Throwback to Talk on Hard Rockies Alpine Climbs

In 2007, a group of top Canadian climbers gave a panel discussion at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Barry Blanchard, Raphael Slawinski, Sean Isaac and Steve Holeczi discussed their obsessions with the area and looked into the future of the Canadian Rockies.

Narrated by Geoff Powter, the program description read, “Just over Barely a decade ago, the remarkable growth of sport climbing led some to worry that climbers would avoid the riskier and more committing world of the alpine, especially in mountain areas with clear hazards like the Canadian Rockies.

“But in the last few years, the opposite has been true. Sport and mixed climbing has helped spark a renaissance in hard alpine climbing — especially in our own range, where new waves of fiercely talented local and international climbers have once again grown to love the unique character of Rockies alpinism.”

Over the past decade, a number of big and bold Rockies routes have been climbed. But there are many unclimbed walls, features and even peaks to still do.

Watch the panel discussion below.