John Harlin III: Swiss Borders Adventure

VIMFF Opening Night
Friday, February 10, 7:30 pm (doors 6:30 pm)
Centennial Theatre

Tickets $18 online / $20 doors    Buy Tickets Here

Though American by birth, John’s early years were spent in Leysin, Switzerland, where his father founded the International School of Mountaineering and his mother taught biology at the Leysin American School. After his father’s death on the Eiger in 1966, the family returned to the States.After graduating from the University of California with a degree in Environmental Biology, John became a mountain guide and wrote three volumes in his groundbreaking series, The Climber’s Guide to North America.Since 1987 he has held various positions with Backpacker magazine, the world’s largest publication devoted to wilderness travel. He also edited Summit, a magazine about mountains worldwide; edited books, including Lost Lhasa: Heinrich Harrer’s Tibet; judged several of the world’s largest mountain film festivals; guest-hosted the PBS television series, Anyplace Wild, and has lectured around the world. He has edited the American Alpine Journal since 2002.In 2005 John climbed the north face of the Eiger in memory of his father. His ascent was made into an IMAX movie, The Alps, which was released in 2007 and played around the world, including several years in Lucerne, where it was the most popular film in the theater’s history. He also wrote a memoir, The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain That Killed My Father, which was published in five languages.In 2010 John began hiking and climbing all 2,000 kilometers of Switzerland’s borders, but he fell 15 meters on a ridge of Mont Dolent, breaking his feet. He returned in 2011 to complete the 104-day journey. By the time he finished, he had 55,000 fans on Facebook’s Swiss Borders page. John is now launching a new venture, Digital Outdoors Publishing, which will produce apps and e-publications for the outdoors, adventure travel, conservation, and sustainable development.