Sticky Notes Blog

A blog of writing news, tips, and inspiration from Fat Plum

Banff Mountain Film Festival

The Banff Mountain Film Festival road tour was in downtown Pittsburgh last night. It featured a selection of the many films on mountain subjects that were shown in November in Banff, Alberta, Canada. It was an incredible combination of adrenalin rush, inspiration, and thought provocation. You can check out other city stops on the tour at the Banff Mountain Festival's site.

There were, of course, gasp-eliciting Warren-Miller style shorts of crazy youths skiing off cliffs and kayaking over waterfalls. In yet another reminder that I'm officially middle-aged, I kept thinking how their mothers must worry.

The documentary on a controversial wolf reintroduction effort in Idaho brought a lump to my throat. To my surprise, I was infuriated by the actions of the ranchers AND the wildlife service, both of which end up harming the wolves.

My favorite film was a longer documentary of two Swiss mountaineeers who climbed Eiger's infamous North Face using equipment similar to that available to the first-ascent party in 1938. We're talking wool clothing, leather boots with stapped-on clamps, and hemp ropes that would snap in a fall (after crushing their chests). The climbers offered deadpan comic relief, such as "We musn't fall."

The event was sponsored by the Western PA Field Institute, now renamed Venture Outdoors. Their mission is to get people outside to have fun and appreciate nature. I hope walking in the park counts.

Posted by Julie on April 15, 2004
This entry was posted in the following categories: Diversions