American Alpine legend Jim Donini will be sharing his stories of the Karakoram and Patagonia on Friday Oct 25, 2019, Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver.

Jim Donini on a stormy summit day of Torre Egger

Jim Donini was first introduced to climbing while serving in US Army Special Forces in the mid sixties, launching an alpine climbing career that would last four decades. Known for making the first ascent of first ascent of Torre Egger in Patagonia, Jim has been a part of more than 40 alpine expeditions throughout the world. Jim served as President of the American Alpine Club from 2006 until 2009 and is the recipient of the Underhill Award for outstanding mountaineering achievement, the Angelo Heilprin Citation for exemplary service and Honorary Membership…the American Alpine Club’s highest award. Recently, he ascending Cerro Chueco in the Aysen region of Patagonia in and has made three expeditions to the Karakoram in the last four years, celebrating his 76th birthday on the Biafo glacier only a few weeks ago.

We had a chance to sit down with Jim and ask him a few questions in anticipation of the show this week. Here is what he had to say.

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Starting to climb at the age of six years old, Sasha Digiulian has been a crusher since the beginning. She was the first North American women to climb 5.14d and third woman in the world to accomplish the grade. She is also a three time US National Champion and won the Climbing World Championship in 2011. Recently graduating from Columbia University with a degree in Non-fiction writing and Business, Sasha has turned her focus towards her climbing career. Last summer, Sasha DiGiulian completed Sonnie Trotters Canadian Trilogy, a series of three 5.14 big walls in the Canadian Rockies.

Photo courtesy of VIMFF ©

We had a chance to talk to her before she takes the stage this coming Saturday at the 22nd Annual Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival and here is what she had to say.

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Finishing in first place at the 2018 Canadian Bouldering Nationals, Allison Vest is no stranger to competition. Introduced to climbing at nine years of age, Allison Vest has gone on to place first in numerous competitions across Canada, including the Hive Climbing stop of the 2019 Tour De Bloc. Now training under the guidance of Christian Core and Jeff Thomson, Allison is coming into her own, with strength and power to match any competitor. She has set the stage for a strong performance this weekend at the 2019 Canadian Open Bouldering Nationals hosted by Bolder Climbing Community in Calgary, AB.

Allison Vest @ Tour De Bloc. Photo courtesy of Ken Chow ©

We had a chance to check in with Allison before she boarded her flight to Calgary and here is what she had to say.

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The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) opens its doors this Friday, February 22nd, 2019, and its first guest speaker is the French climber and International champion, Liv Sansoz.

Professional climber, skier & paraglider, Liv Sansoz lives by the words of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln: “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” She began skiing in the French Alps aged 2 and had climbed Mount Blanc by the age of 14. In her teenage years, Liv took up climbing and at 18 had already won a World Championship, followed by many other international victories. In recent years, the soft-spoken and humble Chamonix resident has become an accomplished paraglider, which allows her to see her beloved mountains from yet another vantage point. Recently, she out to climb, ski and paraglide all of the 82 summits above 4,000 meters in the Alps. She completed the project in early 2018.

We had a chance to catch up with Liv as she made her way to Canada and here is what she had to say.

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For anyone who climbs indoors these days, it is very apparent that the new generation of climbers are getting stronger. No exception to this rule is the Hive Bouldering Gym‘s youth team. Aptly names The Swarm, this youth team is a regular force in the gym.

A big part of the Swarm team are Guy and Kindar McNamee. Born in Haiti and living in Vancouver since the age of two, Guy and Kindar are identical twins. They have been climbing since they were nine years of age. Now, at the age of sixteen, both of these competitors are starting to come into their own and are already a force to be reckoned with.

Guy and Kindar McNamee. Photo by Ken Chow ©

We had a chance to catch up with Guy and Kindar before they departed to Montreal for the 2019 Youth Boulder Nationals and here is what they said.

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From competition climbing to rock, Calgary-based climber Alyssa Weber continues to show she is a rising star in the Canadian climbing scene. Joining the Calgary Climbing Centre Junior team in 2008, Weber has gone on to place first in multiple competitions across Canada. Not only has she stayed focus on competition climbing as it moves towards the more serious, she has also kept up her growing outdoor climbing talent, sending v11 outside and recently enjoying a trip to Bishop, CA.

Photo by Greg Tos ©

With her first place finish at the 2019 ACA Bouldering Provincials (two years in a row), we thought it would be a good idea to check in with Alyssa and see how she has been training and what it is like to be motivated both for indoor and outdoor climbing. Here is what she said.

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