Other category winners:
Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature, sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the
Canadian Rockies
Switchbacks: True Stories of the Canadian Rockies, Sid Marty (McClelland &
Stewart) 
These interconnected stories are drawn from the length and breadth of Sid Marty's
remarkable life in the mountains. The people - and creatures -- that Marty comes to know
in the Rocky Mountains are sometimes larger than life. Switching back and forth in time
and mood, all but two of the superb stories in this collection are previously unpublished.
They are original, thoughtful and beautifully crafted outpourings of a writer at the
height of his powers.
"Sid Marty's stories express in wonderful words his deep passion
for the mountains where he is at home," says jury member Michael Pause.
Best Book - Mountain Exposition, sponsored by Mountain Lights
Bookstore, Lake Louise, Canada
Extreme Alpinism, Mark F. Twight and James Martin (The Mountaineers Books)
A
master class on extreme alpine climbing by one of the world's most elite mountaineers.
Focusing on how top alpine climbers approach the world's most difficult routes, Twight
centres his instruction on the ethos of climbing the hardest routes with the least amount
of gear and the most speed.
"You can either read Twight's book or beat yourself up in the
mountains learning the same lessons," says jury member Will Gadd.
Best Book - Mountain Image, sponsored by Adventurous Traveler
Bookstore, Burlington, Vermont
Summit: Vittorio Sella, Mountaineer and Photographer, the Years 1879-1909,
Vittorio Sella (Aperture Foundation)
At the turn of the century, carrying a supply of
glass-plate negatives, Italian photographer Vittorio Sella climbed scores of the world's
most perilous mountains and photographed them, many for the first time. His strikingly
beautiful photographs offered groundbreaking scientific and documentary information and
are still used by climbers to map routes. This is the first comprehensive volume of
Sella's photographs.
"The book is convincing in its brilliant text and images and it
shows Sella's significant contribution to mountain photography," Pause says.
Best Book - Adventure Travel, sponsored by Mountain
Travel*Sobek, El Cerrito, CA
Beyond the Sky and the Earth, Jamie Zeppa (Doubleday Canada Ltd.)
When she was
only 23, a young woman from Sault St. Marie went to Bhutan to teach - only to realize that
the unfamiliar people and living conditions made her feel alienated and miserable. Out of
the hearts and minds of eight-year-olds came the hope and inspiration that would save
Jamie Zeppa's life. Over time, she fell in love with a Bhutanese man and had a child by
him. Beyond the Sky and Earth is an incredible autobiography of one woman's struggle to
survive physically, mentally and spiritually in a foreign land
"An honest, well composed, unexpected book, written without
pretense or any sense of fulfilling an obligation. This should be required pre-reading for
all trekkers planning a "get there" holiday in the Himalaya," says jury
member John Porter.
Special Jury Mention - Biography
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places, David
Breashears (Simon & Schuster)
In High Exposure, elite mountaineer and acclaimed filmmaker David Breashears
gives an intimate and captivating look at his life. Breashears' passion for climbing began
on the cliffs of Boulder, Colorado -- and nearly ended on the south side of Everest in
1996. An unforgettable story of outdoor adventure, daring filmmaking, and self-discovery.
"Truthful and always competent, Breashears reflects his life and
how alpinism and climbing helped him overcome childhood hardship," says Pause.
Special Jury Mention - Fiction
Darkness and the Azure, Anne Sauvy (Baton Wicks)
Anne Sauvy is the literary "Grand Mistress" of mystery, magic and metamorphosis
in the mountains. In her new short story collection, she takes her themes from the elegant
world of French climbing and skiing, the racy competitiveness of Chamonix, and the chic
milieu of Parisian business and academe.
"The language Anne Sauvy uses remains close to the action; she succeeds in
conveying to the reader the values of alpinism," Pause says.
Special Jury Mention - Design
Fat Tire: A Celebration of the Mountain Bike, Amici Design (Chronicle Books)
Fat
Tire is a history and celebration of these agile, adventuresome, all-terrain machines and
the people who ride them. Inside are hundreds of amazing photos, interviews with the
founders, profiles of champions, and more. The author and a long list of contributors
cover the components that make up mountain biking. This is a glorious full-colour,
full-speed, first-hand look at the culture, equipment and key people of the most popular
evolution of the bicycle ever.
"Through the creative layout an design of the book the development and history as
well as technical aspects of mountain biking are exceptionally presented," says
Pause.
In addition to the above, the following awards were also presented:
Canadian Rockies Award, sponsored by Eagle Creek Travel Gear for the best book
on the Canadian Rockies
Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies, 3rd edition, Alan Kane (Rocky
Mountain Books)
Alan Kane brings together 150 of his favourite scrambles so far, starting in Waterton
National Park and working his way up through the Crowsnest area and Kananaskis Country
into the contiguous national parks of Banff, Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper. Each peak can be
climbed in one day from a road or backcountry lodge. All scrambles are carefully graded.
Canadian Alpine Journal Award: $250 sponsored by the Canadian Himalayan
Foundation for the best article in the 1999 Canadian Alpine Journal
The Ghoul: An Iced Mountain-Climb, Jeff Everett
The Totem Pole: and a Whole New Adventure by Welsh author and
climber Paul Pritchard is the winner of the 1999 Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize,
the $2000 Phyllis and Don Munday Award sponsored by the Alberta Sections of the Alpine
Club of Canada. The festival awards were presented on Thursday evening, November 4.