Thursday Night

Film Competition

WHERE Main Theatre, Nevis Centre
WHEN 6.45pm - 10pm
Doors open 6pm

Join us to view the finalists and winning films for the 2019 Best Short Film, Best Mountain Sports Film, Best Exploration and Adventure Film and John Muir Trust Wild Places Film Prize. Vote for your favourite for the People’s Choice Film. Introduced and hosted by Paul Diffley from Hot Aches Productions, and Q&A with several of the filmmakers and athletes.

The Lineup...

Brotherhood of Skiing

Film maker: Tyler Wilkinson-Ray & Colin Arisman
Synopsis: Since 1973, the National Brotherhood of Skiers has overcome barriers by bringing soul and smiles to the mountain. Formed during the height of the black power movement, the organisation is dedicated to creating a welcoming space for people of colour on the slopes and supporting black youth in snowsports. Today, the NBS hosts the largest gathering of black skiers in the United States and represents 53 ski clubs with over 3,000 members across the country.

JOHN MUIR TRUST WILD PLACES AWARD

Untrailed

Film maker: Ellie Green, Matt Green & Kelvin Trautman
Synopsis: Jenny Tough, a Canadian-born endurance challenger teams up with expedition photographer Kelvin Trautman to attempt to run the Great Glen Way high route from Fort William up to Inverness, detouring to ascend two Munros along the way. They wind their way through the beautiful, rugged landscapes whilst carrying everything they’ll need along the way and have just 80 hours to complete their journey.

BEST MOUNTAIN SPORTS FILM

Ice & Palms

Film maker: Jochen Mesle, Max Kroneck & El Flamingo Films
Synopsis: Jochen Mesle and Max Kroneck are not your everyday freeski athletes, and they have realized their longtime dream. Their biggest and most extraordinary ski tour so far. The two had travelled the world for many mountainous adventures, but over the last few years, the idea for "ICE & PALMS" had grown in their minds: a ski adventure that started right on their own doorsteps. 5 weeks, 1,800 km and about 35,000 vertical meters – one dream, once across the Alps.

BEST SHORT FILM

Encounter

Film maker: Howard Wimshurst
Synopsis: A thrill-seeking ski-tourist speeds down a secluded mountain.
An Indigenous ski-hunter primes his bow for the killing strike.
Their paths are about to collide...

Mbuzi Dume - Strong Goat

Film maker: Claudio von Planta
Synopsis: 'Mbuzi Dume' is Swahili and means ‚strong goat‘. It‘s the nickname given to Tom Belz on his Kilimanjaro climb by his African mountain guide. Tom‘s left leg was amputated when he was just eight years old, and since then, he has perfected his technique on crutches. Nevertheless, until recently, he wouldn't have dreamed of travelling to Kilimanjaro and experiencing a sunrise at an altitude of 5895 metres, and he certainly would not have imagined that he‘d be sharing this adventure with Dr. Klaus Siegler, the man who saved his life 23 years ago. For both men, climbing Kilimanjaro symbolises the challenges in life that everyone must surmount.

BEST ADVENTURE AND EXPLORATION FILM

8000+

Film maker: Antoine Girard & Christian Schmidt
Synopsis: In July 2016, the paraglider Antoine Girard set off on a three-week hike-and-fly tour to explore the Karakorum mountains in Pakistan— alone. The Frenchman has already twice failed in his attempts to climb the 8,051-meter-high Broad Peak and paraglide from the summit down into the valley. Now, his hope is that the upwinds will carry him and his chute to the summit—and possibly beyond. If he succeeds, he will set a new altitude record in paragliding, but the air is thin between the 8,000-meter peaks, and take-offs and landings are extremely tricky. Especially when you only have one person to rely on—yourself.

Dave MacLeod: The 24/8

Film maker: Kevin Woods
Synopsis: Established by Dave MacLeod on the 19th March 2018, the '24/8' might be one of the hardest all-round climbing challenges around; an 8A boulder, 8a sport route, E8 trad route, VIII,8 winter route and 8 Munros, all in under 24 hours.

NOTE: Some films contain strong language and mild nudity and are classified as needing parental guidance for young children. Please check the website for further details on each film prior to booking your tickets.

Climber's Summit

WHERE Studio, Nevis Centre
WHEN 6.45pm - 10pm
Doors open 6pm

The condition of Scottish Winter Climbing

In 1906 Harrold Raeburn climbed Green Gully on Ben Nevis, a climb that turned out to be the hardest ice climb in the world and remained so for nearly 30 years. Currently, what is probably the hardest traditionally protected winter climb in the world is found on Ben Nevis, Anubis, climbed by Dave MacLeod in 2010.
Scottish winter climbers have always been at the forefront of world climbing. Climbing in Scotland in winter has always been seen as one of the toughest environments to go climbing.
Is this still the case? Do the ethical standards we set ourselves produce the best climbers or create an unhealthy elitism? Do we understand these ethical ideals and do we stick to them? Are we looking after the finite resource of climbing or do we need to tidy up our game?

Present at the Climbers Summit to take part in the discussions will be...

Guy Robertson

Guy lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he works as a low carbon energy project manager. He has two kids, a mortgage and a full-time job, with his climbing limited to occasional midweek and weekend hits, and the odd overseas trip. He has put up new rock and winter climbs in regions as diverse as North Africa, the Middle East, the Alps, Peru, Norway and the Greater Himalaya.
However, it is for his domestic winter exploits he is best known, having for many years been active at the upper end of the Scottish winter climbing grading scale. His passion is for finding and trying new high quality winter-only lines on big cliffs - always from the ground up. Guy made second ascents of most of the hardest winter test-pieces from the 1980’s during the late 1990’s then went on to pioneer many of his own first ascents across Scotland up to grade X.

Simon Richardson

Simon Richardson is an enthusiastic Scottish winter climber with over 600 new routes to his credit. He is author of the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s climbers’ guide to Ben Nevis and during the winter he reports on the Scottish Winter Climbing scene via his popular blog www.scottishwinter.com
His book 'Chasing the Ephemeral - 50 Routes for a successful Scottish Winter' won the best guidebook prize at the 2017 Banff Film and Book Festival. Further afield, Simon has made dozens of first ascents across the globe from Alaska to Antarctica, and the Alps to the Himalayas.

Helen Rennard

Helen is originally from Stafford but has lived in Scotland since 1998, when she moved to Aberdeen to start university. She has lived in Fort William since 2011 and works as a Children and Families social worker. Helen has twenty years' experience of Scottish winter climbing; she has climbed a large number of classic routes up to grade VIII throughout Scotland and has also climbed numerous new winter routes, first winter ascents and second ascents up to grade IX. Helen regularly climbs with some of Scotland's top winter climbers. Last winter she became the first woman to complete the Tranter round in winter, doing much of this solo and unsupported. Abroad, she has climbed in the Alps, Greenland and North America.

Uisdean Hawthorn

Uisdean is a Scottish climber and alpinist best known for his winter climbing and Alpine exploits. He has made numerous first-ascents and rare repeats in Scotland. Climbed hard new routes in Alaska and in the Himalaya.
Abroad, he has repeated routes like the North Face of Mount Alberta, The Hyper Couloir and Divine Providence on Mont Blanc, and Ecaille épique on Les Droites.
In Scotland over the last few years he has been seeking out big icy mixed lines, lines that don’t come into condition very often, follow big obvious lines and provide a real adventure.
In 2018 he set a winter record for the traverse of the Cuillin Ridge of 4 hrs 57 mins.
He enjoys all disciplines of climbing, and running too, but is happiest in the mountains.