MEDIA RELEASE www.banffcentre.ca

February 2, 2001

For the next month the daily experiences of mountain porters will come alive on the walls of the Banff Centre’s Max Bell Building. The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture is pleased to host a photography exhibition by the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG) entitled "Celebrating the Mountain Porter" from February 6 to 25 in the Max Bell Foyer.

Trekking porters work in bad weather, at high altitude and in remote areas. Often, they are without protective clothing, shelter and medical care. They are the unsung heroes of many mountain expeditions. The IPPG is a grassroots organization whose aim is to improve health and safety for the trekking porter and to reduce the incidence of avoidable illness, injury and death.

"Celebrating the Mountain Porter" is a sample of a larger show exhibited at the famous Yak & Yeti Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal in the fall of 2000. The complete exhibition features work by fifteen photographers from seven different countries depicting traditional porters, trekking porters, high altitude porters, and women, children and elderly porters. The exhibition is travelling internationally.

Prints of all images are available for US$50-150 each, depending on size, by contacting the IPPG via email at info@ippg.net