THE Fort William Mountain Festival is set to return as a live, multi-venue event in 2022, with a programme consisting of talks, film screenings and mountain skills workshops announced for the outdoor capital of the UK.
The 18th outing of the festival is taking place over five days from February 16 to 20 – during the best winter walking, climbing and snowsports conditions of the year – and promises visitors and residents of Lochaber “can celebrate everything that the great outdoors has to offer”.
The programme includes presentations from world-class outdoor adventurers, films from both the festival’s own international film competition entries and the Banff Centre Mountain Festival World Tour, environmental discussions, a number of award nights – including The Scottish Awards for Excellence in Mountain Culture and The Photographer of the Year Award – and events including winter mountain skills workshops, philosophy walks and bike and running-themed nights.
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An exhibition zone, with a mix of mountaineering exhibits, books and trade stands, will also run at the Nevis Centre before the main programme events and during intervals, opening daily from 5.30pm to 10pm across the five days.
The event will be presented in association with the Nevis Landscape Partnership, the OCUK, Ellis Brigham, Jahama Highland Estates, John Muir Trust, and the Highland Council.
Rod Pashley, chairman of The Highland Mountain Culture Association – organisers of the festival – said: “In 2021 we produced a stunning online festival amid the challenges of Covid-19.
“Now, as we finalise the programme and update the website for our 2022 festival, we’re back to a live, multi-venue event, celebrating the wild landscape that surrounds us in Fort William and Lochaber; the inspiration that fuels the passion and enthusiasm behind the Mountain Festival. The mountains, glens, rivers and coastline influence our culture in many ways, whether it is the beauty of the landscape, our engagement with it or the opportunities we find in it.
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“The Fort William Mountain Festival has something for everyone with a love for the outdoors. With an exciting programme of adventure and events taking place throughout the area, the festival offers a superb line-up of inspirational talks from top climbers and mountaineers, mountain bikers, mountain runners and mountain filmmakers, together with exhilarating film screenings from cutting-edge outdoor adventurers; mountain skills workshops and a festival exhibition.
“Of course, the festival is not just for high adrenaline adventure enthusiasts. It is for everyone who appreciates the great outdoors.
“With the best winter walking, climbing and snowsports conditions of the year, visiting Fort William and Lochaber in February for the Mountain Festival is the perfect time of year to experience the stunning landscape of the area first-hand.”
To find out more about the Fort William Mountain Festival 2022, and to buy tickets, visit mountainfestival.co.uk
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