October 20, 2004 – From Tibet to Antarctica, the Selkirks to the
Himalayas, the finalists in this year’s Banff Mountain Book Festival
feature stories of adventure, discovery, and survival against all odds.
The 2004 finalist books include an examination of the tragic impact of an
avalanche on a small town in British Columbia, an historic look back at
the 1924 Everest expedition, an evocative recreation of a trek across
Tibet’s Chang Tang plateau, and epic stories of survival from the canyons
of Utah and the mountains of Australia.

“This year’s finalists offer the reader some truly spectacular adventures
in wild places; from the frozen wastes of Antarctica to the heat of the
Amazon,” says Bernadette McDonald, vice-president, Mountain Culture, The
Banff Centre. “There are also inspirational stories of endurance and
bravery, and an elegant book showcasing the photographs of Captain John
Noel. All in all, a feast of reading.”

Several of this year’s finalist authors will be featured guests at the
book festival, November 3 to 5, at The Banff Centre, including:

– Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place: as part of the
Thursday, November 4 evening presentation, Ralston will describe his
five-day ordeal in a Utah canyon during which he was forced to cut off his
right arm after it became pinned between an 800 pound boulder and the
canyon wall.

– Also that evening, Rick Ridgeway, author The Big Open: On Foot Across
Tibet’s Chang Tang, and fellow expedition member Conrad Anker, will
describe a 275-mile journey by foot to find the birthing grounds of an
endangered Tibetan antelope.

– Sandra Noel, author of Everest Pioneer: the photographs of Captain John
Noel: as part of the festival’s Thursday, November 4 daytime
presentations, Sandra Noel will revisit the drama and tragedy of the 1924
Everest expedition through the words and images of her father Captain John
Noel, the expedition’s official photographer. And on Saturday, November 6,
Noel will share rarely-seen footage of the 1924 Mallory/Irvine expedition
at the film festival’s Retro Reels program.

– Warren Macdonald will be the featured guest at the November 4 Literary
Lunchbreak, reading from his finalist book, A Test of Will, the story of
how he returned to mountain climbing after a 1997 accident resulted in the
amputation of both his legs.

– Vivien Bowers, author of In the Path of an Avalanche will examine the
tragic impact of a 1998 avalanche in B.C.’s Selkirk Mountains during the
Friday, November 5 daytime presentations, including the arduous
search-and-retrieval effort, the “big city” media invasion, and the
attempts of the victims’ families and friends, and the inhabitants of a
nearby small town, to bring meaning and resolution to the tragedy.

In total, 137 books from eight countries were entered in the 11th annual
Banff Mountain Book Festival competition. Winners of the following awards
will be announced at the book festival on November 4:
* Grand Prize: Phyllis and Don Munday Award, sponsored by the Alberta
Sections of The Alpine Club of Canada: $2000
* Best Book – Mountain Literature: Jon Whyte Award for Mountain
Literature, sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff:
$1000
* Best Book – Mountain Exposition: sponsored by Mountain Lights Bookstore,
Lake Louise: $500
* Best Book – Mountain Image: sponsored by Rocky Mountain Books, Calgary:
$500
* Best Book – Adventure Travel: sponsored by Batstar Adventure Tours, Port
Alberni, B.C.: $500
* Best Book – Mountaineering History, James Monroe Thorington Award for
the best recent work of Mountaineering History, sponsored by the UIAA,
$500
*Canadian Rockies Award: sponsored by Deuter and selected by a local
committee

A complete list of finalist books can be found at:
www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/festivals/book/finalists/