Join us in Banff for the 2009 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals from October 31 through November 8. Featured speakers include Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes, Swiss Alpinist Ueli Steck, the King of sport climbing, Chris Sharma, Conservationist Mike Fay, Climber and entrepreneur Royal Robbins, and more!

New for 2009, the Banff Mountain Photography Competition has gone digital…

When he began his new role two years ago, David Cox, executive director of Mountain Culture and Environment at The Banff Centre had a vision. “With environmental awareness at an all-time high around the world, there is a huge opportunity to be highly creative – and the Centre has such amazing resources for the development of new ideas.”

Greg Hill is used to moving up in the world. Renowned for his backcountry skiing, one of his biggest achievements was gaining one million feet of vertical in a single season, a feat that included 40,000-feet in a single day, 40 separate peaks, 37 days of 10,000 or more feet, and 145 days in the backcountry. Greg’s accomplishment involved no helicopters or lift lines, only skins on his skis for traction and an immeasurable amount of will power.

Climbing is what sparked Majka Burhardt’s interest in Ethiopia but it’s the coffee that’s bringing her back.

A writer, climber, and guide, Burhardt first travelled to Ethiopia to research the country’s coffee industry, where she discovered instead a climber’s paradise. This mission resulted in her first book, Vertical Ethiopia: Climbing Toward Possibility in the Horn of Africa which was entered into the Banff Mountain Book Festival competition – and subsequently led to her coming to Banff as a guest speaker for the 2008 Banff Mountain Book Festival. She also participated in the 2008 Banff Mountain Writing Program, held during the festival.