On International Mountain Day, it makes sense to celebrate mountain culture in all its forms.
And one of the most remarkable people to represent how best to use one’s passion, talents and energy for the benefit of those living in less fortunate mountain regions is Dr. Bill Hanlon.
A tireless adventurer, the Cochrane-based physician has climbed the Seven Summits – the highest mountain on each continent - he’s skied to the South Pole and last year he skied solo for 720 kilometres over 23 days across frozen Lake Baikal, the world’s oldest and deepest lake located in the heart of Siberia.
But the travels that are most meaningful to him are those to remote villages and communities at high elevations in places such as Pakistan, Peru and Ladakh where transportation, infrastructure, geography and weather challenges create barriers to bringing the most basic health care to those living there.
Through his Basic Health International Foundation http://basichealthinternational.org/, founded in 2003, Hanlon has partnered with local people to develop and support self-sustainable public health care projects in those under-serviced communities.
And in celebration of International Mountain Day, in conjunction with the Canadian Mountain Network, Hanlon will share a presentation about his work as part of Life@Altitude 2.0, taking place at artsPlace on Monday (Dec. 11).
“Life@Altitude is a celebration of International Mountain Day, and we gather the local community to celebrate our mountains here in the Rockies and also what our local community is doing in mountain regions abroad,” said Meaghan Ward of Crowfoot Media who has teamed up with artsPlace and the Banff Mountain Film Festival to organize and host the event.
“Dr. Hanlon is the perfect person to demonstrate how someone can use their skills, expertise and love for adventure to help others in communities that don’t have access to the kind of healthcare we have here.”
Kicking off the evening, Rockies photographer extraordinaire Paul Zizka will share a 20-minute slide show of spectacular mountain images from his newest book, The Canadian Rockies: Rediscovered, followed by Hanlon’s presentation.
The second half of the evening features four films from the Banff Mountain Film Festival showcasing the splendors of Greenland, B.C.’s Selkirks and Purcells, the Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya.
“Each film highlights local talent as much as possible, and all the films are by Canadian filmmakers, except for INDLANDSIS,” Ward said. “They each showcase a unique mountain area and culture, and feature a balance of exploration, skiing, conservation, high altitude climbing and ... tobogganing.”
The event also includes a small trade show featuring local businesses that highlight mountain culture, including Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, the Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre, publisher Imaginary Mountain Surveyors, Crowfoot Media, Paul Zizka Photography and Basic Health International.
Audience members can also look forward to giveaways and entertainment from MC Dan Sparks. Proceeds from the Life@Altitude event will go to the Banff Canmore Community Foundation.
Life@Altitude 2.0 takes place at artsPlace starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $12.75 for members.
