting on those walls.”

And while Mortimer has climbed side-by-side filming with some of the great climbing heroes – Hazel Findlay, Didier Berthod, Dean Potter; and Alex Honnold – he is as self-effacing, gregarious and down-to-earth as they come. “Even as a life-long climber it’s so crazy to see what they’re doing up there,” said Mortimer. “It’s such an honour to be a fly on the wall and experience it with them.”

Mortimer is no stranger to Banff and honours of his own.

The film director has been a regular at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival for more than ten years, 23 of his films have appeared on the World Tour circuit and nine films (five of which in association with Big Up Films) have been awarded honours, including multiple Radical Reels People’s Choice Award and Best Film awards.

“We pour so much energy into making our films and making sure that they get out to as many audiences as possible and the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and World Tour is an incredible opportunity for us to reach audiences who may never usually see rock climbing films.

That’s what we love about the World Tour.”

We couldn’t say it better ourselves.

Pete Mortimer

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

35

erdmannpeisker / Robert Bösch

ALL SYSTEMS CHECK. Mammut checked off the critical safety and reliability points giving our Pro Team athletes confidence and the performance mind-set to launch off the powdery cliff at Val Acletta. With the new Mammut Freeride collection including clothing, snow safety and technical hardgoods, it’s not just our riders who are up to the challenge — you can be too!

Find out for yourself. www.mammut.com

Banff Mountain n Film Competitio AWARDS unique travel experiences exclusively for the 20s & 30s

GRAND PRIZE $4,000 Sponsored by MEC Award for Creative Excellence $2,000 Sponsored by Sole

®

®

Canoe down the Amazon River, make Tibetan momos in Nepal, stay in a river camp under the stars in India, trek to Machu Picchu...

Best Film – Exploration and Adventure $2,000 Sponsored by MSR Best Film – Mountain Culture $2,000 Sponsored by Helly Hansen Best Film – Mountain Environment, Wildlife and Natural History $2,000 Sponsored by Film Festival Flix Best Film – Climbing $2,000 Sponsored by Alpine Club of Canada Best Film – Mountain Sports, Summer $2,000 Sponsored by Live Out There

F O O T W E A R

Join a small group of global travellers on the pursuit of adventure.

Best Film – Mountain Sports, Winter $2,000 Sponsored by Oboz Footwear Best Short Mountain Film $2,000 Sponsored by The North Face Best Feature-length Mountain Film $2,000 Sponsored by Town of Banff

yomads.com

People’s Choice Award $2,000 Sponsored by Treksta People’s Choice Award for Radical Reels Sponsored by Deuter Summit of Excellence Award Sponsored by Patagonia Banff

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

37

p

1-855-596-6237

f

facebook.com/yomadstravel

i

instagram.com/yomadstravel

t

twitter.com/yomadstravel

yt

youtube.com/yomadstraveL

TIKKA RXP TIKKA RXP The lightweight versatility of a TIKKA. ® ®

Photo www.kalice.fr Photo ©© www.kalice.fr

Now with 100% more Reactive Lighting.

Thanks to Petzl's Reactive Lighting technology, the TIKKA RXP analyzes incoming light and then instantly and automatically adjusts brightness and beam pattern. The result? A smarter, more powerful, more efficient headlamp. Welcome to the next generation of hands-free lighting.

www.petzl.com www.petzl.com

Banff Mountain ion Book Competit AWARDS GRAND PRIZE – Phyllis and Don Munday Award $4,000 Sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada

active

europe

Best Mountain and Wilderness Literature – The Jon Whyte Award $2,000 Sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies Adventure Travel Award $2,000 Sponsored by The Juniper Hotel and Bistro and the Wild Flour Bakery and Café Mountain Image Award $2,000 Sponsored by Alpinist magazine Mountain Guidebook Award $2,000 Sponsored by The American Alpine Club Mountain Fiction and Poetry Award $2,000 Sponsored by Orofnio Wines Mountaineering History Award $750 Sponsored by the UIAA and William Putnam

Cycling Hiking

Bike & Barge Mountain Biking Walk & Sail Alpine Walking

SELF-GUIDED & SMALL GROUP HOLIDAYS

Visit utracks.com to order our FREE brochure or call our team 1.800.567.2216 TICO retailers & wholesalers permits Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

39

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

39

Explore the Canadian Rockies One Adventure at a Time! rock & ice climbing :: trekking mountaineering :: backcountry skiing

Proudly sponsoring the 2014 BANFF MOUNTAIN PHOTO ESSAY COMPETITION

We’re having a contest!

Enter to win the Grand Prize of a trip for two to Africa with World Expeditions and South African Airways.

Southern Africa evokes a strong spirit of the wild. Enjoy an adventure tour and wildlife safari in one of the world’s richest ecosystems, accompanied by an expert local guide whose trained eye ensures you really experience the region’s diversity and extensive wildlife.

EntEr to win at banffmountainfestival.ca/contest Contest closes: october 15, 2015

Canmore, Alberta, Canada | 1-866-678-4164

yamnuska.com canadianrockieshiking.com backcountryfood.ca

Other cOntest prizes include: Head-to-toe gear for your next adventure from The North Face; Deuter backpacks; Kicking Horse Coffee; a Bergans of Norway tent; an MSR stove system, tent, and a pair of poles; Cushe Footwear; a CLIF Bar Adventure Travel Pack; Icebreaker Adventure Travel Pack; Petzl headlamp; MEC gear; a ski and stay with the The Lake Louise Ski Area and Great Divide Lodge; a Mammut Avalanche Airbag Pack; a subscription to National Geographic and other great prizes from Festival partners.

[ This Yellow Border Is a Window to the World [

Whether you dig archaeology . . . clamor for cultures . . . focus on photography . . . dare to explore . . . dive deep into history . . . go Wild for Wildlife . . . or just yearn to learn . . .

The magazine with the famous yellow border is a window to the world for you and millions of others around the globe.

National Geographic was searching the world before Search, mapping it before GPS, and sharing it before Instagram. We invite you to step inside the yellow border, to travel through the decades, to go out in the field, behind the lens, and into the vault of secrets with our explorers, our photographers, and our editors in National Geographic The Covers.

AvAiLABLe wherever BookS ANd e-BookS Are SoLd and at nationalgeographic.com/books Š 2014 National Geographic Society

Like us on Facebook: Nat Geo Books

Follow us on Twitter: @NatGeoBooks

WORLD TOUR TID BITS & YOUR FESTIVAL FEEDBACK

Last Words 40 countries.

Countries include: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Iceland, India, the Philippines and many more!

Visit banffmountainfestival.ca to see where we’ll be next!

More than

370 40

films are submitted.

are selected for the World Tour and Radical Reels Tour.

Satisfying outdoorsy folks since

1975!

You can check out Radical Reels screenings in Canada, US, Germany, Mexico and more than

25

The idea for the Festival started over beers in a basement as something pass the time between the summer climbing and snow flying.

The first screening so popular we had to move to a larger theatre!

INSPIRING

My family and I attend every year as part of my birthday celebration. It’s always a big hit. We love the tradition; we hope to continue it for a long, long time. Maybe our son will carry it on with his family.

Never missed a viewing in 15 years...except two years due to poorly planned child birthing.

This is honestly the best film festival I have ever attended. I laugh, I cry, I immediately go home and plan BIG trips. Last year after attending the World Tour, I planned a one-month hiking excursion in Patagonia with my boyfriend. Amazing.

Thank you so much for making this happen!

CHILDHOOD DREAM

It was awesome. I didn’t meet my prince charming adventure soul mate like the host stated happened to some! Oh well, next year. I will do some aerobics in the meantime ;). Love the films, wish I could watch them over and over again! They get me stoked! So happy.

(The World Tour) reminds me of my childhood dreams of adventure and inspires me to be more active and fearless on a daily basis!

WORLD DOMINATION Awe-inspiring works of art. After I watch one of the Banff Mountain Films I just want to pack my bags and head out on an adventure. Just me and my dog. We will take on the world!

AROUND THE WORLD We love it when your films come to Fairbanks, Alaska. The shows give us a chance to see other parts of this GREAT planet of ours. Thank you for all your hard work.

I am so lucky to live in a small town (Walla Walla, Washington – great name) where the world tour has come for the last 20 years!

It is my goal to attend the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Banff - it has been added to my bucket list.

42

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2014 – 15

locations in Canada and America.

shows in Australia!

FAMILY AFFAIR

WORKIN’ IT

SOCIAL MEDIA @Blackwaterwine:@BanffMtnFest tickets booked – fix of adrenaline and jealousy induced big screen action coming. @FionaKing83: @BanffMtnFest having the most amazing night. Have laughed & cried & feeling inspired. Cant wait for second half! @BlakeDeVries: What an epic night! Thank you @BanffMtnFest! If you haven‘t seen it, you should; if you have, fly somewhere to see it again. #MountainFever Todd Walton – Hot date tonight with my bride and the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Ohhhh yeah. That‘s Barry White “oooh yeah“ not Kool Aid “oh yeah“ just to be clear. – Facebook

10 200

Road Warriors take the tour to over

Join us in Banff in 2015 for the th

40

annual Festival!

JOIN THE CONVERSATION • @BanffMtnFest • @thebanffcentre • #Banffworldtour • facebook.com/ BanffMountainFilmFestival • facebook.com/RadReels • facebook.com/thebanffcentre • youtube.com/thebanffcentre • worldtourinfo@banffcentre.ca • Give us your feedback and enter to win a trip to Africa at banffmountainfestival.ca/contest • Got a question? Check our FAQs at banffmountainfestival.ca/tour/faq

SIMON BACHAND

Films are screened in over

With deep appreciation to all those around the world who partner with us in exploration.

The National Geographic Expeditions Council is a grant program that supports exploration and adventure globally, inspiring people to care about the planet.

Learn more about our grants at nationalgeographic.com/council

PHOTO: AARON HUEY