8 November 2017 | 3154 Angell Hall | 5 p.m.
Alpinism and the Art of Freedom | Bernadette McDonald

In her recent book Art of Freedom, mountain author Bernadette McDonald chronicles one of the greatest alpinists of all time, Voytek Kurtyka. This Polish climber’s visionary approach has resulted in many renowned ascents, including what has been dubbed the “climb of the century”, an unrepeated alpine-style ascent of the Shining Wall on the West Face of Gasherbrum IV. Of greater interest than simply the stunning execution of climbs of unsurpassed difficulty, however, has always been Kurtyka’s approach to alpinism. While Kurtyka embraced the physical and athletic side of climbing, he was equally fascinated with the cerebral experience: the constant decision making, problem solving, and strategizing that it demanded. Even more important to Kurtyka was the aesthetic aspect of alpinism, which, on some ascents, approached a spiritual level. In Kurtyka’s words: “Beauty is the door to another world. Alpinism is the art of freedom. It offers a creative relationship with the mountain.” In this lecture, McDonald will discuss her role in bringing this multidimensional individual to the page. Her job remained that of communicating the full scope of the person under discussion, as well as challenging the reader to be affected in some way by the complexity of a very conflicted, yet visionary alpinist. McDonald will also show how although not a traditional approach to mountaineering literature, Art of Freedom offers a window into the world of alpinism, as practised by the most accomplished and thoughtful of its artists.

Bernadette McDonald is the author of several books on mountaineering and mountain culture, including her most recent Art of Freedom (Rocky Mountain Books, 2017), which has been short-listed for two prestigious awards and is slated for publication in ten languages. A previous title, Freedom Climbers, the story of Poland’s golden age of Himalayan climbing, has been awarded six literary prizes, including the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature and the Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize. She was awarded Italy’s ITAS Prize for mountain writing and is a three-time winner of India’s Kekoo Naoroji Award for Mountain Literature. In 2011, the American Alpine Club awarded her their highest honour for excellence in mountain literature. She was the founding Vice President of Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre and director of the Banff Mountain Festivals for 20 years. She has received the Alberta Order of Excellence, the Summit of Excellence Award from The Banff Centre, the King Albert Award for international leadership in the field of mountain culture and environment, and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. She is also an honorary member of both the Polish Mountaineering Association and India’s Himalayan Club. She lectures and consults for universities, museums, festivals and cultural institutions around the world, and currently serves on the international advisory committee for National Geographic’s Expedition Council. Her discretionary time is spent in the mountains: climbing, ski touring and hiking.