9:00 - 10:10 am
Max Bell Auditorium
Writing - and rewriting - mountaineering history
Mountaineering history is a curious thing. It starts with the most immediate story - which, depending on the decade, could take the form of a telephone call from the summit, an e-mail transmission from base camp or a letter hand-delivered by runner. But it doesn’t end there: elaboration follows, as does analysis and reflection. What the climbers themselves or their teammates write depends on so many factors - perhaps an abrupt change in the fortunes of the expedition; a tragedy; interpersonal frictions; exhaustion; or political pressure. A quite different view may emerge years later with the benefit of historical perspective. As times change and as climbing ethics evolve, how useful is it to revisit the stories of bygone adventures? Using some spectacular examples, this fascinating topic was explored by a panel of writers, editors and researchers who know first-hand just how controversial it can be: David Roberts, Robert Marshall, Sandra Noel, John Roskelley.

10:30 - 11:40 am
Max Bell Auditorium
Voices of Adventure Series: Henry Barber
Henry Barber mastered the sport of climbing in New England, where he developed the perfect combination of technique, problem solving, and creativity to skillfully freeclimb the area’s toughest routes. Driven by passion, Henry became internationally renowned for ascending cutting-edge routes, establishing some of the world’s most demanding climbs and relentlessly pursuing a “clean-climbing” ethic. Geoff Powter, host of the Voices of Adventure Series, spoke with rock-climbing legend Henry Barber about his many accomplishments, and the undeniable impact he has had on international climbing standards. Read more...

Noon - 1:15 pm Literary Lunch Break
Banff Centre Dining Room, Donald Cameron Hall
Colin Wells - Who’s Who in British Climbing: Bite-sized Biographies of Dead Climbers - and Some That Are Still Alive
It seems the British invented all the best sports on the planet (e.g. footie, cricket, conkers) and introduced them to the rest of the world, who then proceeded to beat the Brits hollow at their own games. Climbing is no exception. Nevertheless, those plucky islanders have continued their inexplicable obsession with giddy heights. A by-product of all this enthusiasm has been a truly remarkable bunch of climbing characters. Colin Wells has spent a ridiculous amount of time hanging out in musty libraries, sweet-talking frankly unattractive archivists and illegally photocopying museum documents in order to produce a book whose pages will be populated with the romantics, eccentrics and buffoons that have made British climbing what it is: dissolute and hungover most of the time, with odd unexpected bursts of brilliance. Colin shared some of the best from this work in progress.
This lunch is sponsored in part by Rocky Mountain Books.

CBC Live at the Festival on Friday, November 5, in the Max Bell lobby, free of charge
noon - 1 pm: Wild Rose Country
4 pm - 5 pm: Homestretch

1:30 - 2:40 pm
Max Bell Auditorium
Vivien Bowers - In the Path of an Avalanche
Adventurers from all over the world travel to Canada’s Selkirk Mountains, a ski-touring mecca that offers unlimited mountain terrain and lots of snow. On a clear, cold morning in January 1998, six experienced backcountry skiers set out across one of the range’s heavily loaded slopes and were caught in a Class 3 avalanche that buried them all in its path. In a presentation based on her book In the Path of an Avalanche, Vivien Bowers took us through the tragic series of events, the arduous search-and-retrieval effort, the “big city” media invasion, and the attempts of the victims’ families and friends, and the inhabitants of a nearby small town, to bring meaning and resolution to the tragedy. Along the way, Bowers explored the science of the avalanche - a force of awesome, unstoppable power.

3:00 - 4:10 pm
Max Bell Auditorium
Arno Ilgner - The Rock Warrior’s Way
Arno Ilgner believes that mental readiness is just as important as hardware when you head out to climb. Drawing from the rich "warrior" literature, from sports psychology, and from his extensive climbing experience, he has created his new guide to mental training, The Rock Warrior’s Way. His ideas, while focused on climbing, are applicable to any sphere of life. During his presentation, Arno shared his comprehensive program for focusing your mental resources during a challenging climb -- or any of life’s other challenges.


CBC Live at the Festival on Friday, November 5, in the Max Bell lobby, free of charge
noon - 1 pm: Wild Rose Country
4 pm - 5 pm: Homestretch