Kendal Mountain Festival programme 2016

kendal mountain festival programme 2016

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Welcome to kendal mountain festival 2016

Kendal Mountain Festival’s vision is to inspire more people to explore, enjoy and represent mountains, wilderness and their cultures.

A big welcome to Kendal Mountain Festival 2016!

Change is good, right? Well, you’ll find plenty at this year’s Festival!

Last year we launched our new Basecamp at the Brewery Arts Centre, to great acclaim. People loved the welcoming, high-mountain-village ambience, which created a vibrant Festival hub. The Basecamp is back for 2016, but this year we’ve added the Shackleton Tent alongside which combines a new café/bar area with the Berghaus Climbing Zone and Blacks Outdoor retail area – lots more to see and do!

Film is always the heart of the Festival and this year we have an outstanding programme that will inspire and inform, challenge your perceptions, and take you on journeys that will stay with you forever. We are also showing the films in a different way, with shorter sessions curated by themes that run like a golden thread through the programme. We think you’ll love it.

Staying with film, we also have a new venue: the Incredible Moving Picturehouse! Anchored between the Brewery and the Town Hall, this is a purpose-built mobile cinema that expands into a cosy 100-seat venue; a miniadventure all of its own!

Our lecture and live events programme continues to grow in quality and diversity, and our speaker list features cutting-edge adventurers from across the globe. We aim to keep reaching out to new audiences, especially young people, inspiring a new generation to get active in the great outdoors that we all love.

Further afield, our satellite events as part of ‘The Kendal World Film Tour’ continue to grow rapidly, with the best elements from each Festival shown at venues across the globe. We’ve recently launched major developments in China and South America, with more excitement in the pipeline.

Above all else Kendal is a gathering and the annual event for like-minded people who get together to celebrate the wonder of wild places and outdooradventure. Have a great Festival and we thank you and our host of fantastic sponsors, especially our presenting sponsor, Blacks, supporters, funders and the hundreds of wonderful volunteers for your vital support.

Share The Adventure!

Clive Allen, Matt Burke and Steve Scott

The Board of Directors Crossing HomeA Skiers Journey © Jordan Manley

mountains of thanks

PRESENTING SPONSOR

SPONSORS

SUPPORT SPONSORS

Without sponsorship and support, the Kendal Mountain Festival just would not happen. Please take a moment to check out our partners who have helped bring this year’s Festival to you.

MAJOR PARTNERS

Image

FUNDERS

KEY MEDIA PARTNERS MEDIA PARTNERS BRAND & DIGITAL

Kendal is so many things to different people. Inspiration from incredible physical and mental achievements against the odds; being wowed by places that suddenly you HAVE to visit; knowledge gained from the stories of true explorers. Whatever your motivation, there is something for you, something that will make you just that little bit more grateful that you are part of the Festival. Enjoy!

Kendal for film buffs

Film – the beating heart of Kendal Mountain Festival! This year we are thrilled to offer yet another packed programme showcasing the very best of outdoor filmmaking. With entries from all corners of the world, covering all aspects of mountain adventure (and a huge range of budgets), the 2016 Film Competition is going to be very exciting indeed!

Kendal for Climbers

With a great selection of climbing films to watch, there are also plenty of mustsee, live events this weekend.

Riveting lectures, jam-packed with some of the world’s best climbing talent. Don’t miss the unique Mountain Equipment Scottish Winter Session with Nick Bullock, Greg Boswell, Guy Robertson, Mick Fowler and Andy Nisbet. Elsewhere there’s Alex Megos, Jorg Verhoeven and Katha Saurwein, Caroline Ciavaldini, Andy Kirkpatrick, Cedar Wright, Mayan SmithGobat, Pete Whittaker, Robbie Phillips, Tim Emmett…the list goes on!

Kendal for snow lovers

The Festival weekend has plenty to offer lovers of the white stuff. We have Olympic skier Jenny Jones co-presenting the Julbo Snowsports Session, this year featuring the outrageous and eccentric fellow Olympian Enak Gavaggio. Plus our film programme is packed with dramatic, unmissable films from the breathtaking world of Ski and snowboard based sports.

Kendal for adrenaline addicts

The adrenaline junkies amongst you won’t be disappointed! Our famous, fast-moving Specialist Sessions include the exhilarating Snowsports, Endurance and Bike Sessions and if that’s not enough for you, we have films showcasing the most electrifying, extreme action around the globe. OK, so you might never actually ‘give it a go’ but it sure is fun and inspiring watching others try!

Programme (Film & Live Events), PR, Marketing and Sponsorship

Festival Director Clive Allen

Global Partnerships and Sponsorship

Festival Director Steve Scott

Production and Technical

Festival Director Matt Burke

Business & Strategic Advisor

Jacqui Scott

Festival Manager

Paul Scully

Film Officer

Claire Jane Carter

Arts & Literature Officer

Henry Iddon

Technical Managers

Dave Callaghan, Steve Parnaby & Tom Elleray

Technical Assistant

Leigh Beavis

Event Manager

Tom Rumsey

Basecamp Village Manager

Tim Murray

Presenter & Content Creator

Liam Lonsdale

Film Summit Officer

Rebecca Day

Guest Manager

Zoe Wilkinson

Presenter Coordinator

Andy Perkins

Volunteer Coordinator

Ian 'Blue' Gray

Festival Design

Mountain Creative: Jacqui Scott, Jenny Rice & Petra Blahova

Festival Trailer Film

Coldhouse Collective

Festival Photographers

Kevin Moran, Jessie Leong & Henry Iddon

Festival Filming

Coldhouse Collective

Social Media

Band of Birds PR

Canoe Inc

Financial Management

Pam Purcell

Tour Manager

Anna Blakeley

Kendal for kids

This year, you can see the Family Adventure Film Sessions for FREE at Kendal Leisure Centre! A selection of the best short films, mixing eyepopping action with inspirational, educational, fun and entertaining movies. Tickets are limited so book to ensure you don’t miss out!

Kendal for explorers

Sit back and enjoy awesome films and lectures from the world’s most intrepid explorers.

Jungle tales from Ash Dykes, and the oceans from round-the-world pioneer Sarah Outen feature in the Lowe Alpine Adventure & Exploration Session, as these adventurers share their inspiration along the way.

Kendal for athletes

Take part in the adidas Trail Run, the most scenic 10k possible. Check out the Berghaus Climbing Zone, try the Moonboard climbing wall and test La Sportiva climbing shoes. And turn up for a free Neil Gresham training masterclass to brush up on your technique.

Mayan Smith-Gobat Claim Freedom

Samuel in the Clouds

Tom Seipp - A Mountain Journal © Dom Bush

Enak Gavaggio © www.jeremy-bernard.com

Sarah Outen

festival schedule 2016

events listings

There’s a huge amount happening at the Festival this year. Hmmm, have we over-done it again? Anyway, this is the bit where we try to make sense of it all… All our ticketed events (except for the film programmes) are listed in date order over the following pages.

To help you find specific types of events, look out for the icons which will identify lectures, specialist sessions, arts, literature and much more!

KEY TO EVENTS

LECTURE Any live event with a speaker, or two!

SPECIALIST SESSION Join your tribe at one of our specialist sports sessions featuring a mix of speakers, films, prize giveaways. You’ll find specific sessions for Bike, Endurance, Rock, Alpine, Underground, Adventure & Exploration, Outdoor Swimming & Scottish Winter Climbing. There are also sessions on a variety of subjects from Chinese Climbing to a Behind the Scenes Special BBC Planet Earth!

SPECIAL FILM SCREENINGS Film premieres featuring filmmakers and/or stars of the films.

LITERATURE EVENTS A wide variety of talks from authors.

ARTS EVENTS As well as talks from the artists, there will also be free exhibitions on at venues around Kendal and further afield, details on page 22-23.

THEATRE EVENT - Keep an eye out for the one man play, Mallory: Beyond Everest.

MUSIC - We’ve got bands and DJs playing at venues all over Kendal, all weekend!

THE ‘HOUDINI’ MYSTERY SESSIONS - Intrigued...? There are three events happening where we won’t tell you what’s going on. Apart from when they are, and the fact that a certain Mr Andy Kirkpatrick is involved...

PUB QUIZ - Supported by DMM - test your climbing knowledge!

TRAIL RUN - For a break from marathon film viewing, take part in the adidas 10k trail run!

FREE EVENTS! - Join in on the Festival fun for FREE!

events - thursday

OPENING CEREMONY NEW FOR 2016!

Thursday 17 Nov | 17.45 - 19.00 | Kendal Market Square | FREE

Join us for our all new fantastic free opening event, which will ceremonially open the Kendal Mountain Festival weekend. The celebration will commence at Greenside (opposite the Rifleman’s Pub) with a torchlit community procession down Beast Banks and on to the Market Place - we are calling it our own Kendal-style ‘Alpine Descent’! With music, flags and cow bells for children, we will weave our way down to arrive in time to watch the amazing Festival trailer, be entertained by our athletes, inspired by films on the big screen and join in the official opening of the Festival.

Timings: The ‘Alpine Descent’ procession down Beast Banks will commence at 6pm (the procession starts on the green opposite the Rifleman’s pub, bring your head torches!). Please come and join the procession or if you prefer you can come and join in the fun from 5.30pm onwards down at the Market Place. The event is planned to finish around 7pm.

Don’t forget to: Bring your head torch for the procession, dress up for the weather & bring something to sit on.

BEST OF KENDAL - RETROSPECTIVE

Thursday 17 Nov | 19.30 - 22.00 | Kendal Town Hall | £5

Hand-picked for your pleasure; the most engaging, inspiring and even terrifying films from our back catalogue!

Over recent years Kendal Mountain Festival has screened hundreds of films, and nobody knows them better than the Festival Directors. It’s a regular topic of argument in the Festival office (or, more frequently, the pub next door); which are the best? By what measure?

This is your chance to see some of our personal favourites, handpicked for your pleasure; the most engaging, inspiring and even terrifying films from our back catalogue. Enjoy.

the Lake District is bidding for World Heritage status in 2017. We’ll join an elite list of World Heritage sites – from Egypt’s pyramids and Hadrian’s Wall, to the Taj Mahal. Join us on our journey #lakedistrictbid Back the bid at lakesworldheritage.co.uk

events - friday

BBC PLANET EARTH 2 - BEHIND THE SCENES

Friday 18 Nov | 11.00 - 12.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £7.50

The hit new series comes to Kendal!

Join BBC Natural History Producer / Director Justin Anderson and Assistant Producer Emma Brennand for an exclusive ‘Behind the Scenes’ of the ‘Mountains’ episode of David Attenborough’s Planet Earth II. Four years in the making with 25 expedition shoots to the world’s greatest mountain ranges, they have plenty of stories to share; from how you track a snow leopard in Ladakh, to revealing the secret life of pole dancing grizzly bears in the Canadian Rockies.

THE BOARDMAN TASKER AWARD FOR MOUNTAIN LITERATURE

Friday 18 Nov | 13.00 - 17.45

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £12.50

The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature is the premier mountain literature award worldwide and commemorates the lives of Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker who were lost on the North East Ridge of Everest in 1982. It is awarded to the author of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature.

Who will be the 33rd winner of the coveted Boardman Tasker Award? This year’s judges have selected a strong shortlist and the afternoon which is hosted by Stephen Venables will include readings from authors and, of course, the nail-biting wait for the winner to be announced.

Of the five books shortlisted, four of the authors will be at the ceremonyMark Vallance, Simon McCartney, Steve Olson and Robert Wainwright. This year we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Pete and Joe’s ascent of Changabang, with a display in the Malt Room.

MALLORY: BEYOND EVEREST

Friday 18 Nov | 14.00 - 15.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £7.50

George Mallory and Sandy Irvine vanished into the mist high on Everest in 1924 and were never seen alive again. Their tale has become one of the most iconic stories in mountaineering.

In this dramatic one-man play, John Burns imagines what demons Mallory might have faced had he lived. In the play Mallory, played by John Burns, relives his experiences in the trenches of WW1, looks back over his three attempts on Everest and struggles with the terrible choice he must make between the woman he loves and his obsession with the mountain. The play tells the human story of the man behind the legend and examines some of the dilemmas all mountaineers face.

HOUDINI MYSTERY SESSION 1 FEAT. ANDY KIRKPATRICK

Friday 18 Nov | 16.00 - 17.30 | Mystery Venue | £5.00

We all love a mystery. That’s why we invented the Mystery Sessions; three events across the Festival where you don’t know the venue, and we won’t tell you what’s going on. Apart from the fact that a certain Mr Andy Kirkpatrick is involved…and there will be a drink and some grub thrown in!

These small events are held in exclusive locations across Kendal town centre. We will release a little more information to ticket-holders right before the events – mysterious… yes… but we can tell you’ll be getting a unique experience.

TRAIL RUNNING AND FILMA SALOMON TV RUNNING SPECIAL FEAT. DEAN LESLIE AND HANNAH SLEZACEK

Friday 18 Nov | 17.30 - 19.00 | The Box | £9.50

Watch some of the best Salomon Running TV films ever made and meet the team who made them! Trail running heaven!

Spend a couple of hours watching the best of the legendary Salomon TV running series presented by the team who made them - Dean Leslie and Hannah Slezacek.

UK FILM PREMIÈRE - MIRROR WALL FEAT. LEO HOULDING AND TEAM

Friday 18 Nov | 18.00 - 19.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £12.50

Leo Houlding is renowned for his audacious ascents of epic big-wall climbs, documented in award-winning movies including The Asgard Project, Autana and The Last Great Climb. Always on the lookout for a new challenge, in 2015 Leo led a team of five to complete a first ascent on the magnificent Mirror Wall in remote Greenland. Climbing with Joe Möhle, Matt Pickles, Matt Pycroft and Waldo Etherington, Houlding succeeded in climbing a new route on the main face of the 1,200m peak. The team climbed 25 pitches and spent 12 nights on the wall, in an experience that turned out to be a very different proposition to the one they expected. In this UK première of the Mirror Wall film, Leo and team will reflect on the challenges and experiences that brought them together to succeed on this remote objective.

DAN RICHARDS - CLIMBING DAYS

Friday 18 Nov | 19.00 - 20.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

The author of Climbing Days will be interviewed by Natalie Berry, Editor of UKClimbing.

Dan Richards sets out on the trail of his great-great-aunt, Dorothy Pilley, a prominent and pioneering mountaineer of the early twentieth century. For years, Dorothy and her husband, I. A. Richards, remained mysterious to Dan, but the chance discovery of her 1935 memoir, Climbing Days, leads him on a journey. Following in the pair’s footsteps, Dan begins to travel and climb across Europe, using Dorothy’s book as a guide. Learning the ropes in Wales and Scotland, scrambling in the Lake District, scaling summits in Spain and Switzerland, he closes in on the serrated pinnacle of Ivor and Dorothy’s climbing lives, the mighty Dent Blanche in the high Alps of Valais. What emerges is a beautiful portrait of a trailblazing woman, up to now lost to history - but also a book about that eternal question: why do people climb mountains?

Leo Houlding in Mirror Wall

JULBO SNOWSPORTS SESSION

Friday 18 Nov | 19.30 - 22.30 | Kendal Town Hall | £15.00

The Julbo Snowsports Session returns to its favourite venue with a sensational line-up. The evening will be hosted by Festival Director (and former pro Skier) Steve Scott alongside our superstar Olympic medalist snowboarder – Jenny Jones.

We’re delighted to welcome Enak Gavaggio – one of the world’s top freeskiers and one of the sport’s most colourful characters. Enak’s impressive CV covers his achievements in Europa Cups, World Cups, Olympic games and latterly X-Games. He now goes under the ’nom de plume’ of Rancho and his adventurous and hilarious exploits can be discovered on his web series.

Jenny Jones will also interview two leading athletes from the GB Park and Pipe team, who will share stories from their year of competition.

Ian (Spike) Sykes – one of the founders of the NEVIS range Ski area and Nevisports will be in conversation on the night. We will gain unique insights into his fascinating and action-packed life of mountain adventure, rescue and outdoor commerce.

DMM PUB QUIZ

Friday 18 Nov | 20.00 - 22.00 | Burgundy’s Wine Bar & Brewhouse | £20.00 (for a team of 4)

Who better to organise a pub quiz, than our friends at DMM?

The format is simple. Teams of four battle it out in a white-hot competition of mountain, outdoor and general knowledge for the honour of winning this prestigious prize. There’ll be fun, spot prizes, maybe even the odd DMM athlete on hand to assist your team. It’s even being held in a micro-brewery, which should help things along.

WORLD FILM PREMIÈRE - BLOCHEADS

Friday 18 Nov | 20.00 - 22.00 | Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £15.00

An all-action, cinematic spectacular, revelling in the UK’s golden age of bouldering, presented by ace filmmaker Alastair Lee and friends.

Alastair Lee’s latest film follows the fearsomely strong Blocheads as they quest for new lines and push the limits of human ability. It’s a story of adventure, rocky passions and mutant fingers. It’s the story of a search for bouldering gold.

There’s history too – we delve into bouldering’s murky past. Once it was just a bit of fun outside the climbing hut. Now it’s ‘a thing’. From the first recorded bouldering in the 19th century, through to the rise of bouldering as a sport, something happened while the traditional climbers weren’t watching. There has been a movement in the force.

We tell the story of the UK’s first outdoor boulder comp and learn about the Godfather, John Gill and how he influenced a young Jerry Moffatt, the first of a new wave of rockstars who helped shape the modern world of bouldering.

The superstar line-up includes: Dan Varian (there with some fun Beastmaker challenges), Ned Feehally, Jerry Moffat, Michaela Tracy, Alex Waterhouse and many more..

BUFF ENDURANCE SESSION MOUNTAIN RUNNING SPECIAL

Friday 18 Nov | 20.00 - 23.00 | Kendal Leisure Centre | £15.00

Featuring top guests and amazing film, our Endurance Session is building a legend of its own. This year, host James Thurlow interviews four amazing endurance athletes - Jasmin Paris, Rob Jebb, Joe Grant and Manuela Vilaseca.

Jasmin Paris is the inspirational long distance mountain runner who, this year, broke the women’s records for the Bob Graham Round and Paddy Buckley Round and the overall record for the Charles Ramsay Round!

Rob Jebb is a legend in fell running and cyclo cross. In July 2016, Jebb completed the Bob Graham Round in 14 hours 30 minutes, the secondfastest round of all time and the first time any runner had come within an hour of Billy Bland’s 1982 record of 13 hours 53 minutes. Manuela Vilaseca is a BUFF pro athlete and mountain runner from Brazil. Listen to her tales from her season of running in all the big mountain races.

Joe Grant is an endurance athlete from Colorado. He has been running ultras for close to a decade, competing around the world in places such as Colorado, the Alps, Mexico’s Copper Canyon, Alaska and Japan.

We also have Dean Leslie, founder of The African Attachment talking and presenting the films he has made for the Salomon Running TV.

SOUL CLAP! FEAT. SHARKE LE FUNK, LUNCHBOX ATHLETE AND NEMA KUTA

Friday 18 Nov | 22.00 - 02.00 | Ruskins | FREE Funk Soul night at Ruskins!

For the BEST sounds around come to Soul Clap! at Ruskins.

Enak Gavaggio

Blocheads

Manuela Vilaseca

events - saturday

THE SHERPA SESSION

HEATHER GELUK INTERVIEWS PASANG LHAMU SHERPA AKITA

Saturday 19 Nov | 09.00 - 10.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Screen 1 | £7.50

Adventurer Heather Geluk interviews Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita about her route from Lukla, Nepal to National Geographic Adventurer of the year.

In 2007, at the age of 22, Pasang summited Mount Everest. In 2012 she scaled Ama Dablam and more recently, in 2014, she summited K2 with two other Nepali women, making it the first all Nepali-women expedition to K2. She is also the first woman mountaineering instructor of Nepal and guides both in the Himalayas and the US. What is truly outstanding about Pasang and what helped her to achieve the coveted 2016 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award, is her inspiring humanitarian commitment.

Heather is a mountaineer has also managed to build up an impressive climbing CV; expeditions to Everest, Makalu, Lhotse, Shishapangma, Ama Dablam and other Himalayan giants. A passionate adventurer, Heather’s resume includes cycling across Canada and across Tanzania, in addition to rafting rivers in Nepal.

PETER GILLMAN MALLORY ON THE BEN

Saturday 19 Nov | 09.30 - 11.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

George Mallory’s first British climbing trip was to Ben Nevis at Easter 1906, when he was 20. The trip, led by Winchester schoolmaster Ronald Irving, eluded Mallory’s biographers until recently. Peter provides the dramatic details and identifies the routes from the descriptions – and sets out the path that led Mallory from the Ben to Everest.

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BLACK DIAMOND ALPINE SESSION

Saturday 19 Nov | 09.30 - 10.30 | Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

The Alpine Session aims to entertain, amaze and inspire with an exciting mix of people and films dedicated to that most testing of activitiesalpine mountaineering.

New Zealand climber Mayan Smith-Gobat is well-known for her abilities on rock but in 2015 transferred her skills into extreme alpinism, making the first ascent of the SW Face of Mt Waddington in Canada alongside Ines Papert and Paul McSorley. Then this February, again with Papert, Mayan summited Torres Central in Patagonia, via the extremely difficult east face. Twenty five years after the first ascent, this was only the 5th known ascent of ‘Riders on the Storm’.

Tim Emmett, AKA ‘Mr Mad For It’, is one of the UK’s top all-rounders. In 2015 Tim won the Red Bull Whitecliffs chalk-climbing competition on the Isle of Wight, then in Feb 2016 he climbed Interstellar Spice, the first ice climb graded WI12 at Helmcken Falls, Canada, and in August he climbed the hardest trad route of his career: The Path 5.14R (8b+), at Lake Louise. Now a dad, Tim says he was worried his adventures might be over - far from it, he’s as energetic as ever, just more efficient!

WORKSHOPS BY THE BRITISH MOUNTAIN GUIDES

Saturday 19 Nov | 10.00 - 12.00

Lakeland Climbing Centre | FREE

Learn from the professionals about three different kinds of climbing technique. Glacier rope work with rock and alpine experts Stuart McAleese and Tim Neill. Dry tooling with ice expert Adrian Nelhams and the Big Wall Portaledge Experience.

All these workshops are FREE courtesy of the BMG’s partner Arc’teryx but numbers are strictly limited. Contact the Lakeland Climbing Centre on 01539 721766 to reserve your place now!

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita

Mayan Smith-Gobat

MUSICAL ADVENTURES WITH BARAKA FLIMS

Saturday 19 Nov | 10.30 - 12.00 | The Box | £7.50

A rhythmic treat from two of the world’s most creative and talented adventure filmmakers!

Every year at Kendal the audience votes the wonderful creations from Baraka Flims* as some of their firm favourites.

This year we welcome the French musical geniuses behind great films such as Rockin’ Cuba, Tuzgle and their amazing new work – Metronomic. The Baraka boys will give us unique insight into what makes their films so different, so creative, so off-the-wall and so addictive!

* Yes, that’s how they spell it!

WORLD FILM PREMIÈRE - TUPENDEO

Saturday 19 Nov | 11.00 - 12.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Screen 1 | £7.50

Free with a film pass (visit the Box Office to validate)

Upon their first ascent of Tupendeo in the Kashmir region of India’s Himalaya in 2015, Swiss climbers Stephan Siegrist and Thomas Senf encounter a baffling mystery. They come across an old rope hanging, along with a rappel device. Who left it there? What happened?

They decided to bring the rappel device back with them and search for traces, and the answer was found in England. In 1992, just below the summit, British scientist Jonathan Bamber’s leg was almost completely severed by a dislodged rock. Helpless and in critical condition, he was left as his climbing partner abseiled alone hoping to find help. As hours and days pass, there was no sign of rescue, not even a slight glimmer of hope on the horizon…an experience that changed Bamber forever.

We host the World Film Premiere of Tupendeo with both Stephan and Jonathan present.

ADIDAS 10K TRAIL RUN

Saturday 19 Nov | 11.00am start | Kendal Town Centre

£15 in advance | £20 on the day

A classic trail run around Kendal, taking in the landmarks that many of the locals use for their training. Lots of great ascents, jaw dropping vistas, some hard packed and grassy trails and a great town centre finish.

DAN SHIPSIDES MISADVENTURES IN ART & CLIMBING

Saturday 19 Nov | 11.30 - 13.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Dan’s talk will cover twisting, unexpected terrains of pata-physics, politics and performance art and encounter the crossovers and similarities of art and climbing as potential practices of freedom or pockets of strangeness. Dan will talk about kaleidoscopic adventures in the WW1 tunnels of the Italian Dolomites, how they developed via ferrata cable into sound art and music, plus about climbing with John, a blind physiotherapist and imagining the landscape of that experience.

CHRIS BONINGTON - MOUNTAINEER

Saturday 19 Nov | 12.00 - 13.30 | Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

Few climbers can match Chris Bonington’s climbing achievements; he is one of the most accomplished and respected climbers in the world. In this one-off appearance, Chris will be reminiscing about his experiences and talk about the revised edition of his book ‘Chris Bonington Mountaineer’, a photographic autobiography documenting over sixty years of climbing the world’s most beautiful and challenging mountains. This frank perspective into the surreal, majestic and occasionally tragic corners of Chris’ mountaineering career has been updated to include his most recent adventures.

HOUDINI MYSTERY SESSION 2

FEAT. ANDY KIRKPATRICK

Saturday 19 Nov | 13.30 - 15.00 | Mystery Venue | £5.00

We all love a mystery. That’s why we invented the Mystery Sessions; three events across the Festival where you don’t know the venue, and we won’t tell you what’s going on. Apart from the fact that a certain Mr Andy Kirkpatrick is involved…and there will be a drink and some grub thrown in!

These small events are held in exclusive locations across Kendal town centre. We will release a little more information to ticket-holders right before the events – mysterious… yes… but we can tell you’ll be getting a unique experience.

events - saturday

HELEN MORT AND DAVID WILSON LINES OF ASCENT - POETRY AND CLIMBING

Saturday 19 Nov | 13.30 - 15.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Join award-winning poet Helen Mort and fellow climber and writer David Wilson for poetry inspired by mountaineering. Helen Mort’s ‘No Map Could Show Them’ includes stunning poems about early female pioneers and a moving sequence on Alison Hargreaves, who died on K2. David Wilson’s debut collection Slope explores and celebrates what makes climbing a compulsion, from boulder problems to the Himalayas. David and Helen will read from their work, and discuss the challenges of putting mountain landscapes and experiences into verse.

SIMON MCCARTNEY - THE BOND

Saturday 19 Nov | 14.00 - 15.30 | Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

Simon was a young British alpinist, climbing many of the hardest routes in the Alps during the late seventies, but meeting Californian ‘Stonemaster’ Jack Roberts would dramatically change both their lives; and almost end Simon’s. Their first objective was the north face of Mount Huntington, a route so hard that for decades nobody believed they had climbed it. Then, raising the bar higher, they made the first ascent of the south-west face of Denali, a climb that would prove almost fatal for Simon and one which would break the bond between him and climbing.

Simon’s book, ‘The Bond’ describes how a chance reconnection with Jack gave Simon the chance to bury the ghosts of what happened high on Denali, when he had faced almost certain death. We are also honoured to welcome Pam Roberts who has made a large contribution to the writing of The Bond, which celebrates those ascents in Alaska undertaken by her husband Jack Roberts and Simon.

ALEX MEGOS - ROCK PHENOMENON

Saturday 19 Nov | 14.00 - 15.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £15.00

A rare chance to hear from one of the world’s true climbing superstars. Alex’s phenomenal sport climbing achievements place him as one of the most important climbers of the modern era. His tally of grade 9 routes is ever increasing, with super-fast ascents of test pieces and projects at crags all over the world. In 2013 he made history by becoming the first person to onsight a F9a. This June, Alex repeated Hubble at Raven Tor, regarded as the first 9a in the world when climbed by Ben Moon in 1990; Alex’s ascent was the 5th overall and the first non-British ascent. This will be Alex’s first major lecture in the UK, allowing us an insight into what makes him tick, how he trains and manages to avoid injury, how he psychologically prepares for routes...and maybe how he’s so freakin’ strong! Introducing Alex will be a man who’s no stranger to being a rock superstar - Jerry Moffatt. Two rock gods for the price of one!

JIM CURRAN TESTIMONIAL

Saturday 19 Nov | 15.00 - 16.30 | The Box

£9.50 (charitable donation)

Jim Curran, who passed away on 5th April following a long illness, was one of the founders of Kendal Mountain Festival and “a genuine Renaissance man of climbing”. His creative life saw him achieve excellence as a filmmaker, writer and artist, always connected to his love of climbing and the mountains.

This special event in memory of Jim will be a proper Festival celebration including a montage of his films; plus family and friends - including Julie Summers, John Porter and Chris Bonington - will be on hand to share stories from Jim’s eventful life.

ALAN MCNEE - ALBERT SMITH: THE COCKNEY WHO SOLD THE ALPS

Saturday 19 Nov | 15.30 - 17.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Alan McNee recounts how one man - Albert Smith - sold the Alps to the Victorians and created mass tourism The journalist, travel writer, comic novelist and impresario was already famous when he climbed Mont Blanc in 1851, then returned to London to recount the tale. Smith’s London stage show catapulted him to even greater wealth and fame.

Alan McNee’s biography of this largely forgotten character examines how Smith helped stoke interest in the Alps at a key moment in mountaineering history; while the Alpine Club looked down on Smith as a vulgar ‘cockney’, he was one of the most important figures in promoting mass tourism in the Alps.

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MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT SCOTTISH WINTER SESSION

Saturday 19 Nov | 16.00 - 18.00 | Kendal Leisure Centre | £12.50

A unique event featuring Greg Boswell, Guy Robertson, Mick Fowler, Andy Nisbet and chaired by Nick Bullock .

Winter climbing in Scotland could be said to follow the three rules of mountaineering: “It’s always further than it looks. It’s always taller than it looks. And it’s always harder than it looks.” While not high in terms of altitude, the Scottish mountains in winter present unique challenges of limited daylight, high precipitation and variable conditions that combine to create a demanding environment that has generated its own unique techniques and equipment.

These four legends gather for a never-to-be repeated event, re-living key moments in the development of Scottiish winter climbing, and looking to the future with a discussion about direction and (dare we say it) ethics...

Guy Robertson

Alex Megos | Image © Patagonia

LOWE ALPINE ADVENTURE & EXPLORATION SESSION

Saturday 19 Nov | 16.00 - 18.00 | Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

An afternoon of high adventure with exploration tales from around the globe, featuring Sarah Outen and Ash Dykes.

Sarah is a world record-breaking adventurer and will be talking about her London2London: Via the World journey in which she looped the planet by rowing boat, bike and kayak. A 4.5-year journey by land and sea, it was full of adventures and surprises. From mid ocean rescues to proposals and extremes in temperatures and kindness on the road, this is an inspiring story; Sarah’s second book ‘Dare to Do’ publishes on 3 November.

Ash Dykes is the British adventurer dubbed by FHM Magazine as “One Of The Worlds Most Fearless Outdoors Men” but he’s even prouder of Wales Online’s rating as the “7th coolest person in Wales”. In 2014 Ash became the first person to walk across Mongolia solo and unsupported, 1,500 miles in 78 days whilst pulling 120kg in a wheeled trailer. Then earlier this year Ash became the first person to traverse Madagascar’s length, taking on eight of the highest mountains on island, 1,600 miles in 155 days.

PETE WHITTAKER - EL CAP SOLO; WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

Saturday 19 Nov | 17.00 - 18.30 | The Box | £12.50

Pete is well known for his escapades with partner-in-crime Tom Randall, but has clearly always hankered after going solo. Literally. Over the last 12 months Pete has been developing and learning roped-solo systems for big wall climbing. “I use a solo device to practise self-belaying, which involves fixing and abseiling, back-cleaning, lower-outs, and jumaring, etc” says Pete. He started his apprenticeship on the grit: “The first route I rope soloed was Happy Hart at Curbar. I’d grasped the concepts by reading up on it, but when I got above my gear and started placing the top pieces I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and started to clip the wrong end of the rope through the pieces and ended up in a right tangle... I managed to calm down, figure out what I was meant to be doing and topped out with some hideous rope drag from the weight of the rope directly onto the soloing device. A massive learning curve straight away!”

Now it’s on to Yosemite. As Andy Kirkpatrick wrote: “Having rope soloed a few things, I think that maybe it’s the highest test of a climber, requiring everything you have (physical, emotional, mental as well as skill wise), and also the most rewarding.” Pete will be back from Yosemite literally the day before the Festival, so it’ll be fresh news.

BOB COMLAY - ‘TRAVELS WITH TILMAN’

Saturday 19 Nov | 17.30 - 19.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Bill Tilman was one of the ‘greats’ of post-war yachtsmen and adventurers. Bob who sailed with him, has made a special study of his life and exploits. Mountaineer, navigator and arguably the finest travel writer of the 20th century, Bill Tilman’s climbing and sailing achievements rank amongst the greatest in the fields of 20th century mountaineering and deep sea cruising. Bob Comlay made two Greenland voyages with him, in 1970 and 1971. The talk is illustrated with more than 100 photographs from his private collection and a number of private letters from his friendship which endured until Tilman’s loss at sea in 1977.

FILM AWARDS CEREMONY 2016 HOSTED BY ANDY KIRKPATRICK

Saturday 19 Nov | 18.30 - 20.00 | Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre FREE (with any Festival ticket, visit the Box Office to validate) A perfect start to a great social evening – come and see the winners announced in our internationally renowned mountain film competition and celebrate the success of the filmmakers.

WORLD FILM PREMIÈRE - SHIFTING DREAMS FEATURING CAROLINE CIAVALDINI

Saturday 19 Nov | 18.30 - 20.00 | Kendal Town Hall | £5.00 (Free for Saturday film pass holders - visit the Box Office to validate)

Caroline Ciavaldini talks about her experience of moving from world class competition climber to trad and the outdoors. Caroline will also be joined by filmmaker Chris Prescott to introduce the world premiere of her latest film Shifting Dreams (30 min), which documents the toughest challenge of her life; free climbing the Voie Petit, the hardest high-altitude rock climb in the Alps.

Inspired by the route and its first ascentionist, Caroline set herself a plan of training and experience to try and turn this dream into reality. Shifting Dreams is the story of that journey, a film that takes us from Caroline’s first climbing experiences all the way to the hardest high altitude rock climb in the Alps.

PETZL UNDERGROUND SESSION

Saturday 19 Nov | 19.30 - 22.30 | The Box | £12.50

Now firmly a sell-out fixture, the Petzl Underground Session features a fantastic mix of film and lectures covering the latest and greatest news from the underground world.

Frank Pearson describes the exploration of the longest cave system in Britain - The Three Counties System, the epic efforts to connect known parts of the system and the wild prospecting to find the unknown.

Stephen (Jock) Read and Axel Hack, part of an Irish led team, ventured to the Caves of the Sosua, in the Darai Plateau in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. They talk about how the the team explored 36 caves and over 8km of passage, while avoiding foot-rot and major medical injuries and overcame footwear trials and food tribulations.

Roo Walters, a life-long amateur caver, presents a three-year project to visit and record the world’s largest cave chambers. Roo will give an insight into the work that goes into processing the results from these trips and present some stunning imagery which begins to cast a light on the true magnificence of these amazing, rarely visited places.

Sarah Outen

Stephen (Jock) Read | Image © Axel Hack

events - saturday

SANTA CRUZ BIKE SESSION

Saturday 19 Nov | 19.30 - 22.30 | Kendal Leisure Centre | £18.00

It’s back. The maddest, baddest bike event of the year.

This legendary night returns with a bang, featuring more top bike personalities, ace films, great gear to win and the usual fun, drink and music. Brought to you by Santa Cruz and supported by Endura and FiveTen.

This year, host Ed Oxley is joined by Go-Where Scotland co-director, Aneela McKenna; they will guide us through the twists and turns from what is a memorable year so far of mountain biking exploits and achievements.

Trials biking legend – Danny MacAskill will be our headline speaker this year, in support we’ll have a host of guests including Lee Craigie – founder of The Adventure Syndicate and Elite racer (Commonwealth Games), Dan Milner (top bike photographer and adventurer) will present his new world première film (Porpoise Hunter) and other special guests and stars from the world of endurance, downhill and exploration mountain biking.

Filmmaking is at the heart of our whole event and we’re always delighted to present a ‘who’s who’ of our best bike filmmaking talent and boy do we have some special content for you on-screen this year!

It’s going be one hell of a night!

CEDAR WRIGHT - THE ENTERTAINER

Saturday 19 Nov | 20.30 - 22.00 | Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

Cedar is one of the USA’s best-known climbers, renowned for his goofy sense of humour, infectious lust for life, and always being up for an outrageous adventure. A professional climber and filmmaker living in Boulder, Colorado, he’s travelled the world establishing adventurous and daring first ascents, often documented through his writing and cinematography. He is a National Geographic Explorer and has won many awards for his films, including the popular Sufferfest franchise which he stars in along with his best mate Alex Honnold. For over five years Cedar was a member of the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team, and when he wasn’t hanging out of a helicopter he was climbing his ass off. He got pretty good at it. Today, Cedar is one of the most recognised professional climbers in the USA, and continues to push himself as a climber and creative.

HOUDINI MYSTERY SESSION 3 FEAT. ANDY KIRKPATRICK

Saturday 19 Nov | 21.00 - 22.30 | Mystery Venue | £5.00

We all love a mystery. That’s why we invented the Mystery Sessions; three events across the Festival where you don’t know the venue, and we won’t tell you what’s going on. Apart from the fact that a certain Mr Andy Kirkpatrick is involved…and there will be a drink and some grub thrown in!

These small events are held in exclusive locations across Kendal town centre. We will release a little more information to ticket-holders right before the events – mysterious… yes… but we can tell you’ll be getting a unique experience.

THE FESTIVAL PARTY FEAT. THE HEY DOWN TREADERS

Saturday 19 Nov | 22.00 - Late Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

The social heart of the Festival gets even bigger...

22.00 | Brewery Arts Centre Malt Room

Get your dancing shoes on and prepare to be moving for the duration. We have awesome local band The Hey Down Treaders lined up for what will be an energetic set. Not enough for you? Friend of the Festival, filmmaker Dom Bush will be dusting off his decks and making a return to his DJ days. Prepare for some tasty licks.

01.00 | Bootleggers

The night is still young and the party will up sticks and head along the high street, onwards into Kendal town centre where a guest DJ (to be announced) will be hitting the sound system hard with an eclectic set of UK Funky, Kuduro, Afrobeat. (01:00 - 01:40)

After the roaring success we had last year, GusN8R returns with his repertoire of floor trembling beats and pulverising techno rhythms, this time accompanied by Galup, a name familiar to climbers parties everywhere. The Sheffield Techno Institute regulars will kick off their set at 02.00 and play until they’re kicked out (3:30am).

Bootleggers is giving FREE ENTRY to ANY Festival ticket or lanyard holders. NB: Wristbands will be handed out on the door and must be worn at all times during the night. No wristband, no entry.

Ruskins | All evening

For Festival goers that want a calmer vibe, but longer drinking hours (you know who you are), we will be taking over the wonderful Ruskin’s Bar and filling it with some chilled-out rhythms to accompany an excellent selection of ales, whisky, spirits and beers.

Danny MacAskill © Red Bull Media House

The Hey Down Treaders

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events - sunday

THE OUTDOOR SWIMMING SESSION SUPPORTED BY ALPKIT, SWIM SECURE & THE OUTDOOR SWIMMING SOCIETY

Sunday 20 Nov | 09.00 - 11.30 |

Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

Grab a cup of tea, slice of cake and join us for this new session. Hosted by Colin Hill, it will explore the where, why and how of outdoor swimming.

Snowdonia based artist and cold water swimmer, Vivienne RickmanPoole, will present her film, Afterglow, and talk about how her passion for outdoor swimming crosses over into her work.

Lara Goodband and John Wedgwood Clarke from Sea Swim (a creative programme based out of two beach huts in Scarborough) will share poetry and moving image exploring sea swimming and its sensations, stories and psychological effects.

We’ll be joined by Sam Mould, Rob Ouldcott and Mark Johansen, three members of the Serpentine Swimming Club’s world record breaking first butterfly relay swim of the English Channel.

We’ll also be showing some fantastic short films, there will be Q&As with the audience and guests and prize giveaways.

A LAKELAND PILGRIMAGE - JOHN FLEETWOOD

Sunday 20 Nov | 09.30 - 11.00

Kendal United Reformed Church Hall | £12.50

Join John Fleetwood on this pilgrimage through the English Lake District that takes a road less travelled of 275km and 18,500 metres of ascent. John will explore the concept of pilgrimage and how he came to establish this new route that aims to include the very best bits of the Lakeland landscape. He’ll share some of his hopes for the pilgrimage and describe the different elements that make up the pilgrimage. These include seven cathedrals - natural spires of rock that inspire awe in a way that manmade cathedrals struggle to match. It also takes in seven iconic places of reflection where the spirit is stilled and the surroundings imbue a sense of serenity and stillness.

It is the culmination of almost 20 years of exploring the District and takes an exploratory approach, combining rough, pathless terrain in ill-frequented corners with well trodden paths over major summits. It involves play through 20 optional rock scrambles. The route starts and finishes at John’s house and a cream tea awaits on the patio for anyone who completes the route!

KAREN LLOYD - NATURE’S AMPHITHEATRE EXPLORING THE EDGELANDS OF MORECAMBE BAY

Sunday 20 Nov | 10.30 - 12.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Karen Lloyd takes us on a deeply personal journey around the 60 miles of coastline that make up “nature’s amphitheatre”.

Karen delves into stories of ancient trackways buried in the peat, a visit to an island that may – or may not exist, and caves where the oldest human bones in Northern Britain were unearthed - along with wolf and elk bones. More than nature writing, this talk addresses issues of both social and personal history.

BMC TV BREAKFAST CLUB WITH NIALL GRIMES

Sunday 20 Nov | 10.30 - 12.00

The Box | £9.50 £5.00 for BMC Members

Revive yourself with free coffee and pastries – or a cheeky Bloody Mary if that’s your bag – then sit back and let Niall take you on a rocky ride through real British adventure. Features exclusive films, behind-thescenes footage and plenty of dark humour. Finishes with Hard Rock - our exclusive tribute to Ken Wilson, introduced by filmmaker Paul Diffley.

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PETZL ROCK SESSION

Sunday 20 Nov | 12.00 - 14.30 | Kendal Town Hall | £12.50

The Petzl Rock Session celebrates the athletic and mental challenges of moving over the stone. Hosted by the irrepressible Rob Greenwood from UKClimbing, we bring together a small galaxy of talent.

Jorg Verhoeven, one of the world’s most versatile rock climbers, shot to fame in 2014 as the fourth person to free The Nose on El Capitan; we find out how someone from one of the flattest countries on Earth gets to lead such a successful life in the vertical. Fresh back from their recent trip to Yosemite, Jorg will be happily upstaged by his wife Katha Saurwein, the super-strong, extremely talented and equally versatile competition, bouldering and sport climber.

Scottish climber Robbie Phillips is one of the UK’s top all-round climbers, having blitzed many of Europe’s hardest alpine rock routes and made a recent mark on Welsh slate.

And then we have a ‘virtual’ Andy Pollitt; the rock star of 80s and 90s British climbing is holed up in Australia, but we have an exclusive prerecorded interview that airs for the first time at the Rock Session!

Vivienne Rickman-Poole

Andy Pollitt | Image © Glenn Robbins

SAMANTHA WALTON - NAN SHEPHERD ‘THE LIVING MOUNTAIN’

Sunday 20 Nov | 12.30 - 14.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £12.50

Dr Samantha Walton looks at Nan Shepherd’s inventive approach to mountaineering, considering what it meant to be a woman walker in the Highlands of the 1940s, and why reaching the summit was the last thing on her mind.

Nan Shepherd spent the best part of her life walking in the Cairngorms, and in The Living Mountain she describes the endless and engrossing project of getting to know a mountain using the feet, hands, senses and imagination as a way in.

MICK FOWLER - GAVE DING

Sunday 20 Nov | 13.00 - 14.30

Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £12.50

Legendary British climber and Inland Revenue employee Mick Fowler talks about one of his latest Himalayan successes - the first ascent of the north face of Gave Ding. With only the vaguest idea of what the face might be like Mick’s team could only hope that their instinct was right and it presented the kind of adventurous challenge they were looking for. In the event they struck gold and Mick and Paul Ramsden completed one of the best climbs of their long Himalayan partnership. This is adventure mountaineering at its very best and a presentation not to be missed.

BEN TIBBETTS - IMAGES FROM COLD PLACES

Sunday 20 Nov | 14.30 - 16.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Ben Tibbetts is an adventure photographer and IFMGA mountain guide, who in the last year has worked for two months in the Antarctic, 6 weeks in Greenland and 3 weeks in Kyrgyzstan. Over that time he has shot 81,000 images and climbed 58,000m of routes. What is it that drives this obsession and how are these images shot?

Though less known for his artwork Ben has been drawing and painting for more than 20 years and has exhibited across Europe. He will try and shed some light on the relationship between a studio based art practice, life on the hills as a mountain guide and adventure photographer and where he hopes to take all this in the future.

BEARLY ALIVE - BULLOCK & BOSWELL

Sunday 20 Nov | 15.00 - 16.30 | Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre | £12.50

Nick Bullock and Greg Boswell have forged one of the most effective alpine climbing partnerships of recent years. United by a love for difficult, committing objectives in remote locations, the dynamic duo spent time in Canada in particular, scoping out prize routes in road trips of escalating intensity.

Nick and Greg will share tales from their routes together, of course including their famous encounter with a grizzly bear last winter. Nick sets up the story thus; “We would try going big and attempt the second ascent of a climb called Dirty Love, a twelve pitch Alpine climb high on Mt Wilson off the road that runs from Lake Louise to Jasper. No coffee shops, no people, wilderness, emptiness, alone… well we thought we were alone…”

Extremely lightweight thanks to its aluminum design, the LEOPARD crampon is perfect for backcountry skiing and snow routes. The flexible CORD-TEC system linking the front and heel pieces means this crampon is incredibly compact to carry. www.petzl.com

Available in 2 versions: the LEOPARD FL with a FLEXLOCK binding system for snow approaches, and the LEOPARD LLF with LEVERLOCK FIL bindings for backcountry skiing and snow routes.

LEOPARD

Agile, tough, and razor sharp. Snow is its natural habitat.

Image © Ben Tibbetts

Mick Fowler

Photo © www.kalice.fr

events - sunday

JOHN PORTER - A BRIEF GOLDEN LIGHT

Sunday 20 Nov | 15.00 - 16.30 | Kendal Town Hall | £9.50

An inspiring and revealing miscellany of stories about the “generation that nearly climbed itself into extinction”, from mountaineer and author John Porter. The golden generation of mountaineers in the 1970s and 80s who made bold lightweight ascents on some of the world’s highest mountains and pushed forwards the boundaries of the sport, but at a great price. John recalls stories of Alex MacIntyre from his own best-selling book, One Day As A Tiger, along with tales of Joe Tasker, Pete Boardman, Doug Scott, Pete Thexton, Paul Nunn, Alan Rouse, Roger Baxter-Jones and more.

NICK BURTON - MASS TRESPASS: THE EARLY STRUGGLE FOR ACCESS TO THE HILLS IN LANCASHIRE AND LAKELAND

Sunday 20 Nov | 16.30 - 18.00

Brewery Arts Centre - Malt Room | £9.50

Nick Burton talks about the important part the North of England played in securing the ‘freedom to roam’ our mountains and moorland. The celebrated 1932 Kinder Trespass of Derbyshire is well known for the role it played in opening up Britain for walkers and climbers. But it was 30 or 40 years earlier that the first access battles took place - on the moors surrounding the mill towns of industrial Lancashire and on the hills above Keswick. These Victorian access struggles between townsfolk and landowners are now largely forgotten, even though they were mass trespasses which brought thousands of people on to the hills.

This is the story of the protests that foreshadowed Kinder and examines the neglected but fascinating social history behind the 1880’s and 1890’s trespasses on Latrigg, Darwen Moor and Winter Hill above Bolton. It is a reminder of the very significant part the North of England played in securing the ‘freedom to roam’ our mountains and moorland.

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CHINA SESSION

Sunday 20 Nov | 17.45 - 19.15 | Kendal Town Hall | £5.00

This year sees our first exciting exchange with our partners in China. For those of you intrigued or simply in love with this astounding country and the magnificent wilderness it has to offer, this event is for you.

We will host a selection of the fantastic award winning films from the Nanshan International Mountain Film Festival plus welcome our special guest – Sun Bin – China’s top Mountaineer. He will share some of his epic adventures at home and overseas.

From a Gobi Desert race, to exploration of vast caving systems and high mountain ranges. We will have other special guests, equipment giveaways plus food and drinks to sample for attendees. ‘B

BEST OF KENDAL - AFTERNOON & EVENING

Sunday 20 Nov | £9.50 or free with a Sunday film pass (visit the Box Office to validate)

For times and venues, see the Festival Schedule on pages 6-7. Featuring a selection of 2016 winning films, screened across seven venues. Film titles will be publicised on Saturday night after the Awards Ceremony.

This is a separately ticketed event, however it is also free if you already have a Sunday Film Pass. Once you have completed a booking for a Sunday Film Pass you will be eligible to book a free ticket for The Best of Kendal sessions.

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE FILM AWARD!

Voting forms are outside every film venue

People’s Choice

Of the 11 film prizes awarded in our International Film Competition, one in particular is coveted by filmmakers.

The People’s Choice Award is decided by you, the audience, and you get the chance to vote for your favourite film in every venue throughout the Festival. Please exercise your democratic right!

Pic: Ray Demski

LIVE ART INSTALLATION | FILM SCREENINGS ATHLETE TALKS | SKILLS WORKSHOPS

COMPETITIONS

| PARTIES | BEER | FOOD

This Year we are inviting all at Kendal to escape the festival storm by paying a visit to the secluded #MAKEWINTERCOUNT Bothy. It will be a place to meet friends, grab a drink and embrace the warm and inviting ambience.

You will find us nestled between the wild base camp and the roaring VATS bar, a refuge in the heart of the action.

arts and literature

A few words from our Arts & Literature Officer HENRY IDDON

Share the Adventure, that’s what we like to do at Kendal Mountain Festival. Just like you’d share a box of chocolates at a party, pass it around, choose your favourite and pass the box on. A soft centre, for a quick fix; something chewy that takes a while for the flavours to come through; or something nutty and crunchy.

The festival program is full of flavours and textures just like a selection box. And there amongst the popular and well known items, are the nuggets that make you stop and think. Something classic and old fashioned or new and zany.

That’s what the arts and literature program is all about, the comfort of the old and the challenge of the new.

Looking back to put todays adventures in context, or looking forward and considering with a contemporary eye where we are now. With that in mind this years programme, brings us a reflection on the work of Nan Shepherd, and the travels of Bill Tilman, the early career of George Mallory, the photography of

ARTISTS AT THE BREWERY ARTS CENTRE

DAN SHIPSIDES

Warehouse Cafe

This series of collages is derived from Dan’s collection of ‘vintage’ Mountain magazines, particularly significant for their beautiful minimal design. In cutting and making these works he acknowledges a transgression over the integrity of the original image – of which he is really in awe of. His desire was to reconfigure the seductive image of a place or event elsewhere and create something new and visually puzzling. The geometric cuts pay homage to the beauty of simplicity of magazine itself but also with a sense of poise of a great climbing move.

MARK MURPHY

Warehouse Cafe

Graphic Designer, Mark runs an independent design studio and in recent years as a reaction to 20+ years of screen work, has started to create hand cut paper collages.

These graphic compositions draw on discarded printed material from the last 60 years. At times figurative, they explore juxtaposition of scale and context, sometimes surreal and often playful.

The works on display will be a selection of his works that combine figures in landscapes both near and far.

Thornbridge Brewery are proud sponsors of the Arts and Literature Programme at Kendal.

Please note: the ticketed events as part of the Arts and Literature programme are listed over the previous Events Listings pages.

Look out for this icon to signify a literature event.

And this icon for an arts event.

All exhibitions listed on these two pages are free to visit.

Ben Tibbetts and the contemporary art of Dan Shipsides. We’ve poetry and prose, fights for the freedom to roam, artists on Everest and collage made from classic mountain literature. And plenty more.

So I’d urge you not to just dive in and enjoy your regulars but maybe try a new flavour, you may find you like it. Bon Appétit !

DEREK ELAND

Sugar Store Gallery

Cumbrian artist Derek Eland spent April-May 2016 at Everest Base Camp, the first artist to spend the entire climbing season working there. During his residency he created a confessional style Diary Room at Base Camp and asked everyone there to write down what Everest meant to them and why they were there.

Hundreds of handwritten stories were collected from climbers, Sherpas, trekkers, Icefall Doctors, cooks, porters and medical teams. These stories are moving, heart-breaking and emotional and provide some answers to the question: what’s it like to ‘be human’ at Everest Base Camp. Many of those who took part in the project went on to be injured. Some were killed. This exhibition of a handful of the handwritten stories from Everest Base Camp, together with the artist’s photographs, provides a snapshot of the project, ahead of a world tour of the complete exhibition, ‘Being Human at Base Camp’ in the Gallery at Rheged on Saturday 29 April and will be there until Sunday 2 July.

Humans of Everest | Derek Eland

HEATON COOPER GALLERY GRASMERE

ASHLEY COOPER - IMAGES FROM A WARMING PLANET

Thirteen years ago Ashley set out on an epic journey, to document the impacts of climate change on every continent on the planet. He says “I could not have known then how this would change my life. This momentous project has taken me to over thirty countries, from 200 feet below sea level, to 18,000 above, in the High Andes, from the Antarctic to within 400 miles of the North Pole. Ever increasing extreme weather, and collapsing life support systems around the planet are the result of our actions. We need to take immediate and serious action to avert the worst consequences. There is hope, the world is increasingly turning away from fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy.”

This November Ashley is publishing “Images From a Warming Planet”, an art photographic book with 500 of the best images from the last thirteen years work.

There is a FREE talk by Ashley Cooper on “Images from a Warming Planet” at 4pm Friday 18 November at ARTSPACE at Kendal’s dynamic creative hub The Factory, Aynam Road, Kendal. Book signing and sales afterwards.

ARTSPACE 26A AT THE FACTORY, KENDAL

REGARDING THE LANDSCAPE

Artists with personal views of mountain landscape bring their various experiences as climber, guide, rescuer and walker to their art work in a selling exhibition of photography, paintings and prints in ARTSPACE at Kendal’s dynamic creative hub The Factory, Aynam Road, Kendal.

Showing work by Dave Cuthbertson, Joy Grindrod, David Penn, Pam Williamson and Jo Vincent.

BEN TIBBETTS

Intro Bar

Ben Tibbetts is an adventure photographer and IFMGA mountain guide based in Chamonix and the UK. He specialises in working in remote and cold environments. He has spent nearly 2 years working in the Antarctic and over four months in Greenland.

Over the last few years he has been working on a large format photographic guidebook on the finest routes on the 4000m peaks of the Alps.

Ben Tibbetts

staff picks

Feeling a bit overwhelmed and not sure what to see? Here’s some top picks from the Festival team!

Clive Allen Festival Director

“I’ve bumbled around enough in winter to appreciate the levels of commitment, and resistance to suffering, that characterises Scottish winter climbing at the highest level. I’m really looking forward to the Mountain Equipment Scottish Winter Session, bringing together key players who have pushed the standards of Scottish winter climbing over the last 40 years.”

Matt Burke Festival Technical Director

“Now in it’s fourth year, the Petzl Underground Session is my not-to-be-missed event of the Festival.

This year you’ll hear about the antics of leading international cave explorers, based locally (pretty much!) and the background to why evening and weekend exploration of the vertical caves of the Yorkshire Dales have proved to be the launch pad for so much international exploration of new caves.”

Paul Scully Festival Manager

“I am looking forward to hearing Simon McCartney and Pam Roberts talk about this gripping story of this year’s ‘must-read’ climbing book, ‘The Bond’. It explores the bond between climbers and recounts incredible tales from his mountaineering successes and failures.”

Petra Blahova Festival Designer

“I’m very excited for The Outdoor Swimming Sessiona morning full of interesting content, from the reading of sea swimming inspired poetry to hearing about the challenges of endurance swimming, plus Afterglow - a beautifully made film about Vivienne Rickman-Poole, an artist & photographer who loves swimming outdoors all year round.”

Jenny Rice Festival Designer

“I can’t wait for the Buff Endurance Session - like many fell runners I’ve been captivated by the achievements of Jasmin Paris this year and I’m looking forward to hearing her story. On Saturday - the adidas 10k Trail Run, it’s a spectacular route, just minutes from the centre of Kendal.”

Pam Purcell Finance Manager

“The Lowe Alpine Adventure & Exploration Session is one of my favourite sessions! Who doesn’t feel inspired by daring feats of exploration delivered by people that tend to be so humble and down to earth. They always leave me thinking, “Let’s plan an adventure!” ”

Tim Murray Basecamp Manager

“Make sure you visit the Basecamp... It’s a great place to catch up with friends, see the latest trends in new gear, grab something to eat and drink and take in the festival buzz between events. Better than ever this year!”

Anna Blakeley Tour Manager

“A couple of events jump out for me - the Helen Mort and David Wilson - Lines of Ascent poetry and climbing sounds great. I’ll also try to see Dan Richards talk about his book, Climbing Days.”

Steve Scott Festival Director

“Where to start... Kendal is a wonderful gathering of various outdoor communities. I love the buzz and social vibe that envelops our event. Co-hosting the Julbo Snowsports Session is always an honour – it gives me an excuse to share my favourite films and guest speakers from around the world.”

Jacqui Scott Strategic Director

“I saw John Burns - Mallory: Beyond Everest last year and thought it was a captivating and thought provoking play exploring how domestic life would have played out for such an adventurer. I also look forward to the Family Adventure Film Screenings - I love hearing the young audience gasp at the frankly amazing things that people get up to.”

Claire Carter Film Officer

“Obviously I hope the film programme has your bottom glued to a cinema seat for much of the time, but I’d recommend a Kendal action plan as well... I’m a big fan of the ‘get up and move’ opportunities; the adidas 10k Trail Run, the Soul Clap party at Ruskins on Friday and the late night shindig at Bootleggers… ”

Henry Iddon Arts and Literature Officer

“ Dan Shipsides - Arts and Climbing should be a lighthearted yet stimulating and informative talk that links contemporary art to climbing in Ireland, the UK, Dolomites and Australia. A must for anyone with an interest in the visual arts and the outdoors. Alan McNee - The Cockney Who Sold the Alps - a fascinating talk about how one Victorian author made the 39th ascent of Mont Blanc in 1851, became a household name through his lectures about the expedition, and made vast amounts of money through merchandise about the event.”

Liam Lonsdale Creative Content

“I have to recommend two sessions! Firstly, Alex Megos I’ve worked with Alex a number of times and he is easily one of the funniest guys I know, with a real knack for story telling! Secondly, Jorg Verhoeven & Katha Saurwein at the Petzl Rock Session. I’ve shot Jorg & Katha a few times, I know the types of adventures they go on and believe me, they’re well worth watching!”

Tom Rumsey Events Coordinator

I always try and see Chris Bonington speak at the Festival, his tales always inspire me. This year I’m looking forward to hearing him reminisce about 60 years of mountaineering experiences.”

Zoe Wilkinson Speaker Liaison

“Having seen the incredible first episode of the new series of Planet Earth, I am beyond excited to see the BBC Planet Earth II - Behind the Scenes, and hear stories from the team that made it.”

Andy Perkins Presenting Team Coordinator “

“Chamonix granite has always been magical for me. Home to some of the finest alpine rock in the world, it’s made for big epics, both in the climbing and the cinematographic sense. Caroline Ciavaldini will present the world première of her film, Shifting Dreams. Free climbing on the Grand Capucin? Oui bien sur.”

CONTROL THE GROUND

film programmes

A few words from our Film Officer... CLAIRE

JANE CARTER

We’ve made a change and this is never undertaken lightly at an event like ours. We want you to have the most thrilling, evocative, uplifting, flowing and above all enjoyable adventure cinema experience at Kendal. We believe that the best adventure films shout way beyond their genre and grab the hearts of anyone from any tribe. Watching films just about rocks, just about snow or just about the sky misses the way adventures from different planes share the same values, challenges and emotions. So this year we have tied films together by their sentiment or perspective and the questions they ask or answer, rather than the genre they are based in. In each session one film links to the next, so your experience should build rather than repeat. We are really excited about this new approach, it’s an adventure in itself.

chance p28

flow p35

space p39 courage p30

frontier p36

joy p38

vision p41

curiosity p32

fear p33

The Super Salmon

conviction p31

King of the Mountain

fight p34

The Runner

When

Vorticity

truth p40

Johanna

Metronomic

Untethered

Brette Haywire

This is a shorter session that allow us to mix’n match films from elsewhere in the programme, and give you more chances to catch them! Film details on page 46

Ace & The Desert Dog 10’

Tom Seipp - A Mountain Journal 26’

Boys in the Bugs 22’

Flashes of the Altai 05’

China: A Skier’s Journey 15’

extra film programmes

early bird film sessions

The Early Bird Sessions allow us to reward those people who are up-and-about early at the Festival, with unique screenings that whet the appetite for the rest of the weekend.

early bird A

early bird b p43

early bird d p45

Base 13’

free family adventure film screenings

China:

The

Ace The Desert Dog Tom

films 2016 chance

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 11.15 Kendal Town Hall

Fri 18 13.30 Kendal United Reformed Church

Fri 18 20.15 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sat 19 13.30 BAC - Studio

Sat 19 16.00 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sun 20 11.30 The Shakespeare Centre

BEFORE IT FALLS

Mathew Farrell

Tasmania’s Totem Pole has captured the imaginations of climbers the world over. It has taken and given a lot. This is the story of the latest chapter in the Totem Pole’s climbing history, linking back to its origins.

12’ / Australia

JAMES KNOWLES:

A MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Dom Bush

James lost his best friend in 2011 on one of his first cycling adventures along the West Highland Way, hit by a car whilst riding the final stage. Along with a group of friends James built a bothy in memory of Murray in the Scottish Borders. This film looks at how he moved beyond the loss of his friend to build a life in one of the mountain biking capitals of the UK, relishing the freedom, contentment and companionship they can bring.

06’ / UK

FACING THE MOUNTAIN

Ross Harrison

Set in the sacred valley of Kedarnath in India’s lofty Garhwal Himalayas, Facing the Mountain explores what it means to live through disaster in a rapidly changing natural and social environment.

20’ / India

Take a chance on... yourself. Call it luck, faith, foresight? What makes the difference between success or failure. Is it the mountain, or is it you?

These five films take chance as a central theme. The chance of a different life, but at what cost? A chance accident that should end an obsession, one chance only at a key ascent...

COSMO

Ryan Heffernan

The Seychelles are an angler’s paradise – if you can actually get to them. This chain of remote islands sits about as far into the middle of nowhere as you can get. But once you arrive, the fishing is on. Follow the crew of the Alphonse Fishing Company as they wade the flats of the Cosmoledo Atoll, hoping for a shot at Giant Trevally.

08’ / USA

MIRA

Lloyd Belcher

Mira follows the journey of a spirited Nepali village girl on her pursuit to being a world-recognised mountain runner. After running away from home, Mira joined the Maoist army until as a young adult, she travelled the long distance to Kathmandu to try her luck. Out of money, she was about to return home to her village, when she meets another runner who tells her about a long running race in the local hills. She wins it and begins to realise her tough mountain village upbringing has prepared her perfectly for this sport. This inspirational story tells the story of Mira’s journey to compete against the world’s best mountain runners.

42’ / Hong Kong

An interview with...

ROSS HARRISON Director

Facing the Mountain

What moment inspired you to make ‘Facing the Mountain’?

The inspiration wasn’t mine, in fact, but the producer Vaibhav’s. He contacted me and explained his research into disaster risk and community resilience in the Himalayas. It linked with so many of my interests in climate change, customs and beliefs. I knew we could work well together.

What does the word ‘Chance’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

Thinking as a filmmaker, it means that moment where you suddenly have an opportunity to record something fascinating, but you’re probably exhausted, you’re not sure the effort will pay off, and you’re torn. Most of the time it pays to take the chance though, I find.

What films are you going to check out at the festival?

As many as I can squeeze in! A Song For Tomorrow and The Bothy Project make me curious.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Facing the Mountain’ film page on our website.

James Knowles: A Mountain Journal

The mountains don’t change, but people do. That’s what we assume is true. Or does everything change? In this session Change is playful and intimidating, unavoidable and imperceptible. Might you come out of this session Changed? You’ll never know until you try.

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 15.45 The Shakespeare Centre

Fri 18 20.00 The Box

Sat 19 09.00 BAC - Studio

Sat 19 13.15 Kendal Leisure Centre

Sat 19 21.00 The Shakespeare Centre

Sun 20 11.45 Movie Truck

Sun 20 14.00 BAC - Studio

A KENDAL COMMUTE World Premiere

George Sewell

A journey from work to home the Kendal way. A short look at just a few of the activities available within only a few miles of Kendal.

04’ / UK

MIRROR WALL European Premiere

Matt Pycroft

The need for adventure resides deep in all of us. In the case of renowned adventurer Leo Houlding, this has manifested itself in the form of world class expeditions to unclimbed peaks the world over.

‘Mirror Wall’, the debut feature film from Coldhouse Collective, follows Leo approaching his latest expedition with a reconsidered mentality and attitude. Following the death of his close friend Sean ‘Stanley’ Leary and trying to balance potentially dangerous situations with the responsibilities of parenthood - Leo is left leading a team of determined, talented but ultimately inexperienced young guns up one of the tallest big walls in the world.

43’ / UK

chanGe films 2016

RETURN TO ZANSKAR UK Premiere

Daniel Bull & Bryan Liptzin

30 years after their first visit, two American college friends return to an ancient Buddhist monastery high in the Himalayas to reconnect with their past, and witness a culture being dragged into the modern world as the first ever road to the monastery nears completion.

23’ / UK

CHASING LIGHT

Jeff Bednorz

Wyman Meinzer is one of a kind. He’s part cowboy, conservationist, biologist, hunter, trapper, and world class photographer. A jack of all wild trades, he doesn’t fit any traditional mold.

08’ / USA

ARC’TERYX LAKELAND REVIVAL: DOROTHY AND JUDITH

Nick Brown

Dorothy Russell and Judith Brown return to one of their favourite routes in the Lake District: Middlefell Buttress.

This film is about Dorothy Russell and her climbing partner Judith Brown. Dorothy and Judith are both in their 70’s and have been climbing from a young age, being among few female trad leaders in the 60’s. Dorothy was sent to Plas-y Brenin in her 20’s by an adventurous aunt, and found in climbing an independence she lacked in normal life. She lives in Skelwith Bridge, and can see Gimmer Crag from her bedroom window, perfect for assessing the condition of her favourite climb ‘D Route’.

06’ / UK

THE ACCORD UK Premiere

RC Cone

A story about the turbulent relationship between an Icelandic surfer and the North Atlantic wind.

20’ / USA

An interview with... BRYAN LIPTZIN Director Return to Zanskar

Where are you visiting Kendal from?

Los Angeles, California

What kind of adventure are you hoping to have at Kendal?

I’m looking forward to being immersed in the community and culture that surrounds Kendal. I grew up in rural North Carolina and started climbing after stumbling upon Ken Wilson’s Hard Rock at our local library. I was always drawn to the British mountaineering authors. My two favorites were The Shining Mountain and Sacred Summits. Peter’s writing just inspired me. To be here where the Boardman Tasker Award is announced is an absolute thrill.

What does the word ’Change’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

To me, Change in this sense is continuing to push the limits and boundaries of what we think is possible - whether climbing, skiing, paddling or jumping - I am still blown away by what is happening out there. That being said, I think Change needs to consider consequences. I’ve had several trips to the Sachsische Schweiz region near Dresden, and I’m also blown away by the climbing standards and ethics that have remained in place there for a hundred years, even while harder and harder routes continue to be established.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Return to Zanskar’ film page on our website.

The Accord

Mirror Wall

films 2016 courage

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 14.00 Kendal Town Hall

Fri 18 15.45 BAC - Screen 2

Fri 18 20.15 The Shakespeare Centre

Sat 19 16.00 BAC - Screen 2

Sat 19 20.30 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sun 20 09.30 BAC - Studio

GYALMU’S HOUSE European Premiere

Asmita Shrish and Gavin Carver

In 2015 an earthquake of terrible power devastated the Langtang Valley in Nepal, taking hundreds of lives from the small community. A year later Nima Gyalmu, a woman of extraordinary strength, dignity and humour rebuilds her house in this remote and shattered place while trying to come to terms with her new world.

19’ / UK

TOM SEIPP: A MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Dom Bush

Tom is 11 and just loves riding his bikes with his dad, no matter what the terrain, no matter what the weather. Having completed 2 Strathpuffer 24hr races he has racked up the miles over the last few years. Driven to just enjoy being out, he has big plans as he looks to drag his dad along the 2,700+ miles of the Great Divide route later in the year.

07’ / UK

This is not a battleground, but some we still call heroes. Hard to believe, but the central characters of these films are real people. The four films in this session demonstrate the inherent nature of courage; how it can be uncovered, developed and set aflame.

JUREK UK Premiere Paweł Wysoczański

On October 24, 1989 Jerzy Kukuczka falls to his death while climbing Lhotse. It was the first time he went to the Himalayas with money, proper equipment and international fame.

The mysterious death of the climber is not the focus of Pawel Wysoczanski’s film, though. ‘Jurek’ shows a man getting to the top – literally and metaphorically. Kukuczka was a socialist worker turned international celebrity. He was a poor climber with homemade equipment who rose to compete with Reinhold Messner in a rivalry to climb the highest Himalayan peaks. It also depicts the difficult yet stimulating environment in Poland during golden age of Polish climbing, when idealism was valued more than fame.

72’ / Poland

WHEN WE WERE KNIGHTS

Anson Fogel

“How can you express everything that you want to somebody you love, knowing that if you don’t, that might be the last opportunity that you have?” That is a reality that we all face, but for BASE jumpers, the risk of death sometimes results in something amazing and unexpected - love. This is the real story of a pure love between two friends in the face of risk and tragedy.

12’ / USA

An interview with... DOM BUSH

Director, Tom Seipp: A Mountain Journal

What was great and what was challenging about making ‘Tom Seipp’?

Increasingly, I find the toughest thing about making documentaries like Tom’s is walking into someone’s life and taking over for that short amount of time. You must form a bond with them so they trust you and offer up their story.

As I have an 11 year old son who is mad keen on everything outdoorsy I was confident that I could get on well with someone the same age. Though he was a little shy at first he soon relaxed around the camera and took the lead, his personality shone through very clearly. Spending two days chasing Tom and his dad through a muddy forest in Scotland wasn’t super easy!

Tell us one thing you have learned in your last year of filmmaking?

I’ve learned that 99% of the time, the best stories come from people who don’t shout and wave their arms around.

What does the word ‘Courage’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

I guess the common perception of courage in the mountains relates to death defying deeds and dogged determination. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been lucky enough to see some very impressive things and I believe risk can be a very positive thing, but often those achievements can be tinged with unhealthy obsession.

The people who inspire me the most are those who consider those around them; their friends, families and the wider world. The activists and campaigners, the ones helping people, they are the courageous ones.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Tom Seipp’ film page on our website.

Jurek

Gyalmu’s House When We Were Knights

Fail, attempt, succeed, laugh; but believe in why you try in the first place. To have conviction in the face of failure is adventure. Whether you’re on a road bike, in cold water, summiting a peak, falling from a plane, or linking an intricate piece of rock, you’ve got to believe in your mission; even if no-one else does.

SHOW TIMES

Sat 19 09.00 BAC - Theatre

Sat 19 11.15 Movie Truck

Sat 19 13.45 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sat 19 18.00 BAC - Studio

Sun 20 10.30 BAC - Theatre

Sun 20 13.45 The Shakespeare Centre

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

Orlando Von Einsiedel

Samuel Mugisha always dreamed of professional cycling as a way to support his family. After he won a coveted spot on Team Rwanda, his dream grew. In a country still showing the scars of genocide, Samuel discovered that cycling for his country comes with important responsibilities.

09’ / UK

AFTERGLOW

Tommaso Di Paola

A portrait of artist, photographer and outdoor swimmer Vivienne Rickman-Poole.

06’ / UK

LINK SAR

Jon Griffith

The story of Link Sar follows a team of alpinists over the course of four years as they try, and ultimately fail, to make the first ascent of this Karakorum 7000m peak. More than just a story about climbing, the film reveals the harsh realities of what new routing is like in the Karakorum Himalayas - from terrifying storms to illness high up in the mountain. Shot by photographer Jon Griffith, the film promises footage of wild, scary, and remote locations that few have ever seen.

30’ / UK

conviction films 2016

THE 82 YEAR OLD SKYDIVER

James Callum

At 82, Dylis holds the world record for being the oldest female skydiver in the world.

Full of confidence and liberated by her passion Dylis talks us through her mindset before each dive. She confides that her only worry when it comes to skydiving is refusing to get out of the car at the drop zone because she knows that if she backed out of a dive she would regret it. In her opinion “the ecstasy is far more than the fear”.

This is her story.

04’ / UK

BLOCHEADS World Premiere

Alastair Lee

An all action cinematic spectacular, revelling in the UK’s golden age of bouldering. Never before have there been so many indoor walls; so many climbers obsessed with training; so many beasts of superhuman strength. That talent is not going to waste. We follow the fearsomely strong Blocheads as they quest for new lines and push the limits of human ability. It’s a story of adventure, rocky passions and mutant fingers. It’s the story of a search for bouldering gold.

58’ / UK

THAT TIME I TRIED LE P’TIT TOIT

Alex Salt

“Me, getting angry whilst trying to climb an easy boulder.”

The antidote to bouldering awesomeness. 03’ / UK

An interview with... VIVIENNE RICKMAN-POOLE Star of ‘Afterglow’

What is your favourite element of the film?

Those opening aerials totally blow me away, especially when we all had a tense few hours in some extremely wintery conditions not actually knowing if we’d film anything that day. They go a long way to describe some of the solitude I feel in the water.

What does the word ’Conviction’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

That we all may hold the mountains and the adventures we have in them in different ways, none of us are right and none of us are wrong, but we must all ensure we do everything purely for the sheer joy it brings!

What events or films are you most excited about at Kendal?

Having spent time swimming out in Finland last winter, I am looking forward to seeing ‘Johanna’. I know how cold that landscape and those lakes are, she is an incredible woman. I can’t wait to see it on the big screen!

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Afterglow’ film page on our website.

Blocheads

films 2016 curiosity

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 11.15 The Shakespeare Centre

Fri 18 15.45 BAC - Studio

Fri 18 20.30 Movie Truck

Sat 19 11.15 BAC - Screen 2

Sat 19 16.00 BAC - Theatre

Sun 20 11.45 BAC - Studio

THE IMPORTANT PLACES

Gnarly Bay & Forest Woodward

Forest Woodward takes his 77-year-old father, Doug, on a Grand Canyon river trip – Doug’s first time back on the Colorado since he paddled it 43 years ago. Forest, hoping the trip will help him learn what his father was like as a young man, discovers different answers about family, getting older, and the landscapes that form our memories.

10’ / USA

THE WEIGHT OF MOUNTAINS

Temujin Doran

A film about the processes by which mountains are created and eventually destroyed. It is based upon the work of British geographer L. Dudley Stamp.

12’ / UK

BRETTE

Greg Laut

24-year old Brette Harrington is a rising young talent in the climbing world. From overhanging free climbs to long alpine solos, she excels at all disciplines of the sport. Join Brette on a global journey from the frozen waterfalls of the Canadian Rockies, to the big wall free climbing proving ground of Yosemite’s El Capitan, and onto a landmark solo of Chiara di Luna in Patagonia’s Cerro Torre Range.

12’ / USA

“Eat me”, said the mountain. So we swallowed it up and began to sing strange songs... What’s around the corner, was the start to many a quest. In this session we celebrate the curious; naughty, the inquisitive, the inventive, the downright dangerous children of adventure.

MUSCLE AND DREAMS:

CREATING THE OLD GHOST ROAD

World Premiere

David Kwant

An engaging documentary following a group of enthusiasts as they transform an idea for a gold miners road from the 1800s into New Zealand’s longest continuous singletrack.

The 85km-long Old Ghost Road now provides access to a part of New Zealands backcountry so awe-inspiring that even those most familiar with it have to constantly pinch themselves.

27’ / New Zealand

FLEDGLINGS World Premiere

Cedar Wright

As longtime professional climbers who eat, sleep and live the sport, Cedar Wright and Matt Segal are used to being competent and at the top of their game. Then they get into paragliding, and what starts as a toe-dip turns into an addiction, as well as a lesson in what it’s like to be bumbling, naïve, gung-ho beginners.

With only six months of flying under their belts Wright and Segal decide to climb and fly off Orizaba, Mexico’s highest peak. What ensues is disaster-style climbing, iffy weather, broken gear and a lesson in jumping into the deep end.

26’ / USA

An interview with... CEDAR WRIGHT

Producer, Director & Star of Fledglings

Where are you visiting Kendal from?

I am visiting from Colorado. It will be my first time in the Mother Country actually!

What inspired Fledglings?

Fledglings was inspired my my new found passion/addiction for Paragliding. Matt Segal and I learned how to fly together in California, and then decided that with less than a year of Paraliding experience we would attempt to climb up and fly off the highest Peak in Mexico.

Looking back I think our chances of success were quite small, but just because you are a beginner doesn’t mean you can’t dream big.

What does the word ’Curiosity’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

Well, I’ve been told Curiosity killed the cat, but I believe that it also got us into outer space, and gave us penicillin, so I’m a big fan of curiosity. In all seriousness, I think that if you can embody child like wonder for the world, and constantly try to explore new terrain internally and externally, that your life will be richer for it.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Fledglings’ film page on our website.

Find them at your local store or at keenfootwear.com.

Muscles and Dreams

Feldberg is more than just a boot, it is the tale of the two peaks that share the name. One of them sits in the heart of the Black Forest – the other one is located right at one of Germany’s most vibrant cities, Frankfurt. One side of the Feldberg stands for the classic outdoor recreation, looking for the less trodden path, the other side seeks adventure in the bustling urban jungle.

Dare you. Dare you. Dare you?

What are you afraid of? The mountain? Yourself? The past? The future? Nothing, you say…. The fear session. Dare you enter in? It’s not all about the big drop, the cold ice. There are many more things to be scared of out there. Enter this session, and be prepared to fear things you never imagined…like BMX bikers.

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 13.30 BAC - Screen 2

Fri 18 15.45 Kendal United Reformed Church

Fri 18 18.00 BAC - Studio

Sat 19 11.15 BAC - Theatre

Sat 19 21.00 BAC - Screen 2

Sun 20 09.30 Movie Truck

Sun 20 14.00 BAC - Screen 2

fear films 2016

LAST BASE

Aslak Danbolt

Joachim is retiring from base-jumping to become a father, but first he goes on one last adventure with his best-friend Øyvind. When a storm approaches their friendship is put to the test; Øyvind wants to turn back, but Joachim will apparently stop at nothing to pull off his very last jump.

15’ / Norway

DOING IT SCARED

Matthew Newton

In 1998 Paul Pritchard was abseiling in to climb the Totem Pole in Tasmania when he dislodged a rock with his rope that hit him on the head, leaving him with a severe head injury that he was lucky to survive. The aftermath of the accident left him with hemiplegia, which means he has little feeling or movement in the right side of this body. Despite this disability, Paul’s continued to live a life filled with adventure. Eighteen years later Paul returns to the Totem Pole to find out if he has recovered enough to finish the climb. This is a film about an extraordinary man on an inspiring life journey, his continuing recovery from a crushing injury and the never waning desire for adventure.

12’ / Australia

HAYWIRE

Cheyne Lempe

Dave Allfrey and Cheyne Lempe experience the wild beauty of Baffin Island, and this is their story about a dream that goes haywire. A terrifying mishap results in the contemplation of life and the cost of adventure.

15’ / USA

SAMUEL IN THE CLOUDS

Pieter Van Eecke

In Bolivia, the glaciers are melting. Samuel, an old ski lift operator, is looking out of a window on the rooftop of the world. Through generations his family lived and worked in the snowy mountains, but now snow fails. While scientists are discussing and measuring ominous changes Samuel honours the ancient mountain spirits. Clouds continue to drift by.

70’ / Belgium

Samuel in the Clouds

Doing It Scared

Last Base

Haywire

films 2016 fight

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 11.15 Kendal United Reformed Church

Fri 18 16.30 Kendal Town Hall

Fri 18 18.00 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sat 19 11.15 BAC - Studio

Sat 19 18.00 Movie Truck

Sun 20 09.30 BAC - Screen 2

THE RUNNER

Jon Drever

The Runner is a story about endurance. Ben Abdelnoor was a child who loved to run. He loved the outdoors. Then one awful day, he broke his back. This is the beautiful, heart warming story, of how Ben fought back from injury, defied expectations and became The Runner.

08’ / UK

MARTIN’S BOAT

Peter McBride

In the 1950’s when the Bureau of Reclamation proposed two dams in the Grand Canyon, the late Martin Litton made sure the Sierra Club didn’t acquiesce. Martin believed the best way for people to understand how important it was to preserve the Grand Canyon was to have them experience this secret world from the river, but not in just any boat. Martin pioneered whitewater dories on the Colorado River in the 1960’s and started a proud tradition of naming the boats after wild places that had been lost or compromised by the hand of man.

Martin’s Boat honors the legacy of Martin Litton and follows the newest boat in the Grand Canyon Dories fleet, on its maiden voyage down the legendary Colorado River through the grandest canyon on Earth.

24’ / USA

Whether you’re up against it, or pushing from below, between a rock and a hard place or standing your ground, there’s a glint in the eye, the promise of a fight. This session pits intelligence against the downright aggression it can take to succeed. What does it take to conquer your past, while climbing freestanding ice? What if it’s not the summit, but your team that you must fight? What would you do to save a river? Get ready to rumble…

i PORTER

Rob Fraser

In April of 2014 Rob Fraser spent three weeks in the Everest region working as a porter on the legendary trail to Base Camp. He ate with the porters, slept in their lodges and lugged a full porter load of 35 kilograms up to Gorak Shep, the highest settlement along the route. By the second day his calves were sore, his shoulders hurt and both feet were in a bit of a mess, he had a sore spot developing on the base of his spine. At this point he seriously began to realise just how tough the porters really are.

23’ / UK

CONQUERING GHOST ICE

Craig Hall

After winning the Women’s North American Ice Lead Difficulty Championship, it should have been a time to celebrate for Sarah Hueniken. But with the sudden loss of her mother, she was left in a state of mourning and reflection. In this intimate portrayal of an extreme athlete reconciling her own mortality, Sarah is forced to be present with her feelings as she attempts Rainbow Serpent, a challenging ice climb in Banff National Park.

06’ / Canada

STRUGGLE, SPOKE & SUMMITS

Matt Green

Follow two novice cyclists as they embark on their biggest challenge, the Coast to Coast in a day – 150 miles of the hilliest road cycling in the UK. Dave has type 1 diabetes, a young family and career, but sets out to prove that he can still cycle across the North of England in a day. Anna is an air hostess, mother, wife and studying for a degree in her limited spare time, and determined to show that whatever challenges she faces she can overcome them.

10’ / UK

Lines

LINES

Julie Guignier

Matthieu Maynadier, Pierre Labbre, Matthieu Détrie and Julien Dusserre’s new project is a virgin 7000m summit, alpine technique, in the Himalayas: the purest and most difficult style. ‘Lignes’ tries to answer the question, ‘why do we climb mountains?’ Why do our four guides, despite the conditions and fatigue, follow dangerous dreams in nobody’s kingdom? Some answers are found in the past, through 150 years of alpine literature. Raymond Renaud leads us into his books, and talks about the pointless conquerors, from the beginning of the century to 2016.

36’ / France

An interview with... CRAIG HALL Director ‘Conquering Ghost Ice’

Where are you visiting Kendal from?

Canmore, Alberta, Canada.

What’s a dream day at work for you?

Working with real people in challenging but authentic situations, somewhere in the mountains, and capturing that moment when they push their boundaries - this can be equally fulfilling with people who are beginners as it is with someone pushing the limits of the sport. A dream day also includes everyone coming home safe and the camera staying in one piece.

What does the word ‘Truth’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

In documentary film, we talk about the importance of verisimilitude - the appearance of being true or real. I have to be aware of the affect a camera and crew can have on an athlete and a situation. My goal is to put the right character in the right situation with the right crew so that a ‘true’ story can unfold naturally on camera. Also, it is the truth of the character on their adventure in the mountains that is most important - whether it is a first time activity or a first ascent, they have their own truth and that is what should be conveyed in the story.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Conquering Ghost Ice’ film page on our website.

Into the mountains I must go; to fly, rise, run, see, feel and understand all this in a moment. These seven films have a current; a clear connection and flow. Join us for a clean line of a cinema. Watch a salmon leap through Alaska, dance with the sea, surf a river, chase an ice cap.

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 11.15 BAC - Studio

Fri 18 13.30 Movie Truck

Fri 18 18.00 Movie Truck

Sat 19 13.45 The Shakespeare Centre

Sat 19 18.45 The Shakespeare Centre

Sun 20 09.30 Kendal United Reformed Church

An interview with...

ANTHONY BONELLO Director, Guilt Trip

Can you pinpoint the exact moment when you decided you had to make a film about climate change?

As skiers and mountain folk, climate change is in our faces nearly everyday. The glaciers in our own backyard are disintegrating at an alarming rate. Anthony had already made an enviro film called ‘Stand’, which focussed on the resistance by First Nations and surfers to the Northern Gateway oil pipeline in BC, so this type of film wasn’t completely foreign. In the case of ‘Guilt Trip’, we really just wanted to go to Greenlandbut for our own consciences, we wanted to put the resources required to get there to better use than just skiing. We also didn’t want to do ‘just another climate change film’. The goal from the start was to make a fun film about a serious topic. Thankfully, Alun was the perfect subject.

What does the word ’Flow’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

Flow is when you are completely focused and in the moment. In an increasing distracted world, I find flow a harder and harder state to achieve. Our time in Greenland, was probably the longest and most-consistently I’ve felt flow for as long as I can remember. Without communication to the outside world we really lived in the moment for our entire trip. The constant danger of falling in a crevasse kept you sharp and focused as well. To read the full interview, go to the ‘Guilt Trip’ film page on our website.

GREY

Brendan Calder & Tyler Haft

Breaking the stereotype of adrenaline, a beautifully shot film of ankle-high waves can be brilliant when done with thoughtful artistry and the right skills on a longboard.

03’ / USA

RIDERS ON THE STORM World Premiere

Franz Walter

A little more than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a German expedition traveled to Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia to establish a new climb on the Torre Central. Twentyfive years later, New Zealand climber Mayan SmithGobat joins German alpinist Ines Papert to attempt to free ‘Riders on the Storm’. Amid the rockfall, the ice and the heavy storms, the two climbers strive to find their very own way in the wild.

20’ / Germany

THE SUPER SALMON European Premiere

Ryan Peterson

A radio-tagged salmon in Alaska makes a journey that defies scientific record, on a river slated to be dammed for electricity.

The Susitna River is among the most vibrant, healthy, and beautiful wild salmon rivers left on Earth. The government-proposed Sustina-Watana mega-dam would be the second tallest in the United States, replacing 50% of energy currently being produced from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, dams in the Lower 48 are now being removed after a century of proven, disastrous effects which they’ve had on salmon ecosystems. Considering this, as well as it’s cost of $5+ billion, the project is controversial.

The Super Salmon follows the eponymous fish’s journey from the sea to the Susitna’s sparkling, icy headwaters. Along the way we meet the river, the dam, and the people fighting for a way of life and a bright future.

25’ / USA

flow films 2016

STRONG WATER

Jordan Halland

Across the US, river surfing communities are popping up. This is due, in part, to cities cleaning and reclaiming their river waterfronts. Years ago Missoula, Montana cleaned its river and cleared the way for Montana’s first surf community. KB and Luke sit at the helm of this community and the future of the sport.

10’ / USA

RISING

Dom Bush

In December 2015 Storm Desmond wrought devastating damage on the landscapes and communities of Cumbria. Is the prediction of rising global temperatures responsible for the rising incidences of heavy rainfall events, not just in Cumbria but nationally and globally? A look through the lens, with an intimate, personal perspective, at members of the communities of Glenridding and Patterdale. Their words tell the stories of the impact of this flooding event on their lives, their livelihoods and their landscape.

14’ / UK

A SHEPHERD’S HAND

Richard Berry

Lakeland endurance running, the slow game of energy and emotion, anxiety and anticipation: an unfolding physical landscape that you run through and an emotional landscape that runs through you. Set within an attempt on the Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge this poetic film pays tribute to Joss and his inspirational status in the world of fell running.

05’ / UK

GUILT TRIP

Anthony Bonello & Mike Douglas

The only thing greater than this group of skiers desire to claim a first ski descent on Greenland’s second highest peak, Mont Forel, is the size of their carbon footprint to get there. Loaded with guilt, they decide to bring renowned glaciologist, Alun Hubbard, whose hypothesis, if proven, could rewrite popular projections of global sea-level rise.

35’ / Canada

The Super Salmon

films 2016 frontier

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 09.30 BAC - Screen 1

Fri 18 20.30 BAC - Screen 2

Sat 19 12.15 The Box*

Sat 19 16.00 The Shakespeare Centre

Sat 19 20.15 Movie Truck

Sun 20 12.30 The Box

LOW LINE

Edward Birch

A Victorian engineering masterpiece, in the 1860s work began on a huge storm drain to prevent Sheffield from flooding. This film took two wakeboarders into the pipe now known as the Megatron to see what they could put together.

02’ / UK

MOUNTAIN BIKING: THE UNTOLD BRITISH STORY

Pip Piper & Michael Clifford

A vibrant, behind-the-scenes story of MTB history, featuring stars and unsung heroes including Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton, Martyn Ashton, Gary Fisher, Geoff Apps, Tracy Moseley, Steve Peat, Rob Warner, Isla Rowntree plus the internet sensation himself, Danny MacAskill. Tons of archive footage and stories, from the mid 50s through to today.

69’ / UK

* Please note that Mountain Biking: The Untold Story will not be shown at the Sat 19, 12.15 screening in The Box.

VORTICITY

Mike Olbinski

Where the wild things are… where dreams are found, forged, laid down as paths, screwed into place, waxed, racked and cycled away on. Enter the cinema for the Frontier session and meet underwater wakeboarders, mountain bike pioneers, free boarders from Japan, apocalypse watchers and skiers...

I had three goals this spring: Get a tornado on time-lapse, capture the best footage I possibly could, and chase as much as my schedule would allow. That ended up totalling 18 chase days. 20,000 miles driven. Almost 60,000 time-lapse frames shot. Nine total states. Hours and hours and hours of editing. This is the result of that journey. Did I get the tornado? You can see for yourself!

07’ / USA

ARC’TERYX LAKELAND REVIVAL: CENTRAL BUTTRESS

Nick Brown

Charlie Woodburn and Gilly McArthur climb Scafell’s Central Buttress (E1), first climbed by Siegfried Herford in 1914.

06’ / UK

ROSE AND RUIN

Ben Sturgulewski

A surreal future leaves the world without water and consumed by sand: the Big Empty. A group of children survives alone on the edge of the endless desert in the ruin of the now. When a young boy unearths an ancient relic hinting at the lost wonders of winter, he sets off in search of the ghosts that once called the mountains their home. This bold cinematic experience balances stunning skiing with a wild and hopeful journey into the forgotten lands of myth and magic beyond the Empty.

66’ / USA

An interview with...

BEN STURGULEWSKI

Director, Ruin and Rose

Where are you visiting Kendal from?

I’m hailing from Girdwood, Alaska, a little ski bum town just south of Anchorage.

What does the word ‘Frontier’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure? There are so many big, physical, external frontiers in the world - mountains to be climbed, lines to be skied, etc. Which are incredible, and you will see many a film made about them. But what I’m really interested in, are those more internal frontiers, of ideas and motivations and stories. Diving into the real reasons of why we choose to live in the mountains and risk it all in the name of adventure. I think vulnerability is something that is really hard for many in the outdoor community, and so that is a huge frontier... getting at the more human aspects of these superhumans. As a filmmaker, the frontier is figuring out how to dig into these stories in fresh and engaging ways... doing those things that you just don’t know will work.

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films 2016 joy

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 11.15 Movie Truck

Fri 18 18.00 The Shakespeare Centre

Sat 19 11.15 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sat 19 15.45 Movie Truck

Sat 19 20.15 BAC - Studio

Sun 20 09.15 The Shakespeare Centre

JOYFUL IN THE NIGHT World Premiere

Matt Pycroft

What is it that draws climbers from the warmth of their beds to the dark and foreboding mountains of Scotland and Alaska? Why do they endure hardship, misery and fear? Is it masochism, is it intrigue, or is it something else entirely? Written by poet Ben Silvestre, Joyful in the Night is a gloomy love letter to the darker mountains...

04’ / UK

OLD AS THE HILLS European Premiere

Mariana Mata Galindo

Motivated by nostalgia, mountaineers over 70 years meet frequently to keep in touch with the alpine nature. Although they cannot repeat their old feats climbing the big peaks, they share a common conviction: not even death can separate them from the mountain. The link of these old adventurers with every element of nature seems to go beyond the practice of a sport or a simple hobby.

14’ / Mexico

Explode, faint, sit quiet and grin. Regrip a hold so good, it’s as if it’s been hewn for you. Swing all those summits inside as you dance the night away. This session celebrates that moment of ‘YES!’ But does it come quietly?

Is it gone in a moment? Is it someone else’s idea of hell on earth…?

METRONOMIC

Vladimir Cellier

What happens when the Flying Frenchies, the Compagnie 9.81 air dancers, musicians from the band Radio Monkey and the Baraka Flims team meet? The answer: A skilful blend of artists and high-level athletes in a symphony devoted to risk, a hymn to the void between visual performance and contemplative poetry.

15’ / France

THE POMMISH INVASION: THE CANDLESTICK

Jonathan Doyle

Three climbers from Lancaster take on the most serious and committing challenge of their lives, climbing The Candlestick, a 110m sea-stack next the famous Totem-Pole, at Cape Huay, Tasmania.

06’ / UK

THE KLARÄLVEN RIVER

Temuijn Doran

Travelling down the Klarälven River in Sweden, for one week, on a log raft.

04’ / UK

LUNATIC

Kent Allison

“How old is too old?”

Lunatic tells the story of a man’s quest to walk in the footsteps of his childhood Antarctic heroes, despite being over the hill!

60’ / Canada

A WEE DAY OUT

Stu Thompson

See what Danny MacAskill does on his day off!

06’ / UK

An interview with... KENT ALLISON Film Producer & IAN EVANS Star of ‘Lunatic’

What’s your favourite thing about your project?

KA - The mining of Ian’s story was the most enjoyable part. It’s really been like putting together a puzzle, discovering pieces here and there and linking them together into a cohesive story that isn’t limited to Ian but rather leaves room for people to find themselves in the story.

IE - On the South Pole expedition, the 3 great guys I did the trek with. For me, it is always about the people, even in the remotest of places such as Antarctica. For the LUNATIC film, seeing all the pieces come together and Kent spinning the story.

What does the word ’Joy’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

KA - Joy for me, in relation to mountains and adventure, would be very similar to the film making process... an idea where we’re going (with wiggle room on the route), beautiful vistas and dedicated (yet jovial) traveling companions!

IE - For me, I feel most alive when I am in the middle of absolutely nowhere carrying (or dragging) everything I need to survive and reach the goal. These are the times when I feel most of who I really am, with all of today’s uber technology and complexity stripped away.

What are you going to check out as a priority at Kendal?

KA - Since I’ve never been to the UK I most definitely want to enjoy the beauty of the landscapes in and around Kendal, enjoy connecting with the people at the festival and catch a film or two ... or six

IE - The whole thing! Meeting a bunch of cool like-minded people, hearing Chris Bonington speak and watching some great films. The beer will probably be pretty good as well...

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Lunatic’ film page on our website.

Metronomic

White, deep, starlit. Welcoming or wild. Around our feet or behind our eyes, space is what we seek when we adventure.

Throughout this five film session there’s a feeling of space. The space between a photographer and his subject, a weather station and the world, creativity and landscape, your skis and your home, and possibility and achievement.

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 09.00 The Shakespeare Centre

Fri 18 13.30 BAC - Studio

Fri 18 18.00 BAC - Screen 2

Sat 19 13.30 Movie Truck

Sat 19 20.30 BAC - Theatre

Sun 20 10.30 BAC - Screen 1

Sun 20 14.00 Movie Truck

THE MYSTERIES

Skip Armstong

Over a 4.5 year journey, Adventure Photographer Krystle Wright continued to pursue the one image that came to her in a dream in 2010. The film offers a vulnerable insight into the challenges Krystle faces whilst in pursuit of a passionate project and explores the ‘why’ narrative.

08’ / USA

THE PLACE UK Premiere

Julia Poplawska

In a workplace situated higher than any other in Poland, the constant nocturnal observation of the surrounding world is an unbroken norm. The employees suspended in beyond time and space in ‘the Place’ remain at their posts, unshaken and immovable, despite reversals, adversities and startling situations.

14’ / Poland

THE BOTHY PROJECT World Premiere

Jen Randall

A mission into outdoor space.

“I want to capture that feeling of the landscape flowing through me.”

10’ / UK

CROSSING HOME:

A SKIER’S JOURNEY European Premiere

Jordan Manley

Any weary traveller is faced with a road that ultimately winds to an end. They must return home. In the series finale, after excursions through ski cultures across the globe, Chad Sayers and Forrest Coots return to the beginning of their journey, British Columbia. Embarking on a 3 week expedition, they boat, bushwack, ski, and packraft across the spine of the Coast mountains. From the interior plateau, they ascend the rippling rivers of ice over the Homathko Icefield, and reach the lush, carpeted coastal inlets of the Pacific coast. What is the meaning of home? A cast of characters help them understand what that term truly means.

29’ / Canada

RUN FOREVER World Premiere

Nick Brown

Nicky Spinks is a beef farmer from Yorkshire and one of the UK’s best fell runners. In 2006, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, turning her world upside down. ‘Run Forever’ looks at Nicky’s inspirational life and her record breaking attempt of a double Bob Graham Round in the Lake District; a 132 mile route, with 54000ft of ascent, that only one person has completed in under 48 hours. 45’ / UK

space films 2016

An interview with... KRYSTLE WRIGHT

Subject of ‘The Mysteries’

Where are you visiting Kendal from?

My home is the road worldwide! I am from Australia though to get to Kendal this year, I decided to detour through the States, Mexico and Cuba first. It’s insane to go all this way and not take in a few sights on the way.

What’s your favourite thing about the film?

My favourite thing about the film is the vulnerability I was able to express. I thought vulnerability was going to be easy but until Skip Armstrong pushed me past the ideals that I expected others wanted me to say, suddenly I found myself stripped bare of everything I knew and went through the process of a major learning curve.

What does the word ‘Space’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

My photography typically explores the use of space. I really do enjoy the process of throwing myself into complex situations and using the tool of photography to simplify and find a solution by taking a still image. Its incredibly difficult to strip back the chaos and take images that can showcase space. I love my images having the chance to breathe.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘The Mysteries’ film page on our website.

Crossing Home: A Skier’s Journey

Run Forever

films 2016 truth

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 12.30 BAC - Screen 1

Fri 18 15.45 Movie Truck

Fri 18 20.30 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sat 19 15.45 BAC - Studio

Sat 19 11.15 The Shakespeare Centre

Sat 19 18.30 BAC - Screen 2

Sun 20 11.45 BAC - Screen 2

JOHANNA

Ian Derry

Finnish freediver Johanna Nordblad holds the world record for a 50-meter dive under ice. She discovered her love for the sport through cold-water treatment while recovering from a downhill biking accident that almost took her leg. Shot in the wilderness of Finland at temperatures of minus 14 degrees.

04’ / UK

You can give a secret to a Mountain, and find ‘the answer’ in the wild. Lies can’t survive a glacier descent or a canyon run…the ‘real world’ will carve the truth out. Watch this session and open your eyes to truth. Dare you experience the opening of fear under ice, the determination revealed on an ultra trail? Have you ever truly understood the spirit of the sea, or the reality of childhood?

FAST FORWARD

Anna Callaghan

For bikepacker and ultra-long-distance racer Lael Wilcox, taking on the Arizona Trail—800+miles of desert singletrack—is a challenge unlike any other, and it will test her to the core.

08’ / USA

THROUGH CLOUDS AND WATER

A Common Future

A film about surfing in the northeast of England. 08’ / UK

DRAWING THE TIGER UK Premiere

Amy Benson, Ramyata Limbu & Scott Squire Filmed over seven years, Drawing the Tiger is an intimate portrait of a family in Nepal who get a chance to break their cycle of poverty: Their brightest child is awarded a scholarship to attend school in the city. When she doesn’t return home, the family is forced to survive without her and the opportunity they believed would change their fate. 100’ / USA

An interview with... IAN DERRY Director, Johanna

Where are you visiting Kendal from?

I live in South East London in Forest Hill.

What was the most important element or essence to capture in the film?

I really wanted to capture the feeling of space and isolation. One person doing amazing things in a harsh environment. Both physically and mentally. What was the biggest challenge on location, and in the edit suite? The biggest challenge was the cold. Minus 14 degrees and equipment problems as a result. The edit was also difficult as we had so many strong shots it was hard to leave stuff out.

What does the word ’Truth’ mean to you in the context of mountains and adventure?

Truth to me means purity and integrity. A real thing with real emotion. In a world where we are fed lies the mountains and adventure is a place to reset and see the world in its native state.

To read the full interview, go to the ‘Johanna’ film page on our website.

AEROSPACE.

The first goggle that’s just as happy going up as down.

For snow fans who want a well ventilated ascent, Julbo has invented the Aerospace. Thanks to the SuperFlow System, the lens can be easily moved forward for better heat management and to prevent fogging on that uphill climb.

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Fast Forward

What do you see out there? Do you see what I see? Does anyone see what we see?

Is it possible to share a unique vision of adventure?

These six films throw our dreams at the horizon with stunning cinematography! What is possible, if we put what we see in our minds into practice? Enter this session and the sky will be your limit when you leave.

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 11.15 BAC - Screen 2

Fri 18 13.30 The Shakespeare Centre

Sat 19 13.30 BAC - Screen 2

Sat 19 15.45 BAC - Studio

Sat 19 18.15 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sun 20 11.30 Kendal United Reformed Church

HEADWAY

Nicolas Romieu & Yohann Grignou

Aided by a violinist and his melody, a young man attempts to cross a pond using a slack line.

03’ / France

RAD DAD

Peter Mortimer

Lone wolf Mike Libecki travels to the most remote corners of the globe to find unclimbed walls and establish first ascents. When Mike becomes a father, he has a new challenge: to reconcile his life of adventure with the demands of parenthood, but he may also gain a new partner for his expeditions.

11’ / USA

FREE FOOT JAM

Hiroaki Yonekura

To handcraft sustainably harvested wood into a board without bindings. To learn how snow flows under your free feet. To master balance. To jam into powder. The simple story of a Japanese movement called Yukiita.

09’ / Japan

DEAR ALISON

Chris Prescott

‘Dear Alison’ is a personal tribute written by the poet, Helen Mort, to the late British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves - a mother, a wife and a talented climber who faced criticism due to her risk taking and her decision to continue climbing as a young mother, before her untimely death on K2 in 1995. The short film Dear Alison is a visual recreation of Helen’s words with imagery and sounds which evoke the poet’s emotional connection to Alison.

03’ / UK

UNTETHERED

Levi Allen

Untethered takes an immensely personal look straight into the heart of the slacklining and highlining community in Vancouver BC.

30’ / Canada

EYE OF INDIA

Benn Berkeley

Eye of India is a visual record of a journey across India that showcases the diverse culture of one of the world’s fastest developing nations.

03’ / UK

vision films 2016

CLAIM FREEDOM European Premiere

Sophie Wardlaw

Four athletes from four nations realise their ultimate adventure on four continents at temperatures ranging from -15 to +40 °C. Bouldering on the frozen Lake Baikal, kayaking wild rivers in the US, big wall climbing on granite domes and exploring one of the deepest caves in China. Adidas Outdoor asked the public ‘what is your ‘dream project’? In the following six months, four athletes got to live it out: the planning, the courage, the training, the near misses, the wilderness, the adventure.

52’ / UK

Untethered

Claim Freedom

films 2016 early bird films A

Catch this session for the secret history of two of UK’s top climbers, a day in the life of your average dirtbag, the future of a river, a year of an elk, and the ‘right now’ of budding rock-superstars.

SHOW TIMES

Thur 17 18.00 BAC - Screen 2

Thur 17 20.30 The Shakespeare Centre

Fri 18 09.00 Movie Truck

Sat 19 09.00 The Shakespeare Centre

OBSESSION

Matt Pycroft

Well known for his acquired taste for offwidth crack routes, Tom Randall consistently sets himself the highest standards and the hardest lines. For Tom, climbing is all consuming, but this hasn’t always been the case. In ‘Obsession’ Tom provides a unique insight into his formative years spent in a world entirely different to the one associated with him now, and how he copes with conflicting priorities that are fundamental to his continued happiness and ambitious drive.

07’ / UK

A SONG FOR TOMORROW

Franz Walter

“A Song for Tomorrow“ explores the Qingfeng Valley, at the boundary of Zhangjiajie, China’s first and largest national park. It’s a place where no one has been able to climb before. Mayan Smith-Gobat, Ting Xiao, Liu Yongbang and Ben Rueck were the first to be granted permission to set foot on these vertical giants.

26’ / Germany

LAST THOUGHTS ON THE DIRTBAG

Greg Cairns

How do you show tribute to something that has given you everything? The film is a poetic and visceral journey through the heart of a climber, in Indian Creek, the crack climbing Mecca of the world.

06’ / USA

ELK RIVER

Jenny Nichols

A short documentary that captures the migration of elk in the Yellowstone area through a multidisciplinary lens by following a scientist, contemporary artist and photojournalist. Along the way, they meet backcountry guides and cattle ranchers whose lives are intricately tied with the fate of the elk and other migratory species that call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home.

28’ / USA

THE UNKNOWN

Chris Prescott

The Unknown follows Dave MacLeod as he discusses his love of climbing and exploration, from the early days of discovering the Scottish hills so close to his inner city home in Glasgow to his passion for new routes and hard climbing. The film shows Dave as he makes the first ascent of ‘Ice Burn’ at Kintra on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

05’ / UK

ROLE REVERSAL

Jon Glassberg

Emily Harrington travels to Spain with her dad, Tim, to mentor him while he attempts to tick his first 5.12 at age 60. Tim and Emily learn from each other and relive the glory days in this heartfelt, family climbing epic.

07’ / USA

YOUNG GUNS

Nick Rosen and Josh Lowell

Meet the new faces of climbing: 14-year-old Ashima Shiraishi and 15-year-old Kai Lightner are poised to take the sport to the next level. Ashima, from New York, has already become the youngest person and first female to climb the elite grades of 5.15a and v15. Kai became a national climbing champion at high school. Now these two prodigies and friends travel to Norway, where a legendary cave is filled with the most difficult climbs on earth.

30’ / USA

NO TIME TO REST

Tackling the extremes together for 40 years

Making the best gear in the world has more to do with momentum than a moment’s inspiration. The Tupilak Jacket was born from decades of innovation and testing on the hardest, highest faces in the world. The outstanding protection it brings you is the result of a forty

year partnership with W.L. Gore that started with Britain’s first Gore-Tex ® jacket and has continued with an unbroken chain of development ever since. The Tupilak is for climbers that are choosing a shell for the routes and moments that will come to define them.

A

Young Guns

SHOW TIMES

Thur 17 18.00 BAC - Theatre

Thur 17 20.30 BAC - Screen 2

Fri 18 09.00 Kendal United Reformed Church

Sat 19 09.00 Movie Truck

ACE AND THE DESERT DOG

Brendan Leonard

For his 60th birthday, adventure photographer Ace Kvale and his dog, Genghis Khan, set out for a 60-day backpacking trip in Utah’s canyon country. The pair tell the story of their trek, friendship, and Genghis records it on his Desert Dawg Adventure Blawg.

09’ / USA

LAST BASE

Aslak Danbolt

Joachim is retiring from base-jumping to become a father for the first time, but first he goes on one last adventure with his best-friend Øyvind. When a storm approaches their friendship is put to the test; Øyvind wants to turn back, but Joachim will apparently stop at nothing to pull off his very last jump.

15’ / UK

early bird films b films 2016

Wake up in time to fly off a snowy mountain, summit an Alpine peak, discover how skiing can change China, meet Emily Harrington’s Dad, and see climbing and conservation go hand in hand.

SALWEEN SPRING

Will Stauffer-Norris

Travis Winn has been running rivers in China for 15 years. He’s explored first descents, but also watched rivers disappear behind dams. Now he’s founded a rafting company to bring Chinese to see their rivers before they’re gone. “Salween Spring” is Travis’s meditation on change, personal struggle, and kayaking along China’s frontier.

09’ / USA

HIGHWAY

Mike Douglas

Since Stan Rey first drove the highway between Vancouver and Whistler 20 years ago, he’s dreamed of skiing the Tantalus Mountain Range. It took a family tragedy to finally make that dream a reality.

15’ / Canada

ROLE REVERSAL

Jon Glassberg

Emily Harrington travels to Spain with her dad, Tim, to mentor him while he attempts to tick his first 5.12 at age 60. Tim and Emily learn from each other and relive the glory days in this heartfelt, family climbing epic.

07’ / USA

CHINA: A SKIER’S JOURNEY

Jordan Manley

Skiing is in its infancy in China, a phenomenon of the country’s exploding middle class. As a means of survival however, it is thousands of years old, a stone age hunter-gatherer technology born in the Altai mountains. On a vast trajectory that spans 11,000km of Northern China, Chad Sayers and Forrest Coots touch down into the past and future of these two respective Chinese ski cultures. As one rapidly expands, they find the other is at risk of disappearing.

16’ / Canada

EQUAL FOOTING

Daniel Holz

Wyoming’s remote and vast wilderness provides the perfect canvas for alpinists Kim Havell and Julia Heemstra to redefine preconceptions of the feminine. Isolated and exposed, their presence breathes life into this bleak yet breathtaking landscape as they navigate sheer granite walls.

08’ / USA

NAMULI

Majka Burhardt

Namuli is a community-backed film about the spirit of exploration and what happens when a team of rock climbers, biologists, and conservationists set off on an expedition into one of the world’s least explored, threatened habitats - Mount Namuli, Mozambique.

12’ / USA

Why are we obsessing about making ridiculously good outdoor wear, you might ask? We’re from Scandinavia, so there’s really no other option.

Come and see us in the Basecamp Village and see what we are talking about.

Namuli

films 2016 early bird films c

Set the alarm to join some dedicated heroes in this session, no lazy bones here; meet a 70 year old skier still going strong, hang with Matt Segal and Will Stanhope as seasons pass in the Bugaboos, and ice climb above the sea (yes really) with Sam Eilas.

SHOW TIMES

Thur 17 18.00 Brewery Arts Centre - Studio

Thur 17 20.30 Brewery Arts Centre - Theatre

Fri 18 09.00 Brewery Arts Centre - Screen 2

Sat 19 09.00 Kendal United Reformed Church

FLASHES OF THE ALTAI

Joey Schusler

Three childhood friends set out for the far western corner of Mongolia to combine mountain biking and packrafting in a self-supported adventure into the unknown. The goal was to traverse the Mongolian Altai, a remote range of high glaciated peaks with silt-laden rivers draining from their heights. Twelve days in the wilderness, riding over high passes loaded with gear, surviving raging whitewater, drinking fermented mare’s milk, and battling the elements, this was not an adventure these young lads would soon forget.

05’ / USA

FALLEN FEATHER

Aaron Peterson

In the far north of America’s heartland sandstone walls erupt from the icy waters of an inland sea to form one of the largest concentrations of climbable ice in North America. Pro climber Sam Elias returns to his home state of Michigan to reveal the harsh conditions and virgin routes found in this unlikely climbing destination.

10’ / USA

THE EVOLUTION OF ULTRALIGHT.

Introducing UltraLight Camalots™, now 25% lighter.

BOYS IN THE BUGS

Greg Laut

Matt Segal and Will Stanhope have spent a decade climbing the world’s hardest cracks. In an age of elite athletes, fad diets and training regimes, Matt and Will harken back to the old school of climbing, where guts and spirit make up for their lack of planning and healthy lifestyle. Now they travel deep into the Canadian wilderness to the infamous Bugaboo Mountains where they are looking for the ultimate next-level crack climb – following a long, thin break in the rock so narrow that only the tips of their fingers fit inside. It’s the beginning of an epic, multi-year quest that will change their lives.

22’ / USA

70-SOME YEARS

Riley Hooper

Henry Bendinelli has been skiing for 70-some years.

06’ / USA

LOCKED IN: FIRST DESCENT OF THE BERIMAN GORGE

Bryan Smith

Ben Stookesberry, Chris Korbulic, Benny Marr and Pedro Oliva travel to Papua New Guinea to conquer whitewater that no kayakers have navigated before: The Beriman River Gorge – one of the most significant undertakings in a kayak.

24’ / Austria

DEVOTION

Emma Crome

The elements of both nature and nurture are considered in “Devotion” as one of the UK’s most respected climbers Libby Peter reflects on howquite unintentionally - climbing has shaped her life, from early experiences as a child through to becoming a British Mountain Guide and a mother.

05’ / UK

MON VISO MON AMOUR

Fabio Gianotti

Five young boys, decided to go down from the north face of Monviso. While the climb was shrouded in mist, they went down on a coulouir with terrible skiing conditions due to the hard and demanding snow. At the end of the ski descent, the skiiers get to meet their legends, Viale and De Benedetti. The past and present of steep skiing cross paths: three generations of skiers discuss and share experiences, remembering their extreme ski descents on the slopes of Monte Viso

53’ / UK

Locked In: First Descent of the Beriman Gorge

SHOW TIMES

Thur 17 18.00 The Shakespeare Centre

Thur 17 20.30 Brewery Arts Centre - Studio

Fri 18 09.00 Brewery Arts Centre - Studio

Sat 19 09.00 Brewery Arts Centre - Screen 2

49 FINGERS

Ian Palmer

Following five friends in the Lake District who skated in the 1980s, to see if they can still skateboard in their late 40s.

11’ / UK

THE TRAIL TO KAZBEGI

Joey Schusler

What happens when four like-minded adventurers head into one of the world’s wildest mountain ranges with nothing but their mountain bikes and enough food to survive for 10 days?

The answer? What doesn’t happen? Terrifying lightning storms. Raging-river crossings. Snowcovered glacial pass traverses. Mind-melting descents. Constant fights with vicious dogs. Tense encounters with over-zealous border-patrol guards. They also were treated to the unparalleled hospitality of the Georgian people and the benign indifference of the elements on their quest to reach the magnificent Mount Kazbek.

16’ / USA

early bird films D films 2016

Worm your way out of bed for a session of wild vistas and wild visions; new boulders in Zimbabwe, new flight lines in the desert, new ascents in the alps and new ways of being naked on the rock...

UNCHARTED LINES: ZIMBABWE EXCERPT

Alexandra Kahn and Paul Robinson

Every climbing reward comes at the cost of a potential risk but when you are a climbing pioneer, you are willing to risk whatever it takes. Jimmy Webb and Paul Robinson went on a quest to Chimanimani National Park in Zimbabwe and found more incredible boulders than they could have imagined...

05’ / USA

BRUHWILER COUNTRY

Keith Malloy

Follow Canadian surfing legend Raph Bruwhiler on a trip into the wilds of Vancouver Island where he and his family have staked a claim to the waves and woods for generations.

07’ / USA

THE TOLL ROAD

Ryan Southwell

In the summer of 2014, four friends met up with foreign pilots to go on the ultimate paramotor adventure across the American Southwest. Only weeks after the trip, Jeff Toll was tragically killed flying in Virginia. Nine months later, remaining members of Team Fly Halo revisited the southwest to honor and commemorate their fallen friend; and to share his story with the world.

23’ / USA

FACE TO FACE

Bertrand Delapierre

Eiger: two alpinists sharing the past and the present on the mythical North Face.

13’ / France

ENGLER

Ryan Heffernan

Mark Engler spent decades guiding fishing trips in Colorado and New Mexico and has become a legend: the guy who’s seen it all, who catches more fish than anyone. Engler always dreamed of having this life; hunting and fishing all day, every daybut it hasn’t come without sacrifices. A younger guide, Les Vance, realizes that following in Engler’s footsteps means facing those same challenges.

07’ / USA

SOLO BASE: FROM CLIMBING TO JUMPING

Xavier Coll

Solo BASE follows David Fusté and his friend Turko, strong climbers who became BASE jumpers in order to make their dreams of flying a reality. But what they’re really interested in are the possibilities offered by soloing big routes with just a BASE rig for protection. You fall off, you pull the ripcord and float to earth. The simple, naked truth…

7’ / Spain

DEVELOP YOUR OUTDOOR SKILLS AND LEARN ABOUT THE GEAR THAT KEEPS YOU WARM OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN.

CLINICS THROUGHOUT THE DAY IN THE BASECAMP TENT.

Uncharted

films 2016 programmer’s picks

SHOW TIMES

Fri 18 16.00 BAC Theatre*

Sun 20 09.00 BAC Screen 1

Sun 20 09.00 BAC Theatre

ACE AND THE DESERT DOG

Brendan Leonard

For his 60th birthday, adventure photographer Ace Kvale and his dog, Genghis Khan, set out for a 60-day backpacking trip in Utah’s canyon country. The pair tell the story of their trek, friendship, and Genghis records it on his Desert Dawg Adventure Blawg.

09’ / USA

TOM SEIPP: A MOUNTAIN

JOURNAL

Dom Bush

Tom is 11 and just loves riding his bikes with his dad, no matter what the terrain, no matter what the weather. Having completed 2 Strathpuffer 24hr races he has racked up the miles over the last few years. Driven to just enjoy being out, he has big plans as he looks to drag his dad along the 2,700+ miles of the Great Divide route later in the year.

07’ / UK

BOYS IN THE BUGS

Greg Laut

Matt Segal and Will Stanhope have spent a decade climbing the world’s hardest cracks. In an age of elite athletes, fad diets and training regimes, Matt and Will harken back to the old school of climbing, where guts and spirit make up for their lack of planning and healthy lifestyle. Now they travel deep into the Canadian wilderness to the infamous Bugaboo Mountains where they are looking for the ultimate next-level crack climb – following a long, thin break in the rock so narrow that only the tips of their fingers fit inside. It’s the beginning of an epic, multi-year quest that will change their lives.

22’ / USA

FLASHES OF THE ALTAI

Joey Schusler

Three childhood friends set out for the far western corner of Mongolia to combine mountain biking and packrafting in a self-supported adventure into the unknown.

05’ / USA

CHINA: A SKIER’S JOURNEY

Jordan Manley

Skiing as sport is in its infancy in China, a phenomenon of the country’s exploding middle class. As a means of survival however, it is thousands of years old, a stone age huntergatherer technology born in the Altai mountains where China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Siberia merge.

On a vast trajectory that spans 11,000km of Northern China, Chad Sayers and Forrest Coots touch down into the rich past and dizzying future of these two respective Chinese ski cultures. As one rapidly expands, they find the other is at risk of disappearing.

16’ / Canada

* Please note the Friday 16.00 screening in the BAC Theatre will not include China: A Skier’s Journey

A short session that allow us to mix’n match films from elsewhere in the programme, and give you more chances to catch them!

Boys in the Bugs

Ace and the Desert Dog

films 2016 family adventure films screenings

Join us to be entertained by a selection of short films on the big screen and inspire your children for life with the world of outdoor adventure.

We are delighted that this year our Family Adventure Film sessions are all FREE so come along with your family and ‘Share the Adventure’! Please note: Due to limited availability, you must book your free tickets in advance - go to: www.mountainfest.co.uk/familyadventure for details

SHOW TIMES

Sat 19 10.30 Kendal Leisure Centre

Sun 20 10.30 Kendal Leisure Centre

JOHANNA

Ian Derry

Finnish freediver Johanna Nordblad holds the world record for a 50-meter dive under ice. She discovered her love for the sport through coldwater treatment while recovering from a downhill biking accident that almost took her leg.

04’ / UK

A WEE DAY OUT

Stu Thompson

See what Danny MacAskill does on his day off!

06’ / UK

SALWEEN SPRING

Will Stauffer-Norris

Travis Winn has been running rivers in China for 15 years. He’s explored first descents, but also watched rivers disappear behind dams. Now he’s founded a rafting company to bring Chinese to see their rivers before they’re gone. “Salween Spring” is Travis’s meditation on change, personal struggle, and kayaking along China’s frontier.

09’ / USA

TOM SEIPP: A MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Dom Bush

Tom is 11 and just loves riding his bikes with his dad, no matter what the terrain, no matter what the weather. Having completed 2 Strathpuffer 24hr races he has racked up the miles over the last few years. Driven to just enjoy being out, he has big plans as he looks to drag his dad along the 2,700+ miles of the Great Divide route later in the year.

07’ / UK

VORTICITY

Mike Olbinski

I had three goals this spring: Get a tornado on time-lapse, capture the best footage I possibly could, and chase as much as my schedule would allow. That ended up totalling 18 chase days. 20,000 miles driven. Almost 60,000 time-lapse frames shot. Nine total states. This is the result of that journey. Did I get the tornado? You can see for yourself!

07’ / USA

CHILDREAM

Micha Berger Réunion

A girl fascinated by the sky and acrobatics will be many opportunities to make those childhood dreams an exciting reality.

04’ / USA

FLASHES OF THE ALTAI

Joey Schusler

Three childhood friends set out for the far western corner of Mongolia to combine mountain biking and packrafting in a self-supported adventure into the unknown.

05’ / USA

IN CURRENT Ryan Heffernan

Rowing a dory in the Grand Canyon is considered by some as the most coveted job in the world. It can take 20 years of paying your dues to earn a seat on one of these legendary wooden boats. Amber Shannon has been boating the Grand Canyon nine years, trying to work her way from the baggage boat to a dory, while spending as many days possible in current.

05’ / USA

ROLE REVERSAL

Jon Glassberg

Emily Harrington travels to Spain with her dad, Tim, to mentor him while he attempts to tick his first 5.12 at age 60. Tim and Emily learn from each other and relive the glory days in this heartfelt, family climbing epic.

07’ / USA

ACE AND THE DESERT DOG

Brendan Leonard

For his 60th birthday, adventure photographer

Ace Kvale and his dog, Genghis Khan, set out for a 60-day backpacking trip in Utah’s canyon country. The pair tells the story of their trek, friendship, and Genghis records it on his Desert Dawg Adventure Blawg.

09’ / USA

Childream

film competition 2016

The Festival aims to show the very best in mountainbased film, across the broadest spectrum. Films are screened in twelve competitive categories, with winners judged by a panel of film and mountain luminaries and – in the case of the People’s Choice prize – the audience itself.

A trophy sculpted by Andy Parkin and cash prizes will be awarded for the best films in the categories (listed right).

The Jury

KEME NZEREM, CHAIR OF JUDGES

Sports Correspondent for Channel 4 News

Keme first came to Kendal in 2012 to report on paralympic athletes featured at the event. He’s been the Chair of the Jury for the last two years and we’re delighted he’s back again as our diplomat and adjudicator!

NATASHA BROOKS

Filmmaker and fine artist

A lover of the outdoors, Natasha enjoys all that landscapes have to offer both above and below the surface. Natasha’s film work has received various awards including the BMC Women In Adventure Film award and the BMC Peoples choice award.

NICK BULLOCK

Alpinist and climber

Nick Bullock should need little in the way of introduction: one of Britain’s finest alpinists and rock climbers, known for bold and audacious ascents, a writer and occasional poet. His appetite for climbing as ferocious as ever, Nick revels in the intricacies and emotions of climbing and mountaineering.

film categories

Best Climbing Film

Best Mountaineering Film

Best Adventure & Exploration Film

Best Environment Film

Best Culture Film

Best Adrenaline Film

JOANNA CROSTON

Best Short Film

Best Sound

Best Visual

People’s Choice*

Grand Prize

Judges’ Special Prize

Programme Director at Banff Mountain Festival

Since 2014, Joanna has been the Programming Director of the Festival which sees her reading more than 70 mountain literature books and watching 350 mountain films annually. In addition to being a voracious reader, she is an avid backcountry skier and bike commuter.

PAUL DIFFLEY

Founder of Hot Aches Productions

Paul has produced many highly acclaimed adventure films, picking up over 40 awards. Aside from his professional interest in adventure sports, Paul is a lifelong rock climber with a love of mountain environments and a passion to portray their qualities through film.

FILM PRODUCTION

Learn modern lightweight approaches to professional film making and photography in Kendal on this degree level Higher National Certificate / Diploma.

In collaboration with Kendal Mountain Festival, this course aims to develop the next generation of wilderness documentary and adventure film makers / photographers.

Award winning film makers, photographers, and directors have contributed to the creation of this new programme, which builds on the success of the ‘Adventure Film Academy Pro’, and the KMFA.

Study this programme full or part time, at Kendal College’s Arts and Media Campus, with options from 1 to 4 years.

2015 Grand Prize Winner - K2: Touching The Sky

Film Active is Kendal Mountain Festival’s youth film programme with the aim of encouraging young people to share their outdoor adventures online and at the Festival.

Our free to enter competition returns for a second year with more entries and some great adventures shared by young people, families, schools and social youth groups. We are delighted that this free to enter platform not only encourages more young people to use their cameras or mobile devices and film their stories, but it inspires new communities to get outside and get active. Long may this continue! Some selected winning films from the following categories will be screened at the Festival in the Family Adventure Sessions (see programme for further details) :-

Best Film (15 – 18)

Best Film (Under 15)

Best Film (Youth/School Group)

Best Film (Family)

More information can be found at: www.filmactive.org.uk

NEW TV SERIES STARTS TUES 29 NOV

ON CHANNEL 4. AVAILABLE ON ALL 4

FROM WEDS 16 NOV

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SPONSORED BY

film summit 2016

Kindly Supported by

The established Industry networking event returns for its third year with a wealth of respected filmmakers from home and abroad. Supported by Channel 4 and the OIA, 2016 sees a central theme of Creativity in Adventure Filmmaking running through this event.

THE ART OF ADVENTURE FILMMAKING

A Film, Media and Outdoor Industry networking event (invitational)

Heading into the 3rd year of the Kendal Mountain Film Summit, the perceived outcome of adventure film has moved from genre specific DVD’s to mainstream video on demand. Our past Summits have approached the ethics of risk, and the prevalence of technological cliché as the market widens. This year we want to look at the ‘wealth’ of commissioning or selffunded film production opportunities, and the challenges that are posed when pushing for creative expression in your filmmaking.

The documentary market has exploded in recent years, with more and more content being consumed on multiple platforms. Adventure films have claimed their stake in this but with an ever increasing hunger from audiences wanting universal humanistic stories, the bar has been significantly raised.

In a bid to survive in a crowded marketplace, how can your film break the mould and where can you find support from within the industry?

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Unique insights from Thom Gulvenson from Channel 4’s ALL4 online channel, Banff Programmer, Joanna Croston, Producer and filmmaker, Jon Drever from Grain Media and Ian Durkin, Vimeo’s outdoor specialist. Chaired by Keme Nzerem, Channel 4 sports journalist.

CREATIVITY IN ACTION

Keme Nzerem (Channel 4) in Conversation with Ben Sturgulewski, Alaskanborn snowsports filmmaker, and Alastair Lee, Adventure filmmaker.

PRODUCED BY

photography competition

When Liam isn’t working with us at Kendal Mountain Festival he works as a professional adventure photographer, travelling the world chasing some of the best mountain athletes.

We asked Liam to pick out some of his favourite shots from each category of the Photography Competition.

To see the official shortlist check out our website and also the Basecamp Stage screen will be showing shortlisted images.

The winners will be announced at the Film Awards Ceremony on Saturday night, with prizes for the winners from SmugMug, Peak Design & Arc’teryx.

Liam Lonsdale is the curator and host of the Sidetracked Stage in the Basecamp Village.

FIDO IN THE HILLS (Canine shots up high): Dog Days of Summer by Sammy Davis

ADVENTURE IN THE OUTDOORS: Immerse by Kris Bentham

YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER (15-18): Glacier Lagoon by Robert Stephenson

SMARTPHONE (Friends in High Places): Wings by James Vincent

YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER (14 and under): Rhue Bouldering by Rowan Ashworth

MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES: Helvellyn Layers byDan Thwaites

GEAR FOR THE CREATIVE AND ADVENTUROUS. VISIT US IN THE BASECAMP VILLAGE. peakdesign.com

basecamp village

The Basecamp Village returns! Located inside the huge marquee outside the Brewery Arts Centre, crafted out of reclaimed wood and dressed with prayer flags; our ‘village’ is the social hub of the Festival. The top outdoor brands in the industry will be offering creative insights and demonstrations of their latest lovely gear. Both the Sidetracked Magazine Bar and Café and the Marmot Bar and Cafe will be open all day for you to enjoy a beer or coffee (or two)!

The ever popular Lowe Alpine Bothy returns, also offering talks, freebies, live music, food & drink, demonstrations and much more. These pages give an overview to the events in the Basecamp Village, but be sure to pick up a detailed programme from the Basecamp Village to help plan your Festival weekend. All that is left for us to say is that we hope you manage to take a moment to enjoy the new Basecamp Village as much as we have enjoyed dreaming it up and creating it for you.

Find our friendly team at the Festival Info Desk, who will be able to access live information and the latest updates on screenings, seating availability, venue news etc.

festival merchandise

The Sidetracked Stage is back as a central focus point for the Basecamp Village and we’re delighted to announce that there will also be an entirely FREE programme of incredible speakers, hosted by photographer & commentator Liam Lonsdale, to inspire and entertain you while you relax with friends and family.

Friday 18th November

13.00 Derek Eland: Mountain artist

14.00 Avalanche Safety with Caroline Elliot / Henry’s Avalanche Talk

15.00 Hard Rock: A tribute to Ken Wilson

16.00 Andy Parkin: Prolific soloist, sculptor & artist

17.00 Jenny Tough: Adventurer, writer & filmmaker

18.00 An inside look at the Mountain Rescue Team

19.00 Live music

Basecamp Village - fit out and furniture by Woodshed www.woodshed.org.uk

Saturday 19th November

10.00 Dan Milner: Exploratory mountain biker & photographer

11.00 Sarah Outen: Explorer & author

12.00 Cedar Wright & Pete Whittaker: World class climbers & sufferers

13.00 Derek Eland: Mountain artist

14.00 Lee Craigie: Cycle racer and founder of Cycle Therapy

15.00 Katha Saurwein & Leah Crane: Two of the worlds leading female climbers

16.00 Jason Rawles: Mountain guide

17.00 Alex Megos: Best climber in the world?

18.00 Joe Grant: Endurance athlete

19.00 Live music

Festival Buff®

Enamel Mugs

Festival T.Shirt

Festival Hoody

Clip Balm

Karabiners

We have some fantastic Limited Edition Festival gear for sale...

Sunday 20th November

10.00 Avalanche Safety with Caroline Elliot / Henry’s Avalanche Talk

11.00 Hydro Electricty: Clean energy or environmental disaster?

12.00 Charlie Sproson: Ultra runner & event planner

13.00 Chris Bonington: The godfather of Great British mountaineering

14.00 Hard Rock: A tribute to Ken Wilson with Paul Diffley

15.00 Virtual Reality Experience: With Anthony Bonello (until 17:00)

BOTHY

This year, Lowe Alpine are inviting all at Kendal to escape the festival storm by paying a visit to the secluded #MAKEWINTERCOUNT

Friday 18th November

10.00 - 13.00 #makewintercount Live art / Tessa Lyons

13.00 - 14.00 Winter Skills Session 01 / AMI Instructors

14.00 - 16.00 #makewintercount Live art / Tessa Lyons

Saturday 19th November

Bothy. It will be a place to meet friends, grab a drink and embrace the warm and inviting ambience.

10.00 - 13.00 #makewintercount Live art / Tessa Lyons

13.00 - 14.00 Winter Skills Session 02 / Rebecca Coles

14.00 - 15.00 #makewintercount Live art / Tessa Lyons

15.00 - 16.00 Shooting in Winter: A Photography Masterclass / Ben Tibbetts

16.00 - 17.00 Bothy Project World Premiere & Launch Party

17.00 - 19.00 Winter Misadventures / Andy Cave

This year the Caravan Club joins us, with their fantastic Airstream caravan on site at the Brewery Arts Centre. Pop in, have a brew and find out all about the Club, and why you might want to join - access to nearly 3,000 locations across the UK and abroad seems like a good place to start!

16.00 - 17.00 Into the cold: Expeditions in Alaska & India Dave Sharpe

18.00 - 20.00 Bothy Project World Premiere & Launch Party

Sunday 20th November

10.00 - 13.00 #makewintercount Live art / Tessa Lyons

13.00 - 14.00 Winter Skills Session 03 / Simon Verspeak

14.00 - 15.00 #makewintercount Live art / Tessa Lyons

photo walk

Hosted by

shackleton tent

New for 2016, in an exciting development the Shackleton Tent extends our covered area at the Brewery Arts Centre further still.

Sited between the Brewery building and the Basecamp Village, the Shackleton Tent is home to the Berghaus Climbing Zone, Blacks Outdoor shop, and the Marmot Café Bar

The Berghaus Climbing Zone hosts lots of action and excitement for climbers, with Berghaus comps, prizes and photo opps on offer. Within the Zone, Moon is bringing its awesome MoonBoard training wall along, with problems set by Leo Houlding. Try La Sportiva climbing shoes from their demo stock. Find out how to train effectively with Neil Gresham, in a series of free workshops. Visit the Climbers Against Cancer stand to win a personalised Marmot bouldering brush. Relax in the Marmot Café Bar serving food and beverages during the day, and Thornbridge Ales in the evening.

Also in the Shackleton Tent you’ll find the expanded Blacks Outdoor shop with a wide range of top-quality outdoor clothing and gear, with lots of special Festival offers and advice on hand from their friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Leo will be setting boulder problems!

MoonBoard

THE TRAILS WE BLAZE. BLACKS.

Steeped in History, Since 1863

We started at sea.

And ascended to dizzying heights.

In 1861 on the banks of the River Clyde, Thomas Black embarked on a new mission. Equipped with steadfast knowledge and expertise gained from his sail making business, Thomas deftly turned his hand to crafting tents and shelters that could withstand the harshest of conditions.

Using the same hardy materials as he used on rough seas, his business grew from its nautical based beginnings, and has since gone on to become one of the most recognisable outdoor names on the modern British high street.

Though the landscape around us at times has changed, there is one thing that we have kept true to - our founder, Thomas Black. His ingenious craftsmanship epitomised the quality and standard that we still stand for and continue today. Blacks has evolved. For an ever evolving basis of outdoor explorers, mavericks and enthusiasts who want to champion their #EverydayLifeOutdoors

Our extensive range of outdoor clothing, equipment and accessories can be found at high streets across Britain and online, meaning we can equip likeminded enthusiasts with the best gear, no matter their pursuit or location.

Every one of us has an explorer, an adventurer and an athlete lying dormant within. We want to coax that side out of you and put it front and centre.

We are proud to be part of your outdoor life.

We are Blacks, and have been since 1863.

Proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of Kendal Mountain Festival 2016.

“His ingenious craftsmanship epitomised the quality and standard that we still stand for and continue today.”

BLACKS & JD FOUNDATION

Supporting Heroes at Mountain Rescue

Dedicated, enthusiastic and determined. The unsung heroes of the mountains. Blacks and the JD Foundation pledge almost £750,000 to Mountain Rescue England and Wales, and Mountain Rescue Scotland over a 3-year period.

Trained to operate in the harshest environments to reunite lost walkers and save precarious climbers, it is hard to believe that Mountain Rescue remains an entirely voluntary service at point of delivery. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Mountain Rescue spans across a total of 9 regions and 48 teams throughout England and Wales. Mountain Rescue Scotland has over 1000 volunteers, alone.

Each one of these teams is filled with dedicated, enthusiastic and determined individuals who volunteer to spend night and day on call, ready to spring into action to help out those who become unstuck on the hills and mountains, anywhere, any time.

These volunteers are the true unsung heroes of the mountain landscape. They give up their spare time to perform rescues, provide emergency First Aid, support other services in emergencies, search and find the lost and even, in those spare moments, fundraise for their teams.

It is time that we gave something back. Blacks alongside the JD Foundation have pledged continued support to Mountain Rescue England and Wales and Mountain Rescue Scotland over a 3-year period, by donating funds collected from the government’s carrier bag charge scheme.

Combined, total donations result in almost £750,000 going towards a cause that matters so much, to so many of us.

Find out more about Blacks and Mountain Rescue online at: www.blacks.co.uk & www.mountain.rescue.org.uk

Forming the bedrock of British climbing

It gives us great pleasure to announce the launch of the BMC Gallery of Mountaineering and we’re inviting everyone to come and learn how we’re planning on setting the records straight.

WHAT - The Gallery aims to become a digital record of images going back over the past 100 years portraying the personalities and events which have moulded this great activity and allowed it to become the multifaceted sport that it is today. It will not be fully-fledged from day one, but will organically grow with submissions.

WHERE - You can find the Gallery on the BMC website at www.thebmc.co.uk/ galleryofmountaineering. Or if you’re about at Kendal Mountain Festival, come along to the BMC stand this weekend to pick up a leaflet and we’d love to tell you all about it.

WHY - Formed initially of mountaineering images from a selection of sources, we hope that the Gallery one day becomes the ultimate destination for all historic mountaineering records – be they photographs, portraits, or artwork of all types.

WHO - The initial idea for the Gallery was created by Rab Carrington who then approached the BMC for help to turn it into a reality. But once it comes to fruition, it will only work if the right materials are found. To do that, we invite clubs and the like to take stock of the history they’ve been collecting and submit them to the BMC Gallery of Mountaineering.

Jerry Moffatt on L’Horla (E1 5b) at Curbar | Photo © Moffatt Collection

Don Whillans on Freney, 1961

Photo © Bonington Collection

Steve Bancroft on Strapadictomy, May 1977

Photo © Bernard Newman

Edward Whymper, Chamonix, October 1865 Photo © Alpine Club

Doug Scott, Everest summit

Photo © Doug Scott collection

We’ve tweaked our venue locations this year to ensure that we keep things as close to the central Brewery Arts Centre and Town Hall venues as possible. In particular, films are now being screened in two new locations: the Kendal United Reformed Church hall, and The Incredible Moving Picturehouse, AKA ‘The Movie Truck’.

THE BREWERY ARTS CENTRE (BAC)

KENDAL TOWN HALL

KENDAL UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

THE SHAKESPEARE CENTRE

THE

KENDAL

THE

THE BIRDCAGE (TRAIL RUN REGISTRATION)

festival fuel

KENDAL TOWN HALL

EMMA’S 46

POP UP CAFÉ

Famous for her delicious cakes and wholesome food, Emma brings her cosy Kendal Café to the Town Hall.

09:00 – 18:00 | Fri, Sat & Sun

You’ll never be too far from a food or drink stop at this year’s Kendal Mountain Festival. As well as usual venues at the Brewery Arts Centre, there will be pop-up outlets at festival venues across the town.

As a major supporter of the Festival, the Brewery Arts Centre is proud once again to offer all Festival goers the chance to fuel up at our numerous venues.

THE INTRO CAFÉ

The Intro Café and Bar serves coffees, teas, sandwiches, chocolate, cakes, wines and beers throughout the day.

WAREHOUSE CAFÉ

The Warehouse Café is a super-chilled, relaxed lounge where you can slurp a cappuccino or quaff a pint of lager while munching on a locally-made cake or fresh scone. Whatever mood you’re in when you arrive, you can’t help but relax in the cosy atmosphere of The Warehouse Café.

THE GRAINSTORE

The Grainstore is offering lunchtime sandwiches and hot snacks and in the evening sample our new Brewery Tapas or our famous Brewery Pizzas. Food available all day throughout the Festival. Come feast on a tasty lunch to keep your energy levels high…or maybe try a more substantial dinner in the Grainstore’s comfortable surroundings.

THE VATS BAR

Back for the second year, Thornbridge Brewery will be serving a range of their beers, plus have another special Kendal Mountain Ale for us. Find them in locations across Kendal,

The Vats Bar offers an ideal meeting and drinking place as well as light meals and refreshments throughout the Festival. By far the busiest bar in Britain over the weekend, it also doubles as one of the best rest stops on the Festival circuit. Come in and try guest beers and one of our famous pizzas while you peruse the event programme.

Wild Swim Bag shown in Grasmere

Hallsford

kendal mountain outdoor cinema 2017

This summer, Kendal Mountain Festival’s Outdoor Cinema screenings in Grasmere and Pooley Bridge entertained over 1500 people with top adventure film screenings plus speakers, live music, food and drink and plenty of family fun.

We’ll be running another series of screenings next summer, and will be announcing details in early 2017.

To keep up to date, make sure you follow us on Facebook (search for Kendal Mountain Outdoor Cinema).

friends of kendal mountain festival

Join our Kendal Mountain Festival community so we can support adventurers, explorers, athletes, artists and filmmakers throughout the world.

Benefits - including at the 2017 Festival

A ‘Friend of Kendal Mountain Festival’ lanyard which entitles members to:

• A complimentary social event in the Basecamp Village at the Festival in 2017

• 20% discount on Kendal Mountain Festival merchandising

• Discounts at various eateries around Kendal over the 2017 Festival Weekend

• Discount offers from associate partners

• Access to Priority Booking - friends are exclusively able to book tickets before they go on general release.

• Newsletters with updates / offers / competitions

• Two free tickets to one of our Outdoor Cinema events / Film Tours or Kendal on Tour in 2017

• Plus knowing that your support helps us deliver another amazing Kendal Mountain Festival!

FREE Kendal Mountain Festival enamel mug with a coffee voucher for the first 50 that sign up at the Festival plus 20% discount of the Festival merchandise!

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP COSTS

kendal mountain festival tour 2017

Share the Adventure with Kendal Mountain Festival on Tour in 2017!

Enjoyed your experience at the Festival this weekend?

Then we are delighted to announce that throughout 2017 we are delivering a series of Kendal Mountain Festival mini events - packed full of inspirational and adrenaline-packed films, guest speakers and athletes.

Everything you love about the Festival but a little smaller and a little closer to home.

So join us and get inspired to celebrate our shared love of the outdoors!

Full dates and further information will be out at www.kendalmountaintour.com in December.

Destinations confirmed so far:

February

Harrogate

Aberystwyth

Caernarfon

Cardiff

March

Aberdeen

Edinburgh

Glasgow Leeds

April Birmingham Nottingham May London Canterbury Oxford June Bristol Brighton

@theweekendoutdoors

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