If you’re into climbing, the Squamish Mountain Festival – a 5 day celebration of climbing – is where you need to be. It will be running July 14 – 18, 2010

The festival films have been finalized and whether you like sticking to the wall or hanging from parachutes get ready for some mad flow. 18 films from 7 countries will be screened over 3 nights and 2 matinees at the Eagle Eye Theatre and the Squamish Adventure Centre.

Don’t miss out on some golden old-school footy (circa 1975) as Dave Nichol and Dave Vernon take on the classic Squamish aid route Sentry Box in style befitting the era; shaggy hair, painter pants and hammering pitons on the festival’s opening Oh Canada Climbing Night Wednesday, July 14.

Free soloing, BASE jumping, overhanging rock bastions and more fill the screen at the Big Wall Climbing Night Friday, July 16 as rock stars Alex Honnold and Dean Potter push themselves and the sport of free soloing to a whole new realm. Ever heard of BASE free soloing?… How else would Potter have gotten the idea to scale one of the most famous and deadly climbs in the entire world, the north face of the Eiger! Man vs Eiger will surely get your adrenalin pumping.

And what kind of Mountain Festival would this be if we didn’t thrown in some frosty peaks? Saturday, July 17th’s Alpine Climbing Night features Alastair Lee’s award winning mountaineering film The Asgard Project. You know you’re in for a gnarly ascent when the only way to get to the foot of the face is to skydive! Leo Houlding has his work cut out for him as he attempts to make the first free ascent of one of the most difficult big walls in the world, the daunting north face of Mt Asgard.

Matinee screenings will be held at the Squamish Adventure Centre Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 at 1pm. They are free to attend!

The festival has:

1. Mountain Film Festival
2. Clinics and Workshops
3. Steep Shot Photo Contest
4. Parties and Nightlife
5. Trade Fair and Demo Gear
6. Free and Fun Events

Categories: Climbing, Events
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Some awesome news to share with everyone. BC native and Chrohn’s disease sufferer, Rob Hill, has recently summited Everest, completing his goal of reaching the top of the highest mountain on each of the seven continents!

May 27, 2010 @ 12:00PM

Vancouver, BC – Rob Hill has reached the South Summit of Mount Everest and achieved his goal of being the first Canadian with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) to reach the top of the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Rob suffers from Crohn’s disease, a painful condition affecting the digestive system. Crohn’s, along with ulcerative colitis, affects more than 200,000 Canadians, and currently there is no cure.

Prior to his diagnosis in 1994 at the age of 23, Rob lived a very healthy and active life. At the onset of his symptoms, his life was put on hold. Everyday tasks such as climbing stairs became impossible, and as a result, Rob had his large intestine removed, and received an ostomy. Through sheer determination, the help of a new treatment plan, and support of his family and friends, Rob learned to manage his disease and re-immerse himself in activities such as running and climbing. In addition, he made it his mission to not only overcome his disease, but to show others that having IBD doesn’t have to control their lives.

A life-long athlete and climber, Rob decided to take on the ultimate challenge: to climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Rob embarked on the No Guts Know Glory Seven Summits Campaign and started his journey by climbing Russia’s Mount Elbrus. He saw the campaign as a way to raise awareness for the highly stigmatized disease. Rob recalls, “I wanted to show people with IBD that they didn’t have to let the disease limit their dreams and ambitions. I wanted to do something that would inspire others to come out from the shadows, and show the world that having something like Crohn’s disease doesn’t have to hold them back.”

Rob then went on to conquer Chili’s Aconcagua, Alaska’s Denali, Antarctica’s Vonson Massif, Indonesia’s Carstenz Pyramid, Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro, and finally, Nepal’s Everest.

Battling high winds and uncertain weather, the last leg of Rob’s journey was not easy. “I am incredibly happy to finish my No Guts Know Glory 7Summits campaign,” says Rob. “Mount Everest proved to live up to its challenging reputation, and at times seemed nearly impossible to climb. I hope my summit shows people living with IBD that it doesn’t have to stop you. I hope they find the courage and determination to climb the mountains in their lives.” After spending more than 80 hours above 8,000 meters, and facing exhaustion, Rob succeeded in reaching the South Summit. To honour his incredible journey, the Nepalese government has awarded Rob with an official Everest summit certification.

Clinton Shard, a young Crohn’s patient from Squamish, BC accompanied Rob to Everest base camp. “I am so proud of Rob and the amazing journey he has taken us on,” Clinton says. “Growing up with IBD made having a ‘normal’ childhood really challenging, and there were months where I struggled with my disease. Meeting Rob made me realize how strong and capable I really was. His vision and determination makes him an incredible role model, and I know that his legacy will inspire kids with IBD for years to come.”

When Rob returns, he looks forward to sharing stories from his recent climb, and spreading the word about the campaign. For more information on upcoming events, visit www.nogutsknowglory.com, home of the “No Guts Know Glory” blog, or follow Rob on twitter at @weneedideas.

About Inflammatory Bowel Disease

IBD is a painful condition that causes the intestines to become inflamed, form sores, bleed easily, scar and lose the normal smoothness of their inner lining. IBD includes two similar yet distinct conditions, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD typically strikes people in childhood or the prime of their lives, when they are actively pursuing an education or starting a career.

Here is a video of Rob’s summit:

Completing the 7 summits is a monumental feat. Congratulations to Rob and his team on the accomplishment and creating the awareness for IBD.

Tags: Everest,IDB,IDEAS,Rob Hill
Categories: Causes, Climbing
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Here’s a fantastic website I came across as posted by a member of the SuperTopo Forum. “Mighty Hiker” does a great introduction so I’m going going to copy it here verbatim.

Recorded mountaineering in British Columbia, as a form of recreation, only began in the late 19th century CE. The B.C. Mountaineering Club formed in 1907, once there were enough interested people in the burgeoning town (of Vancouver). Eventually climbing in its own right became part of what club members, and eventually others, did.

The BCMC had its centenary in 2007, with the usual things – climbs and expeditions, a fancy centennial dinner, a large commemorative journal, various trinkets (badge, postage stamps, etc), and an exhibit at the North Vancouver Museum & Archives. Later perhaps I’ll post some photos from the opening of that exhibit, which showed something of the evolution of mountaineering and climbing around here.

Anyway, there’s now a new resource, a program of the federal government ministry of heritage and culture and stuff, which provides a fairly permanent space for ‘exhibits’ derived from actual exhibits from museums across Canada. There’s now one, called Climbing to the Clouds: A Peoples’ History of B.C. Mountaineering, based on the 2007 exhibit in North Vancouver. It’s at http://outdoorvancouver.ca/eho

The physical exhibit included lots of artifacts – equipment, clothes, maps, books, etc – in the usual cases, with explanatory signs. The virtual museum is more oral and written in nature, with lots of photos and video. It’s divided into five sections:
Voices (interviews or narrations, with photos and subtitles)
Mountains (important explorations and ascents)
Times (context)
Passion (art and conservation)
Backpack (equipment)

It’s visually quite appealing, and well worth a look and listen. There are regional peculiarities, but mountaineering throughout North America shared many common themes in its origins. There was an ‘opening’ of the virtual museum display today, which was well attended.

Tags: Hiking to the clouds,Virtual Museum
Categories: Climbing
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From the Get Outdoors Blog, Rock & Ice Magazine has recently released their list of the top ten climbing cities in North America. We come in a respectable 8th place, and only Canadian city on the list.

1. Chattanooga, Tennessee
2. Boise, Idaho
3. Ogden, Utah
4. South Lake Tahoe, California
5. Leavenworth, Washington
6. New Paltz, New York
7. Favetteville, West Virginia
8. Vancouver, British Columbia
9. Flagstaff, Arizona
10. Boone, North Carolina

Tags: Climbing Cities,Top Ten
Categories: Climbing
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The annual Squamish Mountain Festival by Arc’teryx is being held July 16-20. If you’re into climbing at any level, this is a must. The 4 day event boasts many clinics, competitions, speakers, films and photo exhibits.

“The event will highlight Squamish and climbing within the context of clinics, speakers, competitions, international adventure films, volunteer trail maintenance days, and of course, huuuuge raging parties.”

The grass-roots event draws international film-makers, photographers, and top climbers from all over Canada. The DYNO competition is set to be a favorite again this year after two Guinness World Records were broken last year. The records for the competition, where competitors leap from one set of handholds to a set of higher handholds, have since been broken and there are hopes to bring them back to Squamish this year.

All the info can be found at the top link, including accommodations.

Tags: Film Festival,Squamish
Categories: Climbing, Events
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