We've already told you a bit about the
Fort
William Mountain Festival 2010 but here's a
little more about the event which runs from
Thursday 11 to Monday 15 February.
The Highland town nestling at the foot of Ben Nevis styles itself 'The
Outdoor Capital of the UK' - not to confused with the Lake District
which recently dubbed itself 'The Adventure Capital of the UK' - or
OCUK to save paper and pixels and has some of the best mountaineering
in the UK on its doorstep, particularly in winter.
Mike Pescod, Chairman of the Highland Mountain Culture Association,
organisers of the Festival, says:
'Above all the 2010 Fort William Mountain Festival programme promotes
the mountains as an attractive, accessible and above all enjoyable
place to be.
'It includes a superb line up of top climbers, mountain filmmakers,
inspirational speakers and creative workshops. It caters for everyone
of all ages from elite climbers to outdoor enthusiasts and hill walkers
to budding wildlife photographers.'
Attractions...
It is, he says, essentially 'a celebration of mountain culture' and
there's a whole spread of attractions on offer. We've already mentioned
Andy Kirkpatrick, who'll be presenting 'Victory Over Reason: Adventures
On The Eiger, El Cap, Patagonia And The Caledonian Canal'. Part of the
talk concerns a failed winter solo of the North Face of the Eiger,
gulp...
Then there's an evening celebrating the achievements of Jimmy Marshall
called 'The Architect of Modern Scottish Climbing' and centring around
video of an attempt by Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner to repeat six first
ascents on consecutive days on the Ben made by Marshall and Robin Smith
in February 1960. A fantastic idea with an emphasis on comparing the
experience of climbing the routes using modern equipment with
Marshall's recollections of the first ascents.
Then there's The Best of Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
showcasing some of the best films from the Banff festival and the
presentation of the 2010 Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain
Culture. The award celebrates outstanding contributions to Scotland's
mountains, encompassing sport, theatre, art, photography, film and
literature and first introduced in 2008.
Mountain Skills Workshops
Children and adults will have the opportunity to try out new activities
and learn new skills through daily mountain skills workshops during the
Festival. Guides from Abacus Mountaineering will lead full day courses
in avalanche awareness, winter walking and winter climbing.
Meanwhile, Kinlochleven's Ice Factor Indoor Climbing Centre will be
offering taster sessions in indoor climbing and ice climbing throughout
the festival. There's also a one-day wildlife photography workshop and
even a Red Deer Safari.
For kids, check out the Forestry Commission Scotland's Wet Winter Welly
Walk giving them the opportunity of cooking their own soup
and making their own sandwiches followed by a wet muddy walk.
Looks like being a cracking event. Full details and booking at
www.mountainfestival.co.uk
