Leo Houlding Scrambling at Keswick Mountain Festival

© Alastair Lee
Leo Houlding, Britain's best-known rock climber and the Lake District's own golden boy is returning to lead a scramble and talk at Keswick Mountain Festival on Saturday 22 May 2010 at the Theatre by the Lake, Keswick.

Leo Houlding  © Alastair Lee
Leo Houlding

During the day, Leo will reveal his tricks of the trade and share more of his adventures while scrambling on Cam Crag Ridge, which is a classic grade I, II or III Lakeland scramble depending on the route.

Cam Crag  © Kendal Mountain Festival
Cam Crag

The day starts with a walk from Stonethwaite into Langstrath valley reaching the popular natural swimming pool at Blackmoss Pott. There will then be a scramble chosen to suit the group up Cam Crag Ridge with rope support at the steepest parts – a great way to see Leo in action and chat with him whilst enjoying the unbeatable Lakeland views. Shearwater Adventure Training will guide you through the scramble and help you develop your skills whilst also sharing their knowledge of the local landscapes and expertise.

For a more relaxing way to hear about his latest adventures, Leo will be speaking in the Theatre by the Lake during the evening. Last year the audience gripped onto their seats as Leo took them on a whirlwind tour of his extreme rock climbing and BASE jumping escapades. He promised to come back if he survived his most outrageous expedition yet, to successfully complete the first free ascent of Mount Asgard's North Face and BASE jump from the summit in a wingsuit! Mount Asgard is north of the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island in Canada, one of the most impressive and remote rock faces on the planet.

The Asgard Project is the title of Leo's talk and the name of the award-winning film, which he produced and project lead, making it his most extreme challenge yet. There's more than a touch of 007 about the groundbreaking film, which starts with Leo and his two climbing partners Sean 'Stanley' Leary and Carlos Suares, skydiving into the Arctic Circle to start their attempt to conquer one of the world's most difficult big walls. The film, directed by the award winning film maker Alastair Lee, premiered at the Kendal Mountain Festival in November and was voted the People's Choice – winning five times as many votes as any other film.

The trip has been described as a 'epic struggle' by the team and Leo Houlding said it was his biggest challenge to date: “The Asgard Project was the most epic adventure you can imagine. It was way harder than Everest! We were pushed to the very limit. Had things been any harder we would have failed, or worse.”

Kate Thomas, Director, Keswick Mountain Festival, said: “Having Leo to look forward to for the Saturday night slot at the festival is a real coup. We're delighted that he will be sharing the secrets of his amazing adventure with us.”

More about KMF 2010:

Leo Houlding's talk is part of the Keswick Mountain Festival, which is being held between 19-23 May 2010, and jointly sponsored by Cumbria Tourism and Ordnance Survey.

Keswick Mountain Festival is now in its fourth year and for the first time it is organised by Bluestone Events, a Kendal-based company.

It's five days of pure adventure in and around Keswick – there are hundreds of outdoor activities to either try as a taster or experience in the extreme with local expert guides.

As well as Leo, there are more mountain heroes to take you on an adventure from the comfort of your seat in the Theatre By the Lake.

Speakers include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Andy Cave, Andy Kirkpatrick, Joss Naylor, Kenny Stuart, Dave Birkett and Doug Scott CBE.

Get tickets:

Tickets for all speakers are now available directly from the Theatre by the Lake:

For more information about the festival contact the Keswick Mountain Festival team at Brazen PR:



For more information Keswick Mountain Festival



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