The Endless Knot – surviving the death of Alex Lowe

Half way through the Banff Film Festival 2007, by far the best I’ve seen is The Endless Knot.

No special effects. No “extreme” footage.

Just an emotional true story, simply told. I highly recommend you see it.

endless_knot_dvd.jpgIn 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.

The Endless Knot – Serac Films

To see the trailer click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Banff Mountain Festival – events

Just picked up my tickets. Here are my major events, so far:

  • WED – Book Festival – David de Rothschild and John Harlin III
  • THUR – Book Festival
  • THUR – Book Festival – Ed Viesturs, Steph Davis, and Book Festival Awards
  • FRI – Film Festival – Krzysztof Wielicki and The Alps
  • SAT – Film Festival
  • SAT – Film Festival – Lincoln Hall and Remnants of Everest
  • SUN – Film Festival
  • Of course there’s much more happening in Banff this weekend …

    The official website is quite confusing. An easier way to follow the action is on their events calendar.

    Kilimanjaro trek – 3D graphics and video

    The NY Times posted the best on-line multimedia presentation of a trek I’ve ever seen.

    It makes author Tom Bissell’s Kili adventure come to life. (Tom did make it to Uhuru Peak … but could not remember the “triumph” afterwards.)

    Some screenshots of the graphics:

    route.jpg

    elevation.jpg

    Tom Bissell’s account of his painful and exhausting climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

    Check it out: Climbing Kilimanjaro – The New York Times

    (via Jeffrey Hunter on the American Hiking Society’s Southeast Trail Program blog)

    We’ve linked to both the trip report and the graphics from our Kilimanjaro information page.

    video – Kintaro Walks Japan

    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 Hokkaidō, 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 Hokkaidō. 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. …

    Kintaro Walks Japan – Wikipedia

    You can watch the movie for free on Google Video (67min). Or buy it on Tyler’s official website .

    Here’s a very short sample …

    Kintaro Walks Japan

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    Kintaro Walks Japan – official website

    (via Jaman)

    camping – where is the salt?

    Oh … taped to the meal package. Of course!

    Thanks Jason!

    One thing I’ve tried to do over the years is to simplify my in-camp procedures by reducing the number of odds and ends I carry. Something that’s always bothered me is fumbling through my Ziplock of condiments to dig out that one specific spice I need for the meal at hand. Then, I had one of those “why didn’t I think of it before” moments last week.

    goose-creek-029.jpgSimply put, I figured I could tape meal-specific condiments to their respective packages with masking tape, thus eliminating one more storage bag from my pack. Now, I plan ahead so when mealtime comes, I have exactly what I need all in one place.

    … Here you can see salt packets taped to the top of dehydrated eggs.

    Homemade Backpacking Gear | by Jason Klass

    Jason posted a video of this so-simple-I-never-would-have-thought-of-it-on-my-own idea on his Gear Talk blog.

    The Beckoning Silence – Joe Simpson returns

    The Beckoning Silence is one of the compelling mountaineering books written by Joe Simpson. It’s not as good as his Touching the Void, in my opinion, but is still brilliant:

    The Beckoning Silence

    The Beckoning Silence – Amazon

    This month a documentary — also called The Beckoning Silence — with Joe Simpson as narrator, will be released. The film is loosely adapted from Joe’s book and was created by the same team that made the BAFTA-award-winning documentary Touching the Void, my favourite outdoor film ever. (It happened in the remote Huayhuash Mountains in Peru.)

    The new film The Beckoning Silence is …

    … the true story of four twenty-something climbers … who attempted to climb the notorious North Face of the Eiger in 1936. They began their ascent via an access shaft from a railway tunnel that ran halfway up the mountain, but before long, tragedy struck.

    … unlike Touching the Void, this distinctly chilling story does not have a happy ending. All eventually perished. Kurz was the last to die, spending a frostbitten night within feet of rescuers before signing off with the line: “Ich kann nicht mehr” (I cannot go on). …

    Joe Simpson: High flyer – The Independent

    If it’s half as good as Touching the Void, it will be well worth getting a copy of the new film. (Available on 4DVD on November 5th.)

    The Beckoning Silence will be shown at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival in the UK November 17th with Joe and the production crew in attendance. I’d love to be at that screening!

    (via The Piton)

    Banff Mountain Festival 2007, Oct 27 – Nov 4

    I am planning to head out to Banff for the festival, my first time ever.

    Though films are at the “heart of the festival”, there is much more happening. The Mountain Book events, for example. And the Adventure Trade Show for gear.

    filmfest_06.gif

    The 32nd annual Banff Mountain Film Festival, presented by National Geographic and New Balance, brings you the world’s best mountain films and speakers. Experience the adventure of climbing, mountain expeditions, remote cultures, and the world’s last great wild places — all brought to life on the big screen. …

    Banff Mountain FILM festival

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    Banff Mountain Festivals 2007 SCHEDULE

    I am still trying to decipher the ticketing page. They need fewer options.

    Leave a comment if you are going to be there.

    video – climbing Half Dome, California

    Includes a bear at Little Yosemite campground.

    Description: For some people, it’s the hike of a lifetime. It’s 5000 feet straight up to an unforgettable view of the legendary Yosemite Valley. For the full travelogue on Yosemite Park’s Half Dome Trek, including related videos, interactive map, and useful links, visit WWW.OPENROAD.TV

    Click PLAY or watch it on Travelistic.

    Yosemite’s Half Dome: Everything You Need to Successfully Hike Yosemite’s Most Famous Landmark | National Parks Traveler

    humour – African American Boycott of L.L. Bean Enters 80th Year

    Perhaps LL Bean should advertise on this blog after all. They are going to need some good will after this spoof newscast.

    The CEO of L.L. Bean pleads with black leaders to forgive his company for whatever it’s done to cause this decades-long boycott.

    Click PLAY or watch it on The Onion News Network.
    African American Boycott of L.L. Bean Enters 80th Year