Atlantica - 01.05.2007, Page 12

HigH Octane
Screen more than 70 Grade A films, invite the biggest names in the adventure
world, throw it all in the Rocky Mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, and you have
a recipe for the high-altitude, high-octane 29th annual Mountainfilm Festival held
May 25-28. Two of the film highlights this year include E1, a 42-minute film about
climbing legend Dave MacLeod’s dogged attempt to climb the world’s first 5.14c
rated climbing route, and Our Land, Our Life, a 75-minute documentary about two
Western Shoshone sisters fighting for their ranchland in north central Nevada. And
these are just the film highlights.
Some of the confirmed speakers include two-time World Freeskiing Champion
Kit DesLauriers, who last summer became the first woman to ski the Seven
Summits, explorer and dogsledding pioneer Will Steger, and Trey Taylor, co-founder
of Verdant Power, Inc., a sustainable energy company that produces hydroelectric
power without dams. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you’ll spend your four
days at the film fest, but don’t say you weren’t warned that the films could contain
some pretty wild action. mountainfilm.org

get enligHtened
The Tibetan name for Mount Kailash, located in a remote area of the Himalayas, is
Gangs Rinpoche, meaning “precious jewel of snows.” For thousands of years pilgrims
of several religions, including Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains, have made a pilgrimage
to Kailash where they circumambulate the holy mountain on foot, a ritual believed
to bring good fortune. As we could all use a liberal dose of good fortune, make your
own journey to Kailash on May 31 to participate in Saga Dawa, one of the most
important festivals on the Buddhist calendar, held each year on the full moon day
of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar.
Each year during Saga Dawa, the flagpole at Tarboche, located at the base of the
mountain, is replaced. Pilgrims from around the world gather at this sacred place
to ceremoniously take down the flagpole, which is covered with vibrantly colored
prayer flags over the course of the year, and replace it with a new one. Once it is
raised again, the pilgrims circle it clockwise while musicians play their conches,
horns, and cymbals to celebrate the new flagpole. The good energy is so conta-
gious it’s hard not to want to share.
SOutHern Winter
Touted as the “the southern hemisphere’s ultimate winter party,” help welcome
old man winter with the Kiwis at the Lindauer Queenstown Winter Festival in New
Zealand. Held June 23 to July 2, Queenstown’s first-ever winter fest was staged in
1975, and has since grown into one of the largest winter festivals in the world. In
what could be one of the best international hockey games of the year, watch the
New Zealand Ice Blacks take on the Canadian Moose. Or if freestyle skiing is more
your thing, check out the Stolichnaya Rail Jams, the night skiing, or the big air com-
petitions. There are also crafts markets, comedy shows, and the not-to-be-missed
Old Farts Ball.
Located in Otago, the mountainous southwestern region of New Zealand’s
South Island, Queenstown is not only a hub for adventure tourism – skiing, moun-
tain biking, and bungee jumping – but has also acquired a reputation as one of
New Zealand’s wine and cuisine centers. You can get yourself a hot dog and a Coke
from one of the stands, but better yet, find yourself a nice bottle of Pinot and a
baguette with Brie, and get down to business. winterfestival.co.nz
MuSic, and all tHat Jazz
Take some of the world’s best jazz musicians, plop them on an island surrounded
by turquoise water in the Lesser Antilles and you have the recipe for the St. Lucia
Jazz Festival held May 4-13. Highlights on the main stage this year include jazz
greats and Grammy Award winners Al Jarreau, George Benson and Natalie Cole,
Nat King Cole’s daughter. The shows run the gamut of genres – acoustic jazz, new
age, fusion, rhythm and blues – coming from all over the globe, including the US,
Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the vibrant and always-evolving music from the
Caribbean itself.
What initially started in 1992 as a way to boost tourism on the island during the
low season has turned into an event so big that it physically cannot grow much
larger due to accommodation and venue constraints on the 620-square-kilometer
island. It’s free of charge, which means you’ll have plenty of cash to buy cold bottles
of beer while you catch some warm rays and listen to great jams. stluciajazz.org a
10 a t l a n t i c a
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World Party Four continents celebrate.
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