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May 29, 2000
Journey to the Ends of the Earth: Thirty Years of Adventure Photography Whether dangling from a cliff face on Baffin Island or exploring the fabled Tsangpo River Gorge, Gordon Wiltsie takes photos that capture the essence of adventure. On Friday, June 16, join Gordon Wiltsie on a journey to the world's highest and most remote regions, as the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture presents "Journey to the Ends of the Earth: Thirty Years of Adventure Photography". Gordon Wiltsie, 46, is a photographer, writer and polar explorer whose work has taken him to the Himalaya, Canadian arctic, Antarctica and both geographic Poles. More than 150 of his articles and several thousand photographs have appeared in numerous international publications, including National Geographic, Travel and Leisure, Outside, Life and most leading adventure and skiing magazines. Wiltsie’s mountaineering background includes many notable climbs and ski explorations in the western USA, Himalaya, South America and Antarctica. He has also led numerous Himalayan cultural treks and mountaineering expeditions, including a pioneer three-person winter ski crossing from Ladakh to Kashmir, during which he had to rescue himself after breaking his back in an avalanche. His recent focus has been guiding and photographing some of the first-ever private groups, expeditions and film crews to fly deep into the Antarctic interior. Some of his recent assignments include a two-month expedition to an unknown mountain range in the storm bound fjords of Chile (National Geographic Magazine, April 1994); and a pioneering exploration of Tibet's fabled and long-forbidden Tsangpo River Gorge (covered in Men's Journal). In 1994, he photographed and guided 88-year old Norman Vaughan up a remote Antarctic mountain that explorer Richard Byrd named after Vaughan in the 1930's (Life Magazine, May 1995) and in 1995 he photographed Will Steger's trans-polar dogsled journey from Siberia to Canada (National Geographic, January 1996). The cover story of National Geographic's February 1998 issue presented a big-wall climbing expedition to Antarctica's little known Queen Maud Land which Gordon both led and photographed. His most recent project was photographing another National Geographic sponsored big-wall climbing expedition, this time to the spectacular Stewart Valley on Baffin Island. Wiltsie’s presentation takes place Friday, June 16 in the Max Bell Auditorium. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased in advance by calling The Banff Centre Box Office at 403-762-6301, 1-800-413-8368 or at the door. Photography enthusiasts also have a chance to explore the art of adventure photography in a Banff Centre Live and Learn Workshop featuring Gordon Wiltsie from June 16 to 18. For more information on the workshop, call 762-6308 or 1-800-884-7574. Debra Hornsby, Marketing and Communications Manager, Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share – and find inspiration in – mountain experiences, ideas and visions.
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