Engaging speakers are booked, hair-raising films are cued, party duds are picked out and palms are damp with anticipation - Squamish is once again ready to celebrate its internationally renowned climbing culture during the fifth annual Squamish Mountain Festival Wednesday to Sunday (July 14 to 18).
The Eagle Eye Theatre stage is the place to be as Canadian alpinist Barry Blanchard, Yosemite big wall pioneer Royal Robbins, and crack climbing funny man Cedar Wright share stories about their vertical lifestyles after surviving decades of wild adventures and near misses.
And there are still more top names to draw the crowds, like widely celebrated sponsored athletes Jason Kruk, Tommy Caldwell and Rob Pizem.
Five jam-packed days of entertainment begin on Wednesday evening with legendary alpinist Blanchard, who, after three decades in the climbing game, is a well-known raconteur, writer and mentor. He's been described as "a mountaineer so revered that aspiring alpinists pin his photo in their high school lockers."
Despite the adulation, Blanchard maintains a down-to-earth sense of humour, which comes across during his presentations.
"Barry has been a respected member of a small group of very elite alpine climbers for years," said festival director Ivan Hughes. "And he's still out there guiding on a regular basis so it's been tough trying to get him out here for the festival."
Friday (July 16) features Yosemite big wall pioneer Royal Robbins. An early advocate of bolt-less, piton-less, clean climbing, Robbins did much to transform climbing culture to minimize the human impact on the vertical wilderness and protect its natural features.
In the 1950s, '60s, and into the '70s, Robbins established one daring new climb after another, among them many revered classics on Yosemite's Half Dome and El Capitan.
Another big name in big wall climbing, Tommy Caldwell, joins Robbins with his own account of intimidating and humbling experiences in the granite spires of Patagonia.
On Saturday, July 17, the festival welcomes back Cedar Wright, who first presented at the festival in 2008. Wright learned climbing at the age of 21 on Northern California's majestic sea cliffs.
After earning his B.A. in English from Humboldt State, he started wintering in Joshua Tree and spending the rest of the year in Yosemite, where he became an accomplished free soloist, speed climber, aid climber and free climber.
"We wanted to bring Cedar back because he's been doing so many incredible climbs lately and filming lots of his adventures," said Hughes. "A lot of other climbers are out there doing presentations these days, but few are as entertaining, enlightening and at the same time hilarious as Cedar, we just had to get him back here."
Rob Pizem also takes to the stage Saturday to share his turmoil and triumph while opening routes in Zion.
And in case first-hand accounts aren't enough to get the blood pumping, every day also features incredible footage and photography of the most exciting mountain adventures happening around the globe.
There's still more happening next week, including clinics and workshops, a photo contest, a trade fair and gear demonstration and a rocking nightlife.
For tickets and the line-up of events, go to www.squamishmountainfestival.com. Tickets are also available in Squamish at Climb On, Valhalla Pure, the Squamish Adventure Centre.
