Field Journal

A weekend of world-class clinics designed to give people the skills they need to take their climbing and adventuring to the next level.

A weekend of world-class clinics designed to give people the skills they need to take their climbing and adventuring to the next level.

Yellow gorse and its needle-like leaves grow wild along the wet slate walls. Herdwick sheep roam free on the rolling hills as low mist makes its way through the valley. Clinking karabiners and belay devices hang from harnesses over brightly coloured kit.

We’re here in Langdale, six miles inland from Windermere’s lakeshore for the second Arc’teryx Academy: Climb Lake District 2022. Arc’teryx has hosted over 1,000 people at the global Arc’teryx Academies, which have been running annually since 2012. The goal is to make climbing more accessible to more people and offer the skills they need to take their climbing and adventuring to the next level.

Combining physical strength and mental focus, climbing builds unbreakable bonds with people and the outdoors. As one watches from the ground, threading the rope through the belay device in a steady rhythm, another pushes their bodyweight up from just the tip of a toe, exploring the Velcro-like rock with their hands in search of the next hold. Climbing facilitates time outdoors free from distraction surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK.

‘The Lake District feels like home from home for the brand,’ says Jim Tomley, Account Manager at Canadian company Arc’teryx, who lives in Ambleside. ‘Outdoor climbing is quite a niche activity. We want to make it accessible to more people while creating a space where people can form bonds and friendships.’

Over the three days, participants of every ability developed and advanced their climbing skills in traditional climbing, scrambling, bouldering, mountain safety, and rescue skills in clinics led by guides from the International School of Mountaineering.

Arc’teryx athlete and Youth World Champion Hamish McArthur joined rope and bouldering clinics, while ice swimmer and climber Gilly McArthur hosted a film night in partnership with Kendal Mountain Festival at a local retailer, the Epicentre, highlighting the positive impact nature and climbing can have on people’s lives.

‘This was my first experience of the Arc’teryx Academy, and a memorable one,’ Hamish says. ‘It was meaningful to me to be able to pass on some skills to others just getting started in the sport. Learning these basic tools can open the doors for a whole lifetime of adventure.’

Many people came to the event as strangers but left as friends. ‘It’s no surprise that in trusting someone with your life, such as when exchanging belays, we form strong bonds,’ Hamish explains. ‘There is the shared learning, the overcoming of fear, and the ultimate faith in your climbing partner which makes people friends for life.’

Off the rocks, a team of experts led a wild camping trip in the hills around Langdale. The Cumbria Wildlife Trust also led environmental clinics, offering participants the opportunity to learn about the importance of Cumbria’s peatlands.

An Arc’teryx stand gave people a chance to test out the kit. ‘We don’t want to assume that everyone coming has all the right equipment. We also don’t want to assume that everybody has the disposable income to equip themselves for a day out in the hills,’ Jim explains. ‘This loan programme allows people to use kit for what it was designed for, and then to make an informed decision about what they might want and need for the future.’

A very British BBQ in the rain served up local home-grown produce as climbers, tired from a day in the hills, exchanged stories, warmed their hands around the fire, and listened to live music played inside the National Trust’s Sticklebarn (a cosy Langdale pub).

‘As climbers, we are constantly learning and need to allow room for growth instead of convincing ourselves we are not good enough,’ Hamish says. ‘We need to protect our subconscious by catching thoughts of self-doubt or self-deprecation before they are internalised.’