Genre: Talks

Tickets on sale 1 Sept

Kendal Mountain Events returns for another season of adventure and human connection.

The annual Kendal Mountain Tour brings the spirit of the world-famous festival of adventure, outdoor culture, and storytelling to stages across the country. Get ready to be transported by a handpicked curation of award-winning short films, showcasing breathtaking landscapes, bold expeditions, and unforgettable stories from around the world, with some behind the scenes information from the filmmakers themselves.

Whether you’re an avid explorer or someone who cherishes the power of storytelling and the beauty of nature, this film only event promises to leave you inspired and moved by the shared spirit of adventure.

(12A) Potential mild language
2h 15m Duration

Kristin Harila stunned the climbing community in 2023 when she set out to become the fastest person to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks.  
Alongside her climbing partner, Tenjen Lama Sherpa, she achieved what many believed impossible, summiting all 14 in just 92 days and halving the record held by Nims Purja.

But, what should have been her greatest triumph became a reckoning. During the final ascent, Harila was accused of stepping over a dying porter, triggering a global backlash and fierce debate about ambition, ethics and who controls the narrative. Drawing on never‑before‑seen footage from K2, Savage Mountain unpacks the story behind the controversy.

 1h 40m

The 2026 program will highlight the resilience and creativity of individuals navigating the challenges of both the outer world and their own inner landscapes. These films represent the spirit of perseverance and the power of women in the outdoors to inspire, entertain, and spark important conversations. Each year, the festival brings together the best and brightest of the outdoor community, offering a space for meaningful dialogue and inspiring new generations of filmmakers.
 
Run Antarctica: Beyond Limits
Filmmaker: Lissie Mary Geyer
An Australian ultramarathon runner and pain scientist, Donna Urquhart, sets out to break the world record for the longest run in a polar region.
With no prior experience in Antarctica, no roadmap, and no guarantees, she faces the ultimate test of mind and body in Earth’s harshest environment.
As Donna battles unimaginable challenges, she discovers something far greater than a record.
Run Time: 31:40

Trail to Bayanihan
Filmmaker: Cat Aeppel
“Trail to Bayanihan” follows Sam’s journey as she pedals through diverse landscapes, celebrating the joy of biking and the power of community. Along the way, she discovers how a bike can bridge distances and forge deep human connections. As she explores breathtaking terrains and bonds with local riders, including the passionate Baguio crew, the film highlights the Filipino biking community’s role in shaping her journey. Grounded in her search for cultural roots, “Trail to Bayanihan” ultimately reveals the wider family Sam finds through biking, transforming her quest for heritage into a celebration of shared humanity.
Run Time: 22:04

Beauty in a Fall
Filmmaker: Nat Segal

In her toughest adventure yet, Canadian mountain guide Julianna Howatt seeks to embrace her identity as a trans woman following a fierce struggle with PTSD.

Join Julianna on her journey to self-discovery in the face of an industry that struggles to accept folks who currently fall into the margins of mountain culture. Visiting the mountain-scapes that were her livelihood, she confronts her past experiences and her journey’s cost.

Run Time: 26:48

Beyond the Known
Filmmaker: Sami Sauri
What does adventure mean? For Sami, a multisport athlete and filmmaker, it’s movement and shared experience.

In collaboration with Assos and Mammut, Sami leads a cycling expedition across Turkey with four women. Strangers from different backgrounds, united by their love for riding. Neza from Rwanda dreams of becoming a coach. Melina juggles a full-time role at Mammut with a passion for gravel and road cycling. Denisa is quiet yet fearless, most at home in nature. Lena is a climber and photographer who captures the soul of the wild.

Together they ride through raw landscapes and remote villages, facing obstacles, falls, and unexpected moments that turn strangers into a team. More than a sporting challenge, this journey becomes a story of connection, resilience, and rediscovery. It’s proof that the best adventures are the ones we share.

Run Time: 11:37

#MoCrazyStrong
Filmmaker: Jamie MoCrazy, Mark Locki
When professional skier Jamie MoCrazy suffered a serious traumatic brain injury following an accident at World Tour Finals 2015, her life was flipped upside down. Following years of rehab, Jamie’s miraculous recovery helped revolutionize TBI treatment at Vancouver General Hospital and charted Jamie on a course to help others with TBI challenges.

#MoCrazyStrong tells the important story of family involvement, losing and regaining your identity and working through the challenges that traumatic brain injuries present on the path to recovery.

Run Time: 18:00

FILM POOL (BONUS FILMS)  

Tales of Adventure
Filmmaker: Vagary Studio
Travel writer Hunter Bergen knows just how transformative writing can be. For her, writing while on the road is more than just a job; it's a journey of personal growth and discovery.
Run Time: 06:52

La Rubia
Filmmaker: Bronwyn Hodgins, Julia Cassou
In this all-female production, 32-year-old Canadian climber Bronwyn Hodgins faces burnout after a series of Big Wall expeditions. Unsure how to move forward she decides to shift her focus to sport climbing, thinking it will be less mentally strenuous than big walls. Little does she know that this new curiosity for training and athletic performance will plunge her into the most intense mental undertaking of her life.
Run Time: 30:05

Line & Air
Filmmaker: Guido Perrini & Bertrand Delapierre
Before achieving global success as a professional snowboarder, Géraldine Fasnacht’s first love was flying. Now, as a qualified ultralight plane pilot, she combines her passions to open up the high mountains. Landing ultralight planes on alpine glaciers is nothing new – pioneering aviator Hermann Geiger opened the highest landing spot in Switzerland, 4,370 meters up on the Monte Rosa glacier, in 1921.
Run Time: 38:33

3h 16m with interval

Presented by film maker Alastair Lee with spot prizes and Q&A.

The BritRock Film Tour 2026 program presents a stunning line-up of the UK’s best climbing and adventure films. Four amazing films capturing all the action, wild characters and stunning locations in what are truly inspiring stories. We’ve lined up the very best new   films from the vertical world – epic ascents, big laughs, and gripping stories that’ll leave you buzzing for your next adventure. BritRock brings together world-class athletes and everyday questers alike. Grab your mates, grab a seat, and get ready for a night of pure climbing inspiration. 

Inside the Mountain:
You are two metres into a 140-metre climb and you’re already soaked through. Water pours through cracks and fissures in the limestone, down your hands and in through your sleeves. Waterproofs won’t keep you dry here. Nothing will. It’s almost pitch black. The only illumination, other than the beam from your head torch, comes from a thin slip of daylight far above, the UK’s highest unbroken waterfall crashes down just metres away. The noise is constant. The wind is blowing. You are cold already. This is one of Britain’s wildest free climbs and it’s not on a sea cliff, or on a mountain. It’s inside one. Inside the Mountain follows Olympian Molly Thompson Smith and climbing legend Steve McClure as they attempt this extraordinary route from inside Britain’s deepest open caveshaft. A film by Jack Homan (Higher Ground Films) 
30 min

Beyond:
BEYOND follows people living with and beyond cancer as they discover strength, connection, and a new sense of possibility through climbing. Set between indoor walls and wild mountain rock, it is a powerful story about recovery becoming adventure.
A film by Ben Menashe
11 mins

Dreamrime:
Sit back and marvel at this cinematic wonder as we see the famous Cerro Torre towers of Patagonia like never before. Filmed by local drone expert Ty Lekki and produced by multi-award winner Alastair Lee this film is a glorious marriage of sound and vision as we enter a new phase of mountain film making.
A team of French alpinists attempt the Punta Hernon/Torre Egger traverse encountering the unique rime and mushroom formations found only in this special part of the world. This is the first time this climb has been filmed in such a way and the results are truly mind-bending. Whilst the style of this film could be categorised as ‘slow TV’, rest assured your heart and imagination will be racing. A unique production with incredible cinematography which is beautifully edited and scored. One for the big screen for sure!
15 mins

Journey to the End of the Ego
The scene is the almost mythical landscape of Ben Loyal, one of Scotland’s most remote mountains towering over the Arctic Ocean. The cliff is one of the finest sweeps of clean unclimbed rock to be found anywhere in the land. The climber is the thought-provoking controversial live-wire, who goes by the name of Franco Cookson. This is the epic story of the UK’s most dangerous trad route and the 105 days of climbing it took to realise one man’s dream; ‘Nothing is Lost’ E12 7a. Three years ago Franco’s life changed when chance dealt him the alluring rock
of Ben Loyal. The meaning of Franco’s life was now clear; he must find a way to ascend this blank wall of granite. Franco quit his job and went all in on his quest, spending endless trips living alone on the summit plateau of the mountain. In a journey bordering on obsession Franco slowly but surely pieced together a possible line. The moves are largely thin, balancy and precarious with many ‘no fall’ zones above horrific landings and marginal gear. A story and climb unlike anything the UK has ever seen.
50m


Total running time – 2h 15m with interval

Julie Summers and Jochen Hemmleb will be in conversation with Rebecca Stephens MBE, the first British woman to reach the summit of Everest in 1993.
 
This is a unique opportunity to see these three experts on the Mallory and Irvine mystery bringing their joint expertise and enthusiasm to the conversation. Jochen's knowledge of the history behind the Mallory and Irvine story is complimented by Julie's in-depth understanding of the young Sandy Irvine, her great uncle. Rebecca has been fascinated by the mystery since before she made her record breaking ascent over 30 years ago.
 
Come and share an engaging, well researched but above all entertaining discussion about this 100 year old mystery. The chemistry between our there speakers who have known each other for a quarter of a century makes for sparkling conversation.


2h  (Inc Interval)

Everest Image © Jochen Hemmleb
Hazard, Mallory, Beetham and Sandy Image © The Warden and Fellows of Merton College Oxford

In September 2024, at the age of 68 and 74 respectively, renowned British mountaineers Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders made the first ascent of Yawash Sar, a 6,258m peak in Pakistan known as the ‘Matterhorn of the Khunjerab’.  This daunting mountain had withstood attempts from previous teams.   It took Fowler and Saunders a total of 7 days to climb.

These Pioneering Pensioners are coming to Rheged to tell the story of their long history of climbing together.  They first travelled together to Pakistan nearly 40 years ago and have an unequalled record of serious alpine ascents together in the Himalaya.  In the Autumn of 2026, they are attempting an unclimbed face on a 19,000 peak in China and the Rheged audience will be the first to hear their story of this climb alongside all the others.  

Mick Fowler, also known as ‘the climbing taxman’, spent his career working for HMRC. Around his day job. Part of Mick’s story is his remarkable recovery from two bouts of bowel cancer.  He is a three-time recipient of the Piolets d’Or or ‘Golden Ice Axe’, sometimes referred to as ‘the Oscars of mountaineering’ and author of many books, all short listed for the Boardman Tasker. 

Victor Saunders is a mountain guide based in Chamonix. In 1987, he shot to fame alongside Fowler when the pair made the first ascent of the ‘Golden Pillar’ on Spantik, a 7,027m peak in the Pakistani Karakoram. He has summited Mount Everest six times, climbed the seven summits and is the author of a number of books, including the Boardman Tasker winning Elusive Summits. 

2h (Inc Interval)