As winter drizzles on, the next of the indoor-adrenalin options looms large. This time it's Birmingham's turn, with bouldering and slacklining on offer along with the full line up of films and talks.
As winter drizzles on, the next of the indoor-adrenalin options looms large. This time it's Birmingham's turn, with the Birmingham Mountain Film Festival taking place from 25th to 27th January.
Events include bouldering masterclasses, slacklining sessions, a photography exhibition, a dyno competition, a gear tent, and of course the obligatory party, as well as an interesting line-up of talks and films. It won't be a dull weekend, whatever the weather's doing.
Here's how the programme of talks looks:
Andy Kirkpatrick - Big Wall Demo and Talk
Andy will be talking about his scary and exciting experiences on ice, rock, and confectionary, including a crossing of the Greenland icecap with paraplegic Karen Darke. There'll also be a spot of live action as he shows off his big wall skills on the main overhang at Creation Climbing Wall.
Dave Birkett - Set in Stone
Film makers Alastair Lee and David Halsted will be giving a two hour presentation including comedy shorts from 'Storms the Movie' and clips from 'Twice Upon a Time in Bolivia'. The show finishes with a full length screening of this year's Kendal climbing category winner, 'Set in Stone', and Lakeland climber Dave Birkett will also be on hand for a chat and a dvd signing session.
Dave MacLeod - E11
E11 took a clean sweep of the prizes at last year's Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival and features Dave MacLeod's quest to complete the hardest trad climb in the world. Dave will be giving a short talk after the screening.
Ben Heason - First Free Ascent of Angel Falls
1000m of rock, no bolts, four days' journey to base camp, and fourteen consecutive nights sleeping on the wall - Ben Heason describes the first free ascent of Angel Falls by a team of British, Russian and Venezuelan climbers.
Best of Kendal Film Festival 2006
A selection of the best films from Kendal, including 'K2', with Kurt Diemberger, 'Cerro Torre – Arca de los Ventos', and the grand prize winning descriptions of Nepali cultural traditions, 'On the Road with the Red God', amongst others.
See www.bmff.co.uk for the full programme. Tickets are available from Creation Climbing Centre, The Epic Centre, 582 Moseley Road, Birmingham, B12 9AA, tel 0121 449 8000.
Price is £10 for a day pass or £20 for the whole festival.
