The 2012 Fort William Mountain Festival kicks off tomorrow (Wedsnesday 15 February) and is offering a great line up during the five-day celebration of mountain culture which runs until Sunday 19 February.
From armchair adventurers to weekend warriors, to the international mountain community, the audience coming to Fort William for the 2012 festival can expect to be inspired, energized and entertained by a superb line-up of lectures from top climbers and mountaineers, mountain bikers, and mountain filmmakers; and film screenings from cutting edge outdoor athletes and adventurers. The organisers have put together this summary of the highlights of the Festival:
“Opening Night – Join the mountain festival revellers for a sumptuous four-course dinner at Nevis Range’s new Pinemarten Restaurant and enjoy a special musical performance from award-winning Gaelic singer Mary Ann Kennedy and singers who will perform a unique, contemporary piece called ‘Black Snow’.”
“Bike Night – A full-on evening of mountain bike action in the company of British mountain-bike legend Steve Peat as he talks about his riding, career and what’s next for Peaty. Plus feel your jaw drop as MTB Cut’s Stu Thomson presents his latest collaboration, ‘Industrial Revolutions’ with the incredible street trials riding star Danny Mackaskill. There will also be films of other top riders doing those things they do that the rest of us wish we could!”
“Mountaineering Night – Join highly experienced Arctic explorer Bob Shepton for the film of his breathtaking sailing and big-wall climbing expedition among Greenland’s fjords. The plan: load a 33-ft sailing boat with climbers, take them to some of the most remote and highest big walls in the world and watch them go! This amazing adventure culminated in an ascent of an 850-metre sea wall straight from the sea. Plus a screening of award-winning film ‘The Long Hope’ by Paul Diffley featuring the incomparable Dave MacLeod and his 1000ft ascent of St John’s Head on the Island of Hoy in only one day!”
“Climbing Night – A lecture from the maverick master of climbing Johnny Dawes. This quirky show involves unseen video, award-winning film, writings, drawings and Dawes’s notorious approach to communicating using metaphor and humour. What lies at the centre of genius and how do you find it? Where does the limit lie? Come along for an entertaining evening exploring the links between climbing and art, the universe and everything!”
“The Best of Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Film Night – Always a sell-out, this is your chance to see the best in inspiring mountain films from around the world. This year’s selection includes incredible films about skiing, ice-climbing, slack-lining, mountain rescues and, oh yes, one Australian’s quest to follow in the footsteps of Genghis Khan. Don’t miss it!”
In addition to these highlights there will also be plenty of opportunity for both novices and experts to hone their skills through workshops in mountain skills, avalanche awareness, winter walking and winter climbing as well as both indoor climbing and ice climbing at Kinlochleven’s Ice Factor Indoor Climbing Centre. More details can be found on the Festival Website.