September 15, 1999

From tales of discovery to portraits of determination, from guidebooks to cartoons, this year’s 30 finalists for the 6th Annual Banff Mountain Book Festival bring a variety of mountain stories to life through their words and images. A pre-selection committee sorted through a record-breaking 102 entries from nine countries including Canada, USA, UK, Nepal, Italy, Australia, France, Singapore and Norway.

"We’re thrilled by the response to this year’s competition. The number of entries is up 40 per cent over last year, a testament to the book festival’s growing international reputation," said Bernadette McDonald, Director of The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture which produces the event.

Three of the finalist titles deal with the legendary 1924 Everest expedition of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine and the recent discovery of Mallory’s body below the summit, a finding which will be sure to spark discussion at this year’s festival. A number of finalist authors will be participating at the event including Ed Douglas, Paul Pritchard, David Breashears, Pat and Baiba Morrow, Sid Marty, Jim Curran, Audrey Salkeld, Eric Simonson and Jochen Hemmleb.

The book festival jury consists of well-known ice-climber Will Gadd, Canmore, Alberta; Michael Porter, Director of the Kendal Film Festival and Boardman Tasker judge, UK; and Michael Pause, editor of Germany's Berge magazine. Winners of the following awards will be announced at the festival during the evening event of November 4, 1999:

• Grand Prize: Phyllis and Don Munday Award, sponsored by the Alberta Sections of the Alpine Club of Canada ¾ $2000
• Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature, sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies — $1000
• Best Book - Mountain Exposition, sponsored by Mountain Lights Bookstore, Lake Louise, Canada — $500
• Best Book - Mountain Image, sponsored by Miles High Image Centre, Banff, Canada — $500
• Best Book - Adventure Travel, sponsored by Mountain Travel*Sobek, El Cerrito, CA — $500

The finalists in each category are:

Mountain Literature

The Banff Mountain Book Festival, presented by Canadian Mountain Holidays, runs November 3 – 7, 1999 in conjunction with the 24th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival which will be held November 5 – 7, 1999.

• Writer, poet and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams
• Anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis
• Four-time Everest summiteer and filmmaker David Breashears
• Climber Jack Tackle
• Canadian author, songwriter and mountain bard Sid Marty
• Writer, traveller and mountaineer Ed Douglas

• Opening night presentation by Swedish adventurer Göran Kropp of the film I Made It
• A live musical presentation by Bernard Abeille to the remarkable French film Volcan et contrebasse
• Retro Reels featuring climber Henry Barber
• Awards presentation

To order tickets phone 403-762-6675 or call toll-free 1-800-298-1229 or place an order online. PLUS – Plan your expedition now for the Banff Mountain Summit 2000. Join 30 of this century’s most celebrated mountaineers October 30-31, 2000. 

Debra Hornsby, Marketing and Communications Manager,
  Mountain Culture, The Banff Centre
phone: 403-762-6446, fax: 403-762-6277,
email: debra_hornsby@banffcentre.ca
Web site: www.banffmountainfestivals.ca

The 6th Annual Banff Mountain Book Festival,
Presented by Canadian Mountain Holidays and Volvo.
Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, Patagonia and Ericsson
with assistance from the Alpine Club of Canada, the Banff Book & Art Den
The Mountaineers Books, Discovery Books/Random House and Mountainzone.com