Audiences at the Eagle Eye Theatre will catch the drama, jubilation and heartbreak of this weekend's legendary speakers as they share their journeys to the most daring places on earth.
Tonight (Friday, July 20) the incomparable Will Gadd holds a multi-media presentation on the world of adventure on rock, ice, snow and beyond. Gadd has numerous achievements under his belt including the 2000 Ice World Cup title and the recent opening of the hardest mixed ice-climbing route in the world, Musashi, located in the Canadian Rockies.
Tonight he shares his on-going pioneering adventures on ice in Sweden's maze of abandoned mines.
"There's old timbers in them, just a wild place, we got great photos," said Gadd.
After 20 years of climbing, the new location leads Gadd to ponder whether the last vestiges of ice may soon be limited to the underground world.
"As an ice climber I'm very interested in global cooling, and we're just not getting it right now," he said. "I have to wonder if I'm involved in a shrinking sport."
Gadd arrived in Squamish on Tuesday (July 17) to take in the high water levels of Cheakamus River on his kayak -and also, of course, check out the festival.
"It's an incredible line-up," he said. "Tying the Arc'Teryx climbing festival in with the Mountain Festival makes it a really unique week. This is just an amazing collection of really talented people here."
One event Gadd's sure to take in, along with hundreds of other fans, is Tommy Caldwell's "Big Wall Climb Night." On Saturday (July 21) this climbing household name brings to life the glossy shots of so many climbing magazines as the evening unfolds with one of the most accomplished big wall scalers.
Along with the presentations come screenings of the international mountain adventure film competition. Tonight, crowds are treated to the film shorts Free as a Bird from New Zealand, E11 from Scotland and I Am Climbing from England.
And on Saturday, crowds will be treated to three U.S. films, A Recent History of First Ascents, Learning to Fly and Tombstone along with The Other Face of K2.
The theatre will also host a mini trade fair with a silent auction and beer from the Howe Sound Brew Pub, so show up early and get some great gear.
