There's one bunch of outdoors people hoping for rubbish weather
this weekend and that's the organisers of this year's Kendal
Mountain Festivals - it's not that they've got anything against
you, just that the worse the weather, the better their attendance
figures.
The festival kicked off last weekend and builds to a climax this
week 17/18 November. The big-screen premiere of Joe Simpson
adaptation The Beckoning Silence has sold out, despite its
small-screen debut on Channel 4 a few weeks back, but there are
plenty of other attractions for festival goers with online booking
available.
It's the 25th anniversary of the Boardman Tasker Award for
Mountain Literature with celebrations including Doug Scott, Jim
Curran and Chris Bonington recalling climbs on Kangchenjunga, Everest
and Kongur,. Pus there are readings by Pete and Joe's brothers John
Boardman and Paul Tasker, and Pete's wife Hilary Rhodes. That's
2.00pm on Saturday.
Stephen Venables lecturing earlier this week
from the 2007
Festival Gallery
Then there's Greg Child the renowned Australian mountaineer
talking about how a chance meeting with Doug Scott led him into 'an
adventurous, tarantula-filled vertical career'. That's 7.30 pm on
Saturday.
On the film side, Thomas Huber's film Am Limit follows the
Huber brothers' career culminating in their speed ascents of the Nose
on El Cap - 6.00pm on Saturday.
There's also a showing of The Alps, following John Harlin'
IIIs quest to climb the Eiger route that killed his father and
Mountains of Glass which profiles Eric Shipton's Patagonia
journeys. And don't forget Al Lee's new film, PSYCHE which premieres
on Saturday morning.
Loads more besides including a great speaker line-up with the
likes of Greg Child, Thomas Huber, Jack Tackle, Will Gadd and Neil
Gresham backing up headliners Sir Rannulph Fiennes and Scott and
Bonington.
We could go on listing the attractions, but you can find full
detals along with on-line booking facilities at www.mountainfilm.co.uk.
As for the weather, we guess you'll have to wait and see though
Metcheck has things cold and dry on Saturday in Kendal and wet and
miserable for the Sunday.
