Bernadette McDonald is an award-winning writer and mountain-culture consultant based in Banff, Alberta.
Bernadette worked at The Banff Centre for 20 years, where she directed the Banff Mountain Festivals and founded the “Mountain Culture” division, which includes the now-prestigious Banff Mountain Book Festival and the Banff Mountain Writing Program.
Bernadette is the author of many mountaineering books, including Alpine Rising, Winter 8000, Art of Freedom, Freedom Climbers, and Alpine Warriors. She has won the esteemed Boardman Tasker Award for mountain literature twice.
Unlike their Nepalese counterparts, Pakistan’s untrained high-altitude workers seldom have their own guiding companies or receive acknowledgement for their vital role in mountaineering. But a shift could be on the horizon.