Today kicks off the 2006 Banff Mountain Festival.
For lovers of the outdoors, there is perhaps no better gathering of authors, film makers, and adventurers specializing in the natural world. The festival provides a venue for those passionate about the outdoors and then delivers this passion to festival goers in all its glory.
Seminars and guest speakers make up a big part of the entertainment. This year will include, among others, Italian mountaineer Simone Moro, and Nando Parrado, one of the survivors of the infamous Andes plane crash in which cannibalism took place.
There is also a book festival honoring those who have written about the Great Outdoors.
The real draw for most people, however, is the legendary film festival. This year, 300 films of various lengths have been submitted; 50 will be shown throughout the festival. The winning reels then go on tour around the world. I catch the tour every year when it comes to Los Angles and keep telling myself that I need to get to the real event itself. Looks like I’ve come up short this year, once again.