In this episode, we explore the climbing world of Lynn Hill, a true icon of the sport. Lynn is known for smashing records in the '80s and '90s and was a key player in the Yosemite climbing scene. She was the first person to free climb “The Nose” on El Capitan in Yosemite as well as the first woman to redpoint 5.12d, 5.13a and 5.14a. Her career is nothing short of extraordinary! We welcomed Lynn Hill to the Banff stage in 2016, and we are excited that she will be returning for our 50th anniversary this year. This episode is in conversation with renowned writer and climber Greg Child.

Cory Richards returned to the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival in 2024 to talk about his book The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within. Cory is joined by fellow alpinist Jack Tackle to dive into Cory’s career as a renowned climber and National Geographic Photographer. In both his book and this episode, Cory looks back at success and what the cost of fame means while trying to deal with addiction.

Content Warning: Cory and Jack talk about the darker side of trauma—some content deals with issues that are related to drugs, mountain trauma, and suicide.

In 2018, Kate Harris presented her award-winning book Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road. Harris’ deep dive into adventure travel won her the Travel Adventure Book Award at the Banff Mountain Book Competition, as well as the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and the 2019 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Her weaving of travel narratives and personal reflection as she travels across the borders of the ancient Silk Road on her bike with her pal Mel Yule, pulls you into a world of true adventure! Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road is available at your local bookstore.