12/02/2026
Join us for an inspiring evening of adventure, endurance, and extraordinary stories at ‘People Power’ Fort William Mountain Festival!
Three incredible speakers will dive into their motivations behind their biggest athletic accomplishments yet:
Alex Stainforth: Record-breaking adventurer. Ultra-runner. Mental health advocate.
By 19, Alex Staniforth had survived the two biggest disasters in Everest history. He’s since climbed all 100 UK county tops in 72 days, run the National 3 Peaks (452 miles in 9 days 12 hours), and completed all 446 Nuttalls - 3,000km and 100,000m of ascent in just 45 days - raising awareness of su***de in young people on his 30th birthday.
Founder of Mind Over Mountains.
Katie Mackay: Climber. Mountaineer. Endurance-driven.
Katie Mackay has climbed across the UK, Patagonia and the Alps, and was the first woman to complete the Lake District Classic Rock challenge in under 24 hours.
With Kirsty Gillan, she linked 100 climbing routes across the UK, travelling 1,600km by bike and climbing 10,000m in 32 days. A huge effort driven by grief, fuelled by friendship, and grounded in the belief that hard things are worth doing simply to prove they’re possible.
Markus Stitz: Ultra-endurance racer. Explorer. Route designer. Storyteller.
Markus Stitz cycled 34,000km unsupported around the world on a single-speed mountain bike. He’s since founded Bikepacking Scotland, Dirt Dash events, and the Edinburgh Dawn Patrol, and designed countless bikepacking and gravel routes across Scotland.
An author and filmmaker, Markus has written Great British Gravel Rides, Bikepacking Scotland, Gravel Rides Cairngorms & Perthshire and Gravel Rides Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, and co-edited Big Rides: Great Britain & Ireland. His adventures have taken him from Norway to Canada, the US, and Spain.
