The festival will feature a range of outdoor activities
Organisers of the Fort William Mountain Festival have unveiled plans for the five-day event in February.
Speakers will cover subjects ranging from hillrunning to ski mountaineering and paddling.
The festival will kick off with a ‘message from the mountains’ descending by torchlight from Aonach Mòr by ski and mountain bike. David Sedgewick and Mick Tighe will then host an evening with Ben Nevis films from 1935 to 2014, film competition winners and first-hand stories from Ben Nevis at the Nevis Range Pinemarten Cafe.
Mike Pescod, chairman of the Highland Mountain Culture Association, organisers of the festival, said: “The Fort William Mountain Festival celebrates our wild landscape and the opportunities it presents. It’s guaranteed to inspire, entertain and educate.
“The mountains and glens that surround us influence our culture in many ways. We want to promote the value of the landscape of Lochaber as the best destination in the UK to live, work and play.
“The mountain festival includes a superb line-up of top climbers and explorers, mountain films, inspirational speakers and skills workshops. It’s not just for adventure addicts though; anyone who appreciates the landscape of the Outdoor Capital of the UK will find something for them in the mountain festival.”
Other festival highlights include the European Outdoor Film Tour, hillrunner Nicky Spinks, registered blind paddler Dean ‘Deano’ Dunbar, a climbing night with Ines Papert and Martin Boysen and a bike night with Stu Thomson, the man behind Cutmedia.
The winner of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture will also be announced during the festival.
Visitors will also be able to participate in mountain skills workshops, for both novices and experts, including winter walking, avalanche awareness, indoor climbing and ice climbing.
Other participation activities include ski mountaineering and mountain running.
The Fort William Mountain Festival, which has outdoor brand Jöttnar as main sponsor, runs from Wednesday 18 to Sunday 22 February 2015. More details are on the festival website.
