The fifteenth annual Adirondack International Mountaineering Festival comes to Keene this weekend.

As usual, the Mountaineer and Rock and River have attracted elite climbers to the event and are offering a variety of classes for those who want to learn or polish mountaineering skills.

Most of the classes are full, but there are still openings for classes in ice climbing, slide climbing, snowshoe mountaineering, and avalanche training. Check the Mountainfest website for updates.

A variety of sponsors, including Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, Patagonia, and La Sportiva, will have gear available for testing in the field.

In addition to the classes, the Mountaineer is offering lectures and slides shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. All of the presentations are open to the public, with a $10 admission for each.

On Friday, alpinist Freddie Wilkinson will talk about his recent expeditions and his new book, One Mountain Thousand Summits, which he will sign after the show.  The presentation will start at 8 p.m. in the Keene Central School.

On Saturday, Exum guide and Teton legend Mark Newcomb will give a talk, which will be preceded by raffles and a trailer for Jeff Lowe’s new film. This event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the school.

On Sunday, Vermont climber Matt McCormick will present slides and video at 7:30 p.m. at the Keene Valley Fire Hall.

In addition, the Keene Valley Fire Department and Lake Placid Pub and Brewery will host an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner at the fire hall starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $15.

Proceeds from the Mountainfest are donated to local nonprofit organizations.

The Mountaineer also will host the Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival the weekend of March 5-6. Details will be released in February.

Last weekend, I saw a slide show in Keene Valley given by Steve House, one of the best mountaineers in the world. He’s an entertaining speaker, self-deprecating and down to earth despite his penchant for high places.

Steve House

Unfortunately, I missed the slide show given the the night before by Eric Weihenmayer, a blind climber who has ascended the highest summit on each of the seven continents–including, of course, Mount Everest. I heard it was a great show.

Both men were guests of the Adirondack International Mountainfest, which is put on each year by the Mountaineer in Keene Valley. The Mountainfest, which offers clinics in ice climbing, winter mountaineering, and avalanche safety, has raised $70,000 for local charities over the years.

For a full report on the Mountainfest, read Mike Lynch’s story in the the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

Steve House

Reinhold Messner, regarded as one of the best mountaineers of all time, has described Steve House as “the best high-altitude climber in the world today.” So you know he’s good.

At this year’s Adirondack International Mountainfest, scheduled for the weekend of January 15-18, a small number of lucky ice climbers will get to learn from the master. House will teach a class in Intermediate and Advanced Ice on Saturday, January 16, and Advanced Ice the next day.

Both classes are full, but the public can catch House’s slide show at the Keene Valley Central School at 7:30 Saturday night.

The fourteenth-annual Mountainfest is hosted by the Mountaineer in Keene Valley and backed by a number of corporate sponsors, such as Black Diamond, La Sportiva, Petzl, Patagonia, and Outdoor Research.

Most of the classes taught by other instructors are also full, but openings remain for avalanche-safety courses on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. As of this week, there were a few spots left in ice-climbing courses taught by local guides Emilie Drinkwater and Don Mellor, author of Blue Lines: An Adirondack Ice Climber’s Guide.

The public also is welcome to attend a slide show by Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind climber to summit Mount Everest. It starts at 8 p.m. Friday at the Keene Valley Central School. A third slide show will be given on Sunday at 7:30. The presentation has yet to be announced.

The town’s fire department will host a spaghetti dinner from 5-7 Saturday  night.