The book reflects the eight decades that Bradford Washburn has spent documenting mountain landscapes from the Grand Canyon to Mount Everest. Edited and compiled by Antony Decaneas, the book includes one hundred large format mountain photographs selected from the over 10,000 images in the Washburn portfolio.

Virtual Tibet: Searching for Shangri-La from the Himalayas to Hollywood, Orville Schell (Henry Holt and Company, Inc.), wins the Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature, sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies — $1000. "This is a fascinating book about a fascinating land, offering interesting insights and reflections on the West’s relationship with Tibet," says jury member Susan Golomb.

The prize for Best Book — Mountain Exposition, sponsored by Mountain Lights Bookstore, Lake Louise, Canada — $500 is awarded to A Hiker's Guide to the Rocky Mountain Art of Lawren Harris, Lisa Christensen (Fifth House Ltd.).

And the award for Best Book — Adventure Travel — $500 goes to Patagonia: Notes from the Field, Nora Gallagher (Chronicle Books) "This book reflects a wide range of travel experiences from the exhilaration and joy of teamwork to the quiet and spiritual contemplation of nature," comments Susan Golomb.

Bradford Washburn: Mountain Photography, Antony Decaneas (The Mountaineers Books), sponsored by Spotted Dog Press, Bishop, CA, wins the award for Best Book – Mountain Image — $500

James Monroe Thorington Award, sponsored by the UIAA for the best recent work on mountaineering history goes to Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering, Chic Scott (Rocky Mountain Books) — $500

Pushing the Limits also wins the Canadian Rockies award, for the best book on the local area, sponsored by Eagle Creek Travel Gear.

Mountain Literature finalists were:

• Climbing the World's 14 Highest Mountains — The History of the 8000-meter Peaks, Richard Sale & John Cleare (The Mountaineers Books)

• Creagh Dhu Climber: The Life & Times of John Cunningham, Jeff Connor (The Ernest Press)

• El Capitan, Daniel Duane (Chronicle Books)

• Extreme Rock & Ice, Garth Hattingh (New Holland Publishing (South Africa))

• Life and Death on Mt. Everest, Sherry Ortner (Princeton University Press)

• My Quest for Yeti: Confronting the Himalayas' Deepest Mystery, Reinhold Messner (St. Martin's Press)

• Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire, Nicholas Howe (Appalachian Mountain Club Books)

• Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering, Chic Scott (Rocky Mountain Books)

• A Slender Thread: Escaping Disaster in the Himalaya, Stephen Venables (Random House UK)

• Stone Palaces, Geof Childs (The Mountaineers Books)

• True Summit: What Really Happened on the Legendary Ascent of Annapurna, David Roberts (Simon & Schuster)

• Two for the Summit: My Daughter, the Mountains and Me, Geoffrey Norman (Dutton)

• View from the Summit, Edmund Hillary (Transworld Publishers)

• The Wildest Dream: the Biography of George Mallory, Peter & Leni Gillman (The Mountaineers Books)

Mountain Exposition finalists were:

• The Complete Climber's Handbook, Jerry Cinnamon (Ragged Mountain Press)

• Guide to Climbing Photography, Jeff Achey (Stackpole Books)

• Chasms of Silence, Marten Berkman (Folio Gallery for Waterous & Co.)

• Denali: Reflections of a Naturalist, Kennan Ward (Creative Publishing, Intl.) Kennan Ward (Creative Publishing, Intl.)

• Millenium 2000 #2, Betta Gobbi (Vivalda Editori SRI.) Betta Gobbi (Vivalda Editori SRI.)

• Along the Inca Road, Karin Muller (National Geographic Society)

• Alpine Circus, Michael Finkel (Lyons Press) Michael Finkel (Lyons Press)

• National Geographic Expeditions Atlas, Tom Melham (National Geographic Society) Tom Melham (National Geographic Society)

• Sand Dance: By Camel Across Arabia's Great Southern Desert, Bruce Kirkby (McClelland & Stewart) Bruce Kirkby (McClelland & Stewart)

  ---

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

---

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.

---

The 7th Annual Banff Mountain Book Festival is presented by Canadian Mountain Holiday and Eagle Creek Travel Gear and sponsored by The National Geographic Society, Patagonia, Dunham Bootmakers and MountainZone.com with assistance from: The Alpine Club of Canada, The Banff Book & Art Den, The Mountaineers Books and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.