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Kendal Mountain Festival Adds Speakers

Kendal Mountain Festival Update

Following the announcement that the Kendal Mountain Festival is back for 2014, organisers have confirmed more inspirational speakers as well as a very special guest in the associated trail running event.

Amazingly, the ‘Swiss machine’ Ueli Steck will be participating in the festival’s trail running event, which means amateur racers have the chance to compete with the holder of the Eiger North Face speed record – good luck to everyone involved!

And if that’s not enough for you, there is a whole host of inspiring outdoor adventurers, writers and filmmakers that have been added to the list of speakers for the festival, which will take place from November 20-23. Below is a bit of background information on this year’s confirmed speakers.

Alastair Humphreys (Saturday)

Alastair is a British adventurer, author and blogger, and known to many as the Microadventures guy. He spent over 4 years cycling round the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and 5 continents.

More recently Alastair has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run 6 marathons through the Sahara desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, and participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole.

He has trekked 1,000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert and 120 miles round the M25, which turned out to be one of his pioneering microadventures. An advocate of ‘adventures in your backyard’, his 2011 Year of Microadventure earned him a nomination as National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, 2012.

Humphreys pioneered the ‘Microadventure’ concept and coined the term, which has since gained him a global following. Alastair appears as part of the Lowe Alpine Adventure & Exploration Session, Saturday 22 November.

Dave Cornthwaite (Sunday)

Dave is an adventurer, author and filmmaker. Since quitting his life as a couch potato in 2005, Dave got busy; so far completing ten non-motorised journeys each over 1000 miles, including skateboarding across Australia, paddleboarding the Mississippi and swimming the Lower Missouri.

He has written three books, entertained audiences on six continents, broken eight world records, made hundreds of short films and completed countless quirky projects.

What could possibly go wrong? (Sunday)

Join top filmmaker Al Lee as we go behind the lens in a KMF special one-off presentation of two of his latest films ‘Stone Free’ and ‘All My Own Stunts’.

Stone Free celebrates, Julian Lines, “the best climber you’ve never heard of”. He is undoubtedly Britain’s most accomplished free climbing soloist with world-class free ascents to his name. This deeply personal account of the archetypal anti-hero is a stunning portrait, and Julian will be at the screening in person.

All My Own Stunts focuses on Rob Jarman, a downhill mountain bike specialist and professional stuntman. This gripping and emotional film tells the story of a near-fatal accident and his road to recovery. Redoubtable, affable and hilarious, it’s a compelling ride with Rob on, and more often than not, off his bike, and Rob will be on hand to share the experience.

Mallory: Beyond Everest (Friday eve)

Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, vanished into the mist high on Everest in 1924. They carried with them the hopes of a nation ravaged by World War One. But what if Mallory had survived Everest, what demons would have haunted him?

This one-man play, by John Burns, uses a combination of physical theatre, projection and specially composed music to explore the nature of obsession, and looks at what drives a man to sacrifice himself and those he loves for a symbolic goal. Comedy and tragedy combine to create a piece that is both moving, funny, and controversial.