Ice Climbing Crawford Notch

by Erik Olsen on

Again, I’m not much of an ice climber. Seems a wee
bit too dangerous for me. Well, maybe not. I’d probably do it if I had the chance, but at least up to this point, I’ve
never done it. But all that personal nonsense is a way of getting to the point: check out this
article over at explorenewengland.com (subscription) that takes us
to Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, an ice climbing mecca…at least an East Coast version.

The article takes
a look at how amateurs and complete newbies can get a taste of ice climbing by going out with groups like the Appalachian Mountain Club. The AMC, by the way, is a superbly cool organization
here on the East Coast that gets people together to do all manner of outdoor activities…activities like hiking,
kayaking, rock climbing, etc. The list really does go on and on.

Climbers in the article tackle a spot
called Frankenstein Cliff, a towering crag of granite that offers scores of frozen waterfalls to pick and haul. A
rather ominous name, but it seems whoever gage these places names was a fan of old monster films. To wit, the other
cliff names are Dracula, The Coffin, and Widow’s Walk, to name a few.

Banff Mountain Book Festival

by Neil Woodburn on

While researching today’s post on the Banff Mountain Film Fest, I learned about another competition held in Banff at the same time: The Banff Mountain Book Festival.

As is the case with the film festival, the book festival recognizes the best literature and photography dealing with outdoor and mountain themes.  The categories are alluring on their own: Mountain Literature, Mountain Image, Adventure Travel, Mountain Exposition, and Mountaineering History.

This year’s Grand Prize winner, Being Caribou by Karsten Heuer, tells the story of a husband and wife team who accompany a group of migrating Porcupine Caribou across 2,000 miles of Alaskan backcountry. 

The best book in the Adventure category was awarded to Learning to Breathe by Andy Cave.  Cave, who has a Ph.D. in the sociology of mining, begins his journey underground before eventually scaling the very dangerous Changabang peak in the Indian Himalayas. 

Based on the quality of films I see every year at the Banff Film Festival, I can only imagine that their taste in literature is equally outstanding.  Check out the list of all winners because I’m sure each is a gem unto itself. 

 

Banff Mountain Film Festival

by Neil Woodburn on

Something I really, really look forward to every year around this time is the Banff Mountain Film Festival.  Of
course, the festival itself (which usually takes place in early November), is already over, but its spirit lives on
with a traveling road show that highlights the best films of the festival.

The festival is an annual event held in the beautiful town of snowy Banff.  Throughout the year, some 300
films are submitted to the festival by amateurs and professionals alike.  A jury boils the selection down to the
best fifty, which are then screened in
Banff.  At the conclusion of the festival, the best 15 or so are then spliced into a reel, put in a van, and
toured around the world.  In 2006, the tour will run through Canada in February, America in March, and then move
on internationally.  Check out the schedule here
before you miss it in your home town.

Each film has to have an outdoor theme, but that is pretty much the only rule.  As a result, the final reel is
as varied as the outdoors.  Films, which vary in length from one minute to more than an hour, capture the very best
of what the natural world has to offer; rock climbing, hang gliding, kayaking, mountain biking, exploration, ice
climbing, BASE jumping, and more.  This year’s Grand Prize winner, Sur le fil des
4000, follows two climbers as they attempt to summit all 82 Alpine peaks over 4000 feet.  Another winner,
this one for Best Film on Mountain Sports, captures the exploits of a 79-year-old paraglider in
Poland. 

Every year, the films in this festival are simply mesmerizing.  They are beautiful, inspirational, and in some
cases, even quite hilarious.  I simply can’t say enough about this festival.  Sure, it always makes me
feel like a lazy city-dweller, but sometimes that’s just the kick in the pants I need to get motivated. 
Anyone up for some paragliding?

 

Photo of the Day (2/1/2006)

by Erik Olsen on

Ah,
a gorgeous open vista. nothing quite takes the breath away like a photo of a beautiful lake and the mountains rising
above it. And so I bring to you this
fine photo by Alessandro he calls Way back to Oldan from Briksdal’s Glacier
in Jostedal Glacier National Park in Norway.

Hiking to the North Pole – Audio

by Erik Olsen on

A week or two ago, I mentioned the epic trip by two
adventurer named Børge Ousland and Mike Horn, who embarked shortly thereafter in a an effort to walk to the
North Pole, yes, in the dead of winter. That is, yes, in the dark. The team, according to this piece over at National Geographic, is on the
move. But it looks like they did an audio
interview before they left. It’s damn cold. Forty below according to the dispatch, and the team has been dealing
with several problems like logistical ones and, well,. polar bears.