Rock climbing film festival rolls in
By MIKE LYNCH, Enterprise Outdoors WriterArticle Photos
Fact Box
Schedule...
Friday, 7-9 p.m.: Grand Opening Reception at High Peaks Mountain Building on Main Street in Lake Placid. Book signings and slide shows.
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Climbing clinics with sign up at High Peaks Mountain Building. Product demos available. For more info call 523-3764.
=7:30 -9:30 p.m.: Adirondack Climbing Film Festival at Lake Placid Center for the Arts (http://reelrocktour.com or www.chestnutmtnproductions.com). Tickets are $14 in advance (students $11) and $16 (students $13) at the door.
9:30 p.m.: After party at Lake Placid Pub and Brewery.
LAKE PLACID - The first-ever Adirondack Climbing Film Festival will take place this weekend, in addition to climbing clinics and a sneak preview of a new Adirondack Guides Museum that would be owned and operated by High Peaks Cyclery.
The Adirondack Climbing Film Festival will debut Saturday at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.
"I just felt Lake Placid was a perfect destination for bringing the tour. It's got climbing and people who are passionate about climbing," said Tom Widing of Chestnut Mountain Productions.
Widing also works with High Peaks Cyclery to bring the popular Banff Mountain Film Festival to Lake Placid every winter.
The climbing film festival is part of a two-day event that will have climbing demonstrations, product demonstrations and book signings by local writers.
The climbing films that will show Saturday night are part of The Reel Rock Film Tour, which will hit 90 cities around the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The feature film, "The Sharp End," follows top climbers on routes in the Italian Alps, the sandstone spires of the Czech Republic, Yosemite Valley, the Utah desert and the Colorado Rockies. In addition to "The Sharp End," a number of short films will be screened.
The festivities kick off Friday night at High Peaks Cyclery when several authors will be on hand with their recently published books.
The writers include Phil Brown, who edited "Bob Marshall in the Adirondacks," Don Mellor, who wrote the newly released "Rock Climbing: a Trailside Guide," and Jim Lawyer and Jeremy Haas, authors of "Adirondack Rock: A Climber's Guide."
Lawyer, Haas and Brown will also have slide-show presentations.
On Saturday, High Peaks Cyclery will host clinics and product demonstrations.
Brian Delaney, who owns High Peaks Cyclery, is also hoping to give a sneak preview of his Adirondack Guide Museum, which is scheduled to go into the building next to his retail store in the near future.
"This has been in the works for 20 years," Delaney said. "This has been my plan."
The Adirondack Guide Museum will be an informational center for outdoor recreation activities in the Lake Placid area, Delaney said. It will also have historic Adirondack artifacts.
"We're developing an Adirondack Guide Museum that will have different displays that will be seasonal throughout the year," Delaney said. "Our first exhibition will probably be something about women guides, and we'll probably do something with Bob Marshall in the Adirondacks."
In the new guides building, Delaney plans to have a reference library of adventure and guide books for nearby and international locations that can be used by the public and his clients. There would also be maps and other informational tools available.
"It would be a meeting place where people would meet to go out on their trips," Delaney said.
The building would serve as the operations office for Delaney's High Peaks Mountain Adventures Guide Service. It would have a gear room and a bunk room (on the second floor) for guests preparing for a nearby adventure.
The Adirondack Guide Museum isn't expected to be ready in time for this weekend's festivities. Instead, festivities are scheduled to take place on the second floor of High Peaks Cyclery.
Contact Mike Lynch at 891-2600 ext. 28 or mlynch@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
