Banff Mountain Book Competition 2026: these are the winners
A journey on foot following a wolf, the life of a black bear, Alaska offline and the most spectacular bivouac huts in the Alps. Banff's book competition, one of the most prestigious in mountain literature, has its category winners.
If you are looking for winter reading, here is a list you can trust. The Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, in the Canadian Rockies, has announced the category winners of its 2026 mountain book competition, one of the most prestigious awards in mountain and adventure literature.
The winners
| Category | Work | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain literature | Lone Wolf: Walking the Line Between Civilization and Wildness | Adam Weymouth |
| Environmental literature | Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival | Trina Moyles |
| Mountain article | “The Misfits” | Chad Heddleston |
| Adventure travel | North to the Future: An Offline Adventure through the Changing Wilds of Alaska | Ben Weissenbach |
| Guidebook | Cabin Wild: Alpine Bivouac Huts | Ben Tibbetts |
| Mountain image | Fjell: A Faithful Witness | Orsolya Haarberg |
| Climbing literature | The Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland | Guy Robertson and Hamish Frost |
The jury also gave special mentions to Spirit of the Great Bear, by Jack Plant, and Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue: Essential Skills for Snow Travel, by Ian Nicholson.
The grand prize will be announced during the festival, on 5 November.
What they have in common
This year’s titles reflect where mountain writing is heading:
- Wildlife takes centre stage. A dispersing wolf and a family of black bears drive two of the winning books. If they interest you, do not miss our guides on what to do if you meet a bear or a wolf.
- A changing land. Alaska “offline”, but transformed by the climate.
- The mountain as refuge. The alpine bivouac huts of Ben Tibbetts, photographer and mountain guide, are an invitation to see the Alps differently.
- The most British of climbing. Scottish mixed climbing, with its fleeting ice and relentless weather, now has its reference work.
Many of these books are not yet translated into other languages; if you read English, they are a great way into the best mountain writing today.
Where to find them
Most can be bought from specialist bookshops or online. Look, for example, for mountain and climbing books on Amazon or Ben Tibbetts’ hut guide. If you fancy something more technical, the mention of Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue is a good reminder that glacier skills cannot be improvised.
Sources and references
- ExplorersWeb – Introducing the Banff Mountain Book Competition Winners, 2026 (23/10/2026)
- Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival
This is original editorial content based on the sources cited. Spotted a mistake? Let us know and we will fix it under our corrections policy.
