Click through to The Adventure Blog to see a video slideshow of the world’s highest rock concert (altitude-wise).
The musical score is by participating musicians.
Jake Norton has recently returned from Nepal, where he took part in the Everest Rocks Trek in which 40 musicians turned into wandering minstrels, playing their music all the way up the Khumbu Valley before performing a concert at Everest Base Camp. It was, in fact, the highest concert ever, and was conducted to raise awareness of the Love Hope Strength Foundation. The concert was a success it would seem, as Jake reports that nearly $500,000 was raised for the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Kathmandu. The funds will go a long way to making it a world class cancer treatment center.
Jake has also sorted through the 5200 photos he took on the trip to put together a great video that helps capture the spirit of the entire event. ..
I am for reintroduction of wolves to the wilderness.
Elk and porcupine worry me more than wolves in the wild. But this is significant. The first documented case of wolves hunting and killing a man:
Environmentalists backing the re-wolfing of the American West have often said, “Don’t worry, there’s no documented instance of wolves killing any person.â€
That reassurance came under question with the discovery of the body of a 22-year-old college student, Kenton Joel Carnegie, two years ago in northern Saskatchewan. …
At the Banff Mountain Film Festival I saw a fantastic slide show on some of the wildest wolves in the world.
Then watched a preview of the PBS Nature TV special:
In 1995, the first gray wolves were transported from Alberta, Canada to Yellowstone National Park, to repopulate the sprawling landscape with the species, absent for more than 70 years. …
In the Valley of the Wolves was produced and shot in High Definition by Emmy-award winning filmmaker Bob Landis.
On the Web site for In the Valley of the Wolves, you’ll learn how the successful reintroduction of Yellowstone’s apex predator has changed the entire ecosystem of the park, and about the threats that these majestic animals continue to face on their road to recovery.
Watch an exclusive online podcast. In this podcast, Emmy Award-winning wildlife cinematographer Bob Landis discusses the making of the film, including the ideal circumstances for filming a predation scene; the importance of spending a vast amount of time in the field; the uniqueness of Yellowstone’s Druid wolf pack, and more.
Bear Grylls is back with a new one-hour special and the second season of MAN VS. WILD, airing Fridays at 9 PM (ET/PT) beginning November 9. Bear travels to the Himalayas for BEAR’S MISSION EVEREST, where this past spring he attempted to fulfill a dream to fly a powered paraglider higher than Everest …
They are expecting good ratings for Bear Grylls and Discovery Channel.
The controversy from last season — claims that some of his stunts were exaggerated or faked — will bring in more viewers.
Discovery Channel has promised to be completely transparent this season. (Film editors will not lead viewers to believe Bear is on a desert island when he is actually sleeping in a motel in Hawaii.)
Bear is the real thing. He climbed Everest at age-23. He’s a true survivalist. No question.
But his show is more about sensationalizing the outdoors. Not about informing the general public.
I can’t help cheering for the “other guy”. Survivorman — Les Stroud. I have a lot more respect for Les, a man who goes out for a week at a time, no cameraman or support crew.
My advice to hikers is to watch Survivorman instead.
Looks to me Bear has a life jacket on under his shirt. But how many people have followed his example and tried to float down a river using only a pack as a raft? What happens when one of those people drowns?
How accountable are Grylls and Discovery Channel?
As for myself, I boycott Man vs. Wild. Getting TV ratings this way is too dangerous.
“The filmmaker creates a rich and beautiful canvas on which this story is told,†says jury member Julie Tait. “This is a sensual film with an experimental treatment, a story of life, love and loss.†“It’s sex mixed up with climbing,†adds jury member Pat Morrow.
“Director Sharon Colman has given us a refreshing look at the resilience of the natural world in the face of human impact. She’s creatively delivered a serious subject in a light-hearted and humorous way,†says jury member Rob Frost.
“He has everything,†says jury member Kerrie Long. “He’s young, talented, beautiful and articulate. And yet, this is a gritty story of persistence and determination — he’s always reaching for the route he might not be able to do.â€
“It’s very difficult to deal with the philosophical approach to life in the mountains, and do it visually, not just with words,†says jury member Pat Morrow. “This film does that, with its strong synergy among visuals, narration and dialogue.â€
“We get to know the central character over time, and the film combines precipitous physical locations with insight into the deepest recesses of this athlete’s mind,†says jury member Pat Morrow.
“Mountain culture is not just about folkloric traditions,†says jury member Charlie Buffet. “It’s the way people live and dream their mountain experience. There was a sense of surprise, of playful curiosity, that carried me through this film.â€
“Rarely does Hollywood treat a delicate story with this level of integrity,†says jury member Rob Frost. “We hope that Penn’s work will lead the way for other Hollywood directors, and develop a taste for truth in their audience.â€
“For the Grand Prize, we looked to a film that transcends category,†says jury member Julie Tait. “In giving us fresh insight into a historic event and the cult of hero, Death on Nanga Parbat offers the viewer a depth of experience that underlines the power of the medium. It’s a triumph of substance over style.â€
You and I can catch these videos on the World Tour, starting today. Check the Schedule to see when it’s coming close to you.
One awesome trailer as reward for getting to the end of this post:
King Lines follows Chris Sharma on his search for the planet’s greatest climbs. From South American fantasy boulders to uncharted deep water soloing in Greece to the future of sport climbing at Mt. Clark, Sharma and friends find and climb the most spectacular routes in the world.
The last movie I watched at the Banff Mountain Film Festival was a fitting finale: The Beckoning Silence.
Joe Simpson gives his perspective on the 1936 disaster on the North Face of the Eiger when four young climbers died in public view of Eiger Bird tourists below.
The last, Kurz, perished after hanging on the end of a rope all night with 2 dead partners. Died within metres of the rescue party next morning. A tragedy in every respect.
Simpson’s Touching the Void is my favourite documentary of all time — so I kept my expectations as … realistic as possible.
But The Beckoning Silence is no sequel to Touching the Void. Though it explores similar themes, and is a remarkably parallel story, this is a made-for-TV presentation, not a feature film release.
My review …
The Beckoning Silence is excellent. It’s a must see for anyone interested in the history of mountaineering.
Joe Simpson is the best possible narrator. Articulate, compelling, flawed. He is the highlight.
Joe cannot understand why he lived, and these young men died.
Germany, 2007, 60 minutes
Directed by Jens Hoffmann
“I don’t want to die, I want to live. I’m pretty good at running away, and this is my escape!†This is how Karina Hollekim describes her dedication to BASE jumping. Documentary filmmaker Jens Hoffman first met the now 30-year-old Norwegian in 2002. He immediately started to film, accompanying her through many stages of her BASE-jumping career, until it comes to a sudden stop, changing all aspects of her life.
Karina was mad for BASE jumping the first moment she saw it. This movie documents her addiction to extreme sport and the many costs of that addiction.
It explains why extreme athletes are driven step-by-step to more dangerous stunts. She was one of the first 3 women to fly the new wing suits allowing more daring manoeuvres.
In the film she makes one mistake. And walks away. Later she crashes through equipment failure — and miraculously survives.
BASE jumping to most of us is tiny YouTube video highlight clips. This movie is essential if you really want to understand the sport.
Over 110 BASE jumpers have been killed to date. Pro jumpers last an average of 6 years.
I don’t want to do it. But this film makes me much more understanding of those that do.
BASE jumping is a sport involving the use of a parachute to jump from fixed objects. “BASE” is an acronym that stands for the four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump:
* Building
* Antenna (an uninhabited tower such as an aerial mast)
* Span (a bridge or arch)
* Earth (a cliff or other natural formation)
Just an emotional true story, simply told. I highly recommend you see it.
In October of 1999 best friends Alex Lowe and Conrad Anker were overcome by an avalanche in the Tibetan Himalaya. Conrad barely survived the avalanche and soon began to suffer form Survivor’s Guilt. In the months following the tragedy, Conrad and Alex’s widow, Jennifer tried to comfort each other and unexpectedly found love. Now their bond is tested as Alex’s three boys try to accept Conrad as a father.
Alex’s death was but one of many tragedies that unfold when families lose loved ones in the mountains. The celebrated high altitude Sherpa families suffer this same fate more than any other group as they work at extreme altitude for Western expeditions. In honor of Alex’s legacy Jennifer and Conrad seek meaning beyond tragedy with a mountaineering school for Sherpas and high altitude workers.
Not much of a thru-hiking story, none the less I recommend this light-hearted, comic adventure.
Kintaro Walks Japan is a documentary film produced and directed by Tyler MacNiven. It is an account of MacNiven’s journey walking and backpacking the entire length of Japan from KyÅ«shÅ« to HokkaidÅ, more than 2000 miles in 145 days.
MacNiven cited three reasons for the journey. On his first trip to Japan in 2002, he fell in love with the country. It was on this trip that a friend nicknamed him “Kintaro,” which means “Golden Boy,” because of his blond hair. Occasionally accompanying him on the trip was his girlfriend, Ayumi Meegan, whose father, George Meegan, completed the longest unbroken walk in recorded history – a nearly 7 year sojourn from the southern tip of Argentina to the northern tip of Alaska. Inspired by their story, MacNiven conceived of the task after learning that his father, whose parents were foreign missionaries, was born in an unknown location in HokkaidÅ. Armed with a desire to impress Ayumi and find his father’s birthplace, as well as an interest in Japanese culture, MacNiven set sail to Japan. …
In October of 1999 best friends Alex Lowe and Conrad Anker were overcome by an avalanche in the Tibetan Himalaya. Conrad barely survived the avalanche and soon began to suffer form Survivor’s Guilt. In the months following the tragedy, Conrad and Alex’s widow, Jennifer tried to comfort each other and unexpectedly found love. Now their bond is tested as Alex’s three boys try to accept Conrad as a father.
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