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.

Photo by Jeff Nadler

Readers of the Explorer should be familiar with the photography of Jeff Nadler. His images often appear in our pages and sometimes on our cover as well (the female cardinal on the front our November/December issue was his). 

As a nature photographer (especially of birds), he spends a lot of time outdoors. In a recent post on his photography blog, Jeff offers some timely tips on dressing for winter. He says he was prompted to offer his thoughts because some of the advice he has read is outdated.

You can find plenty of other advice on winter clothing on the Internet. One place to start is the Sierra Trading Post.

Incidentally, the state Department of Environmental Conservation just issued its own advice for those venturing into the backcountry in winter. Click on the link below to read DEC’s news release.

DEC news release PDF