Scotland set for a feast of mountain culture this autumn
Book now for film festivals, talks, events and more, writes Roger Cox
Mountain towns are forever trying to persuade tourists to visit them in the summer. “Summer in the mountains has just as much to offer as winter,” pleads the French resort of Avoriaz, not untypically. “The mountain is your ultimate summer escape,” echoes Big White across the Pond in British Columbia. Of course, it’s lovely up in the hills when it’s hot and sunny: all those Alpine meadows full of wildflowers, all those ice-cold lakes to swim in – it’s enough to make you want to yodel.
The fact that high-altitude resorts have to work so hard to attract visitors in the warmer half of the year, though, is telling. Rightly or wrongly, when we think of mountains we tend to associate them with winter, and as a result autumn is always rammed full of mountain-related events, as filmmakers, publishers and festival organisers seek to tap into building excitement about the chilly months ahead. So, for the benefit of mountain-lovers all around Scotland, here are a few cultural highlights to look out for as the seasons start to turn…
Mollie Hughes In her new book Breathe, published earlier this year, adventurer Mollie Hughes passes on some of the valuable life lessons she learned while on various expeditions, notably her two ascents of Mount Everest – one from the south side, one from the much less accessible north. Catch her at the Wigtown Book Festival on 4 October, in conversation with Louise Minchin. www.wigtownbookfestival.com
The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland The folks at the Scottish Mountaineering Press have been busy over the summer. Not only are they poised to release Guy Robertson and Hamish Frost’s new book about Scottish winter climbing, The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland, at the start of October, they also have a new edition of Scottish Ski Mountaineering nearing completion – a must-have for anyone who has ever felt compelled to explore Scotland’s mountains on two planks. www.scottish mountaineeringpress.com
Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour The mighty Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary from 1-9 November this year. That’s Banff Alberta by the way, not Banff in Aberdeenshire, but as always there will be a chance to see some of the best films from the main event right here in Scotland, courtesy of the festival’s world tour, with mixed bill screenings at Pitlochry Festival Theatre on 11 October and the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling on 12 October. Films on this year’s menu include Reel Rock: Jirishanca, which sees Alpinists Josh Wharton and Vince Anderson attempt a free ascent of the titular 6,000-metre peak in the Peruvian Andes, and Of A Lifetime, in which the de le Rue clan – multiple snowboarding world champs Xavier and Victor along with Xavier’s daughter Mila – tackle steep, icy lines in Antarctica. www.banff-uk.com/scotland
Sno-ciety The 76th snowsports film from Warren Miller Entertainment, Sno-ciety is screening at the Cameo in Edinburgh on 19 October, the Glasgow Film Theatre on 3 November and the Hippodrome Cinema, Bo'ness on 5 November. Billed as “a celebration of the bonds that unite skiers, riders, and winter adventurers everywhere” the film features action from all around the world, including right here in Scotland, with a few weel-kent faces among the athletes showing off what the Highlands have to offer. www.warrenmiller.co.uk/the-film
Backcountry Bash Taking place at Hangar 5, Potterow in Edinburgh on 16 November, the Backcountry Bash is aimed squarely at those snowsports enthusiasts gearing up for a winter of off-piste fun and games in Scotland's mountains. On the menu: “three new Scottish backcountry movies, talks, stalls, live bands, DJs and tons of stoke.” What's not to love? www.tinyurl.com/4k2ty2e4
Stephen Venables and Anna Fleming The Royal Geographical Society of Scotland has an impressive programme of talks lined up for the autumn, several of which will appeal to mountain enthusiasts. On 17 November in Kirkcaldy and 19 November in Edinburgh (2:15pm) and Glasgow (7:30pm), veteran climber Stephen Venables will be recalling the various trips he’s made to the Antarctic island of South Georgia over the years, the first of which, in 1989, saw him complete some notable first ascents. Then, from 8-10 December in Inverness, Perth and Stirling, don’t miss the chance to catch climber and writer Anna Fleming discussing her outstanding memoir Time on Rock. www.rsgs.org
Dundee Mountain Film Festival This year’s Dundee Mountain Film Festival is taking place at Abertay University on 5 and 6 December. Much of the programme is still to be confirmed at time of going to press, but speakers include celebrated climber Leo Houlding and filmmaker and mountaineer Kevin Woods. www.dmff.co.uk
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