Believe it or not this was my first Kendal Mountain Festival, being a “soft” southerner the Lake District is usually considered a bit of a drive for a weekend of getting rained on.

But my friend wanted to recce the route for the  Tour de Helvellyn later this month, so it seemed like a good excuse to go and catch up with a few climbing friends.

‏I’ve also been to several ski movie premiers in London recently- warming  up for the season – Into the Mind, Shane McConkey etc, so was really looking forward to it. A whole weekend of climbing, mountaineering, skiing, mountain biking and adventure racing films. Heaven. There were also several inspiring talks which have really motivated me for some running events next year- in particular, the North Face endurance sessions with Jez Bragg.

I’ve written a short review of the festival for this months Climb Magazine, which you can read HERE  (p8)