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…

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.