The latest news from Kendal Mountain Festival reveals there’s plenty of riveting stuff to look forward to at this November’s event. As always, there’s an exciting mix of speakers appealing to mountaineers and armchair adventurers alike.
One of the headliners is Tommy Caldwell, the Coloradan who catapulted to international fame last year free-climbing the Dawn Wall on Yosemite’s El Capitan, a feat that hit the headlines around the world. Yet in some way this is the least of Tommy’s achievements; you can find out why at his one-off lecture.
Adventurers a-plenty feature in the programme. Toby Storie-Pugh, who is planning the first source-to-sea descent of the Congo River by foot, has motorcycled from Nepal to the UK and from the UK to South Africa and back, summited Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya several times, and climbed Aconcagua in Argentina. Then there’s Squash Falconer who has climbed Mount Everest, was the first British woman to climb and paraglide from the summit of Mont Blanc, and claims to be the worlds highest ever ‘bum boarder’ – a dubious title she gained on the Himalayan peak Cho Oyu.
Two amazing endurance athletes will be at the event – Nicky Spinks and Sean Conway. Nicky is the inspirational long distance runner who holds the women’s records for each of the three major British fell running challenges – the Bob Graham Round, the Ramsay Round and the Paddy Buckley Round – as well as being the only person to have run each of them in under twenty hours. Instantly recognisable, Sean Conway is the bearded endurance swimmer, author and professional photographer who became the first person to swim the length of Great Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats. He also recently became the first person to complete ‘the ultimate triathlon’ when he finished running the length of the country, having already cycled and swum the entire way before.
From Kathmandu to Everest base camp, the horrific earthquake in April devastated the entire country of Nepal. Despite the fact that the disaster has faded from the news, the country faces a huge rebuilding challenge with a continuing need for safe water, shelter and medicine. Sherpa Adventure Gear, the Nepal-based outdoor brand, manufactures its products in Kathmandu and surrounding villages. Tashi Sherpa, the founder and owner of the company will be on hand to describe the situation in Nepal; Kenton Cool, the well-known mountain guide and 11-time Everest summiteer adds his experiences and knowledge; and mountaineer Heather Geluk who was on expedition at the time describes her experience. All are active in post-earthquake initiatives and this special Session aims to raise funds; all ticket revenue will be donated to the Help Sherpas Help Nepal appeal.
This year Chamonix celebrates the 150th anniversary of 1865, an eventful year when the Golden Age of mountaineering reached its climax. In partnership with the town of Chamonix, Kendal celebrates this anniversary with a special, one-off session presented by alpinist and UKClimbing editor Jack Geldard. The ever-expanding lineup features Patrick Gabarrou representing the 70s/80s generation, modern alpinist Jeff Mercier, filmmaker Dom Green, Ian Parnell talking about the Dru, plus both Chris Bonington and Catherine Destivelle reminiscing on their experiences.
Finally for now, Andy Kirkpatrick talks about his exploits over the last couple of years and Leo Houlding recounts his most recent project: the unclimbed Mirror Wall in Greenland on which, after 12 nights on portaledges, Leo and his team topped out on 30 July. Leo’s presentation at Kendal will be a unique opportunity to hear him speak about this latest adventure, featuring film excerpts and special guests.
Dates are 19-22 November with tickets and news at mountainfest.co.uk. More details to follow.
Main photo: Jeff Johnson