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Environment, news, culture from the Australian Alps

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Forum: Mobilising the outdoors community

The Victorian backcountry festival will be happening soon at Mt Hotham (September 1, 2, 3). Now in its 6th year, the festival offers tours, workshops, a demo village, ski in outdoor bar on a hilltop, repair cafe, avalanche safety courses, an opening night party, films and a speakers program.

You can register for the festival here. The full program will be posted on the backcountry festival home page shortly.

As part of the speakers program, there will be a great event at The General in Mt Hotham village, with presentations on how to turn concern for the mountains into meaningful action.

Continue reading “Forum: Mobilising the outdoors community” →

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Backcountry Festival early bird Registrations open

Now in it’s 6th year, the Victorian backcountry festival will happen at Mt Hotham again over the first weekend of September.

The three day event (September 1, 2, 3) features the normal program that we all love – guided tours, workshops, a speakers program, demo village, repair cafe, and the saki in outdoor bar on a mountain top.

The festival is 100% volunteer run and the committee is working hard to deliver another great event.

Registration for the festival is now open, with an early bird rate of $40 for the weekend. This covers basic and very important costs like insurance for the festival. Registering will mean you receive details of the tour program when it is announced. Registrations after July will be $50, so get in now and save.

You can register here.

https://events.humanitix.com/2023-victorian-backcountry-festival-early-bird-tickets

 

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What are your mountain icons?

Recently I was enjoying an evening hanging out at Bluff Spur hut on Mt Stirling. The 9 folks there had long and interesting yarns and, as is usual in a backcountry hut, many of the chats often focused on the adventures we have enjoyed in the mountains.

A common theme was favourite places, and favourite people and at some point Bill Barker, head of ski patrol at Mt Hotham, came up and we agreed he was a living legend. We discussed our favourite huts (King Saddle, Cleve Cole and Vallejo Ganter), favourite mountains (Feathertop, Bogong), and favourite camping spots (well that would have to be a secret).

I got an idea for Mountain Journal magazine #4. What are the icons of the mountains we love? What people, what places, what forests, what institutions? I am hoping you will feel inspired to write a brief piece on your favourite mountain icon, for publishing on the website and (later on) in the next edition of the magazine.

An Icon is

‘A person or thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere’.

It might be a person who inspires you, a place, a mountain hut, a river, a business or other institution.

Continue reading “What are your mountain icons?” →

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Winter Kick-Off with ‘Steep Reflections’

There will be a series of screenings of the new Australian backcountry film STEEP REFLECTIONS, happening across a number of towns and resorts in June.

With a warming climate, there is growing concern for the future of snowsports in the Kosciuszko National Park. STEEP REFLECTIONS aims to change your perspective on the Australian backcountry, and create greater awareness around the importance of both mountain safety and our environmental footprint. Follow local guides and freeriders as they showcase the hidden beauty of the Snowy Mountains, taking you to the highest peaks and the steepest slopes, whilst uncovering the harsh reality our winters face if we don’t act now.

Continue reading “Winter Kick-Off with ‘Steep Reflections’” →

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Regeneration – Racha: A ski film like no other, taking you on a 8-day backcountry trip to Georgia.

The Backcountry film festival (Melbourne, May 4) is shaping up to be an epic night – 13 films, 4 speakers, info stalls and it just got bigger. It will be the world premiere of a new backcountry film produced after an 8 day trip in the Western Highlands of Georgia.

Continue reading “Regeneration – Racha: A ski film like no other, taking you on a 8-day backcountry trip to Georgia.” →

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Mountain Journal magazine #3 is out!

For the third year, we have produced a print version of the Mountain Journal magazine, with content from the Mountain Journal website and many new stories.

You can read the magazine as a PDF here: MJ3.

Look for print mags in your local resort, valley town or favourite mountain hut soon.

Continue reading “Mountain Journal magazine #3 is out!” →

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Chuck it in your diary: VIC backcountry festival, Sept 1 – 3

The VIC BC Fest will be happening in and around Mt Hotham resort over three days in early September (1, 2 and 3).

It will look a lot like last year – a great tours program, workshops and skillshares (including more telemark and cross country), the ski in outdoor bar, speakers program, repair cafe, and demo village outside The General in Hotham village. There will also be an on snow camp site attached to the festival this year.

With a new and expanded organising committee, we are getting down to planning another great festival. Stay tuned for details, call out for the program and volunteer guides.

In the meantime, keep an eye on the website and socials.

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Have you made a backcountry film we could screen at this year’s festival?

As we get into autumn, its time for the annual Backcountry Film Festival (details here).

The films will cover stories of outdoor stewardship, grassroots advocacy, backcountry adventure, and snow cinema by human-powered advocates, athletes, brands, activists, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts.

These films are shown all over the world. This year, Friends of the Earth is once again delighted to be the local host for Backcountry film festival in Melbourne. The festival will screen at RMIT in the city in early May.

We would love to include a locally made backcountry film. Skiing, riding, anything backcountry related is probably suitable. Maximum of 15 minutes in length. If you might have something to include, please get in touch: cam.walker@foe.org.au

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Backcountry film festival 2023

The Winter Wildlands Alliance presents their annual Backcountry Film Festival. This year’s screenings will showcase human-powered adventure in the backcountry.

The films will cover stories of outdoor stewardship, grassroots advocacy, backcountry adventure, and snow cinema by human-powered advocates, athletes, brands, activists, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts.

These films are shown all over the world. This year, Friends of the Earth is once again delighted to be the local host for Backcountry film festival in Melbourne. The festival will screen at RMIT in the city on Thursday May 4.

Continue reading “Backcountry film festival 2023” →

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Final call for content – Mountain Journal magazine #3

As we inch closer to winter, I have finally started working on the 2023 edition of the magazine. The theme the first year was First Nations aspirations for the high country. In 2022, it was ‘giving back to the mountains‘. In 2023, the plan had been to honour and acknowledge the people who did the hard work of getting the Alps protected. I am now feeling that I probably lack the time to really do justice to this topic, although we will certainly make a start and already have some fantastic content.

I am looking for content for this edition:

Continue reading “Final call for content – Mountain Journal magazine #3” →

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Mountain Journal turns 13

Crikey. What happened to 2022? Seemed like it went forever, yet it also felt like a blur as it rushed past.  A mild summer, a wild rollercoaster of boom and bust winter, then a wet spring. Here is the annual review.

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International Mountain Day, 2022

International Mountain Day has its roots in 1992, when the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development put a milestone in the history of mountain development.

It is celebrated each year on December 11.

Continue reading “International Mountain Day, 2022” →

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