Media Release: Listings – Fort William Mountain Festival 2012

THE programme for the 2012 Fort William Mountain Festival, presented by the Outdoor Capital of the UK, will take place throughout Fort William and Lochaber from Wednesday 15 to Sunday 19 February 2012.

Experience the adventure of the great outdoors, extreme expeditions, remote cultures, and the world’s last great wild places – all brought to life in the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’.

From armchair adventurers to weekend warriors, to the international mountain community, the enthusiastic audience coming to Fort William for the 2012 festival will be inspired, energised and entertained by the diverse programme that promotes the mountains as an attractive, accessible and above all enjoyable place to be.

It includes a superb line-up of lectures from top climbers and mountaineers, mountain bikers, and mountain filmmakers; and film screenings from cutting edge outdoor athletes and adventurers.

The full details of the eleventh festival programme will not be announced until January 2012.

However, organisers have promised a five-day feast of lectures, film screenings and workshops for residents and visitors who want to learn about and celebrate mountain culture and the true spirit of adventure; during the best winter walking and climbing conditions of the year.

Programme highlights include:

Opening Night – A dinner at Nevis Range’s new Pinemarten Restaurant with a special musical performance from Mary Ann Kennedy who will perform a unique, contemporary piece called “Black Snows”.

Bike Night – An evening in the company of mountain bike legend Steve Peat and The Dudes of Hazzard. Film dcreenings and Q&A sessions.

Mountaineering Night – A lecture from Bob Shepton, a highly experienced Arctic explorer.  It follows his breathtaking sailing and big wall climbing expedition in Greenland. A screening of ‘The Long Hope’ a film by Paul Diffley featuring Dave MacLeod and his 1,000ft ascent of St John’s Head on the Island of Hoy in a day!

Climbing Night – Lecture with the master of climbing Johnny Dawes. This is an unusual show involving unseen video, award winning film, writings, drawings and his notorious approach to communicating using metaphor and humour. What lies at the centre of genius and how to find it? Where does the limit lie? How will climbing involve art, rehabilitation, and invention? These are the subjects that a lifetime of pushing and pulling have left behind.

The Best of Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Film Night – The most inspiring mountain films from around the world will once again be the festival hot ticket

The winner of the 2012 Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture will be announced during the festival. Previous winners who have been recognized for their outstanding contribution to mountain culture include: Ian Sykes (Spike) (2011), Jimmy Marshall (2010), Richard Else (2009) and Dr. Hamish McInnes (2008).

The Fort William Mountain Festival Film Competition is open for entries.

Budding outdoor and adventure filmmakers are invited to enter their mountain culture related work into the competition that champions outdoor adventure, breathtaking mountain landscape and the culture that surrounds it.

Entries are open until 16 January 2012 and the winners will be announced during the festival in February.

For full details of the film competition and entry details, go to http://www.mountainfestival.co.uk/film-competition-2012/

There will also be plenty of opportunity for both novices and experts to hone their skills through inspirational workshops in mountain skills, avalanche awareness, winter walking and winter climbing in the ‘Outdoor Capital'; as well as both indoor climbing and ice climbing at Kinlochleven’s Ice Factor Indoor Climbing Centre.

To be kept up to date with the Fort William Mountain Festival programme go to http://www.mountainfestival.co.uk/

It is hoped tickets will be on sale by early January 2012 – please visit the http://www.mountainfestival.co.uk for updates.

MEDIA RELEASE posted by Podge Publicity. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.

Contact: Paddy Cuthbert
Phone: 07968699636
Email: paddy@podge.co.uk
Website: http://www.mountainfilmfestival.co.uk/