2018 VIMFF ‘Interview with the Director Dave O’Leske of ‘Dirt Bag: The Legend of Fred Beckey’

The 2018 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival is just days away and we are very excited for all of the happenings going on both in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

One of the best climbing films of the festival this year is ‘Dirt Bag: The Legend of Fred Beckey’. It is exciting, it is fun, and it is thought provoking in ways you would not expect, bring into question the mortality of the climber. The film will be playing at Centennial Theatre, Tuesday, Feb 13, 7:30 and tickets are on sale now.

We had a chance to catch up with director Dave O’Leske to ask him a few questions about the making of the film. Here is what he had to say.

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Interview with Calgary-based Climber Evan Hau; First Canadian to Climb 5.15

Two weeks ago, Calgary-based climber Evan Hau became the first Canadian to climb 5.15a after completing the first ascent of his route Honour and Glory (5.15a) at the Colliseum in Echo Canyon, Canmore, AB. Not only was this event a great step forward for Canadian climbing, it also highlighted the hard work and dedication of a low profile climber in the Bow Valley.

Evan Hau has long been a active member of the Bow Valley climbing community, with a focus on projecting hard routes, first at Acephale’s upper wall and then spreading to various walls across the Canadian Rockies. With multiple 5.14 ascents under his belt, including Bunda De Fora (5.14d), Kinder Surprise (5.14c), and Prime Time (5.14c), as well as La Esencia de la Resistencia (5.14c) and Seleccio Natural (5.14d) in Spain, Evan has dedicated himself to his craft with hard work and perseverance. Over the past few years, Evan has made changes to his work life to make room for his climbing lifestyle and maximizing his time outdoors. Although he would argue that he does not train specifically, he will often climb multiple days in a row and gain strength by dedicating himself to projects at his maximum ability. In a sentence, Evan tries hard, He tries often, and he enjoys it every time.

We had a chance to catch up with Evan last week and here is what he had to say.


Evan Hau on Honour and Glory (5.15a). Photo by Jeff Lewis ©

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Interview with Josh Wharton | Canmore Climbing Festival

We are very excited to be a part of the 3rd Annual Canmore Climbing Festival that will take place this weekend on Saturday, August 12, 2017.

One of the speakers this year is American alpinist Josh Wharton. Usually flying under the radar, Josh is one of America’s top all around climbers with a specialty in Alpine climbing including first ascents of the Azeem Ridge on Great Trango Tower and The Flame in Pakistan, as well as a three time winner of the Ouray Ice Festival Mixed Climbing Competition (2009, 2010, 2011) and multiple first ascents in the Black Canyon. As a professional climber, Josh works hard at his craft and has a multi-discipline approach to climbing. We had a chance to chat with Josh before the festival and here is what he had to say.

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2017 Arc’teryx Climbing Academy ‘Interview with Jonathan Siegrist Part 2’

With the 2017 Arc’teryx Climbing Academy kicking off things today, we thought it would be a great idea to check in with one of our favourite Arc’teryx athletes, Jonathan Siegrist.

Over the past year, Jonathan has been making headlines with a few big sends and notably his accomplishment of Pachamama (5.15a). A regular at the festival as well as the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Jonathan is the quintessential professional athlete and always inspiring. Jonathan will be taking part in Squamish Exposed as well as teaching an advanced sport climbing clinic this weekend. The following interview is a follow up to our interview with Jonathan in February of this year.


Jonathan Siegrist in Squamish. Photo courtesy of Tom Wright ©

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Post-Dreamcatcher Interview with Mike Foley + Full Video of Send

Last week, American climber Mike Foley made the fifth ascent of Dreamcatcher (5.14d) at the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, BC.

First bolted by Sonnie Trotter and Chris Sharma in 2005 for the Petzl Rocktrip and then completed by Chris Sharma in the fall of 2005, Dreamcatcher (5.14d) has only seen five ascents over the 12 years despite being tried by many. The names of those who have repeated the route include Seam McColl, Ben Harnden, Alex Megos, and now, Mike Foley.

Mike Foley began climbing at the age of 11 in Massachusetts, looking up to the big names from the Northeast including Dave Graham, Joe Kinder, Luke Parady, and Vasya Vorotnikov. Making a name for himself in the Rumney area, Mike repeated a number of hard climbs including Jaw II (5.15a) and China Glide (5.14d). Mike also was the 2007 Junior National Champion in Bouldering and Junior National Champion in lead in 2008 and 2009. After graduating from Quest University and returning home to Boston, Mike now lives in Vancouver, making the Sea to Sky his playground once again. We had a chance to talk to Mike after his send of Dreamcatcher last week and here is what he had to say.


Mike Foley on Dreamcatcher (5.14d). Photo courtesy of Jamie Finlayson ©

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VIMFF Series: Interview with American Alpinist Steve Swenson

On Wednesday, April 19, The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival will feature Steve Swenson, American aplinist, as he explores the nature of high altitude, alpine climbing, the complexities of remote expeditions, the geo political workings of Kasmir, as well as his passion for the cultural communities in this region of the world. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A where four experts will bring their unique perspectives to the Kashmir Conflict and how it effects climbers and trekkers.

With a number of ascents under his belt, including the second ascent of the North Face of Mount Alberta, in 1981, the first ascent of the Northeast Face of Kwangde Nup and Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat in 1989 and 2004 respectively, and oxygen-free ascents of K2 and Everest and Steve Swenson is no stranger to adventure. Now retired from Engineering but still climbing, Steve has taken the time to reflect back on his experiences in the Karokoram, as well as the changes that have taken place in the region over the past four decades. Squamish Climbing Magazine had the chance to catch up with Steve before his presentation on Wednesday and here is what he had to say.

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2017 Canadian Open Bouldering Nationals Interview with Andrew Funk

This weekend, Edmonton, Alberta will play host to the 2017 Canadian Open Bouldering Championships. With all the strong competitors coming out of the woodworks to compete this year, we had a number of people who we could have interviewed before the competition. Sticking out above the rest was Edmonton-local and prairie crusher Andrew Funk. After graduating high school, Andrew took his stoke outside and travelled around Europe sport climbing in limestone paradise. After sending his first 5.14a (Mal de Isla), Andrew made his way home only to find himself back on the road. Now attending the University of British Columbia in his first year of Engineering, Andrew has found a home on the Hive Climbing team in Vancouver and has pushed himself this year under the tutelage of Jeff Thompson and Christian Core. We thought it would be awesome to check in with Andrew as he gets ready to fly home. Here is what he had to say.


Andrew Funk. Photo by Shane Murdoch ©

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2017 VIMFF Interview with American Climber Brette Harrington

As part of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Brette Harrington will be bringing down the curtain on Saturday, Feb. 18th, 2017.

Raised in the mountains of Lake Tahoe, Brette first found herself immersed in skiing as a child. After years of competitive ski racing, Brette first found climbing while attending a boarding school in New Hampshire designed for sports athletes. Years later, while attending the University of British Columbia, Brette had the opportunity to sample the granite splitters of the Sea to Sky where she began to push her own limits, sending a number off difficult routes, including The Shadow (5.13a) and The Edge of Pan (5.13b), while putting up a few first ascents of her own. With her skills in tow, Brette hit the media spotlight after soloing Chiaro Di Luna, 11a, 750m in Patagonia. Recently featured in this year’s Reel Rock tour, Brette continues to push the limits of her climbing through a number of big wall experiences. Fresh off a trip from Patagonia (literally yesterday), Brette still has the fire in her eyes as she settles into the West Coast winter with plans for a few mixed climbing adventures in the North Cascades. We had a chance to catch up with Brette before tomorrow nights show and here is what she had to say.


Brette Harrington. Photo courtesy of VIMFF ©

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2017 VIMFF Interview with Swiss Climber Nina Caprez

As part of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Nina Caprez will be sharing her stories and passion for rock climbing.

Born in Switzerland, Nina Caprez quickly became a young rock star after years of growing up in the mountains. Competing internationally as a youth, she ended up leaving the competition scene to focus on outdoor climbing in France. Traveling around the world, Nina made a name for herself in big wall climbing, with ascents of Ultime Démence, 5 pitches (8a+) and La Ramirole, 5 pitches (8b) in Verdon, and Orbayu (8c+/9a) in Naranjo de Bulnes, Spain. Over the past year, Nina had a life changing experience after contracting a parasite in Turkey that left her hospitalized and fighting for her life. Now recovered, Nina has re-discovered her love for climbing and has had an awakening about her life and how grateful she is to use her body. We had a chance to check in with Nina before the show tomorrow (Thursday) and here is what she had to say.


Nina Caprez in Oliana. Photo courtesy of Arcteryx ©

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2017 VIMFF Interview with American Climber Jonathan Siegrist

On Thursday, February 16th, Jonathan Siegrist will be speaking the Rock climbing Night at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.

Over the past few years, Jonathan Siegrist has established himself as one of the worlds best sport climbers, with ascents of Papichulo (5.15a), Power Inverter (5.15a) and Biographie (5.15a), along with many of his own first ascents including La Reve (5.14d), Algorithm (5.14d), and Shadowboxing (5.14d), just to name a few.


Photo courtesy of Jonathan Siegrist ©

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