Fort William Mountain Festival 2008

The 2008 Fort William Mountain Festival didn’t so much go off with a bang, but a bounce in February, as it premiered the UK’s first-ever Slacklining Masters Contest. The first event of it's kind in the world; it was a fantastic spectacle of dedication, hard work and sheer talent. The event brought slack-lining enthusiasts from as far afield as the USA and Poland and created a real buzz during a week of mountain-inspired events in the highland town.

This year’s festival brought packed audiences out to see inspiring speakers and events, watch jaw-dropping films and take part in climbing, walking and winter-skills workshops. The special Nevis Connections Day celebrated the iconic Ben Nevis area with guided walks ranging from a peaceful woodland bimble to a winter ascent of the mighty Ben.

There were big cash prizes up for grabs in this year’s film competition. Stunning caving film Tepuy, which was the most talked-about film of the festival, clinched the best international film title andtook home £1,000 on the night. If you’ve got an idea for a film to enter next year, don’t hang about; see the festival website for entry details. 

As well as great films including the sell-out Best of Banff World Tour, paddling and mountain-bike evenings, there was a definite mountaineering flavour to the 2008 festival. A capacity crowd turned out to celebrate 75 years of mountain rescue and the dedicated year-round work done by the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, while Jo Gambi’s talk on her and husband Rob’s adventures climbing the 7 summits was an inspiring lesson in perseverance and belief.

Mountain legend, Hamish MacInnes became the first-ever recipient of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture. Hamish was recognised for his lifetime of work promoting mountain culture in his climbing, his input into mountain rescue, his writing, editing and filmmaking. This new award will be presented every year to an outstanding individual who has contributed to the development of mountain culture in Scotland.

The festival ended on a literal high-note as mountain guide Kenton Cool and film-maker Matt Dickinson reflected on their personal experiences of Mount Everest. Hosted by Fort William-based climber Dave MacLeod, the evening gave a fascinating insight into the harsh realities of survival, responsibility and ethics in the world’s toughest environment.

To find out more about the Fort William Mountain Festival visit www.mountainfestival.co.uk

STOP PRESS: Next year’s festival dates are confirmed as 6 – 14 March 2009 and organisers are already hard at work to bring us the best in mountain culture for next year… See the website for updates and to sign up for a copy of the programme.

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