K2 Ascent Anniversary Celebrated at Kendal

A major mountaineering anniversary is being celebrated at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival as 1954 was the year that K2, the second-highest mountain in the world was first climbed.The summit of K2, an extraordinarily tough challenge, was first reached by Italians Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni on July 29th 1954. The ascent will be marked at the Festival with films and presentations involving US legend Charlie Houston (mountaineer and author of K2?s definitive history) plus author Jim Curran and one of the few British summiteers alive today – Alan Hinkes, brought to Kendal by sponsors Berghaus.Kurt Diemberger (arguably the world?s most humorous mountain lecturer) will also include a tribute to Julie Tullis ? Britain?s first woman to summit K2 ? in his spectacular film lecture Summits and Secrets. The Festival, with main sponsors Berghaus and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) will also take the opportunity to celebrate the ?golden years? of big-wall climbing in Yosemite. A major challenge in technical difficulty, route length and sheer exposure, many first ascents were made in the mid-1950?s including The Nose, Half Dome and The Sentinel. Pioneer Yvon Chouinard will talk about the risks and rewards of the period, while photographer Heinz Zak highlights the impact of modern free-climbing 50 years later. Halfway to their golden anniversary, the John Muir Trust at 25 will have a presence at the Festival and there is the opportunity to donate to their environmental projects as part of our ticketing options. Full details are at www.mountainfilm.co.ukTickets can be bought online or through the box office on 01539 725133.Kendal Mountain Film Festival 13th-21st November 2004Kendal Mountain Book Festival 13th-19th November 2004

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