Kendal Mountain Festival Latest!

The latest news update from this year's Kendal Mountain Festival is just in and while it may seem a while off yet - 20-23 November 2008 in fact - some attractions are already selling out, so it's worth getting your reservations in early.

In particular, Reinhold Messner's main lecture is already fully booked, but you can still see one of the greatest mountaineers of all time taking part in a panel discussion titled No 0² - Thirty years of Everest without supplementary oxygen on Sunday 23 November with special guests including Doug Scott, Russell Brice, Kenton Cool and chaired by Stephen Venables.


Other new-ish attractions include marathon cyclist Mark Beaumont - the fastest man around the world on a bike - who will be appearing at the festival on Saturday 22 November, and talking about his trip, which was made into a BBC documentary, raised £18,000 for charity and included nights spent in no fewer than eight different police cells.

According to the organisers, 'the really hot ticket' for this year's event, is the UK premiere of Catherine Destivelle’s stunning new film Au Delà des Cimes. Tickets have only just gone on sale and the Kendal Mountain Festival is working hard with the film’s Director, Rémy Tezier to develop an English language version with Brian Blessed providing the voiceover specifically for the Festival. Both Catherine and Rémy will introduce the film on Saturday 22nd.

Women's Issues... Your Ask

There's plenty more besides including a trio of top female climbers taking part in a panel called  A Woman’s Place? on the Sunday. The aim is to discuss issues related to women and climbing with the panel of Lucy Creamer - below - Steph Davis, Zoe Hart and Karen Darke chaired by Louise Thomas aiming to respond to your questions in an Any Questions? stylee. You can mail your queries in advance to awomansplace08@googlemail.com.


What else? Comedian Mark  Olver talks about his walk to this year's Edinburgh Festival and on the literary side of things, speakers include Andy Cave, Andy Kirkpatrick and Vicki Robinson. Ed Douglas also chairs a panel discussion Partners – who needs them? with Steph Davis, Bernadette  McDonald, Andy Kirkpatrick and Megs Mackean - all on Friday 21st at the International Festival of Mountain Literature event.

Festival dates are 20-23 November with news as it happens at www.mountainfilm.co.uk. Tickets can be bought online or through Kendal’s Brewery Arts box office on 01539 725133.