Arc’teryx’s popular Alpine Academy returns to Chamonix this July, but the Canadian brand have announced that places on clinics at this 9th edition will be decided by a new lottery system, rather than the usual ‘first come first served’ system used in previous years.
“The demand for clinics has increased in recent years, and to ensure all participants have an equal opportunity to secure tickets for their chosen clinics, a new lottery ballot system will be introduced this year,” the official Arc’teryx press release says. “Lottery sign-up will be open from March 10-17th, with registration access confirmed on March 19th. Those who are offered clinic spaces will be instructed to register on the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy website on March 24th.”
Trek & Mountain has attended several of the Alpine Academy events in recent years, and the combination of affordable clinics with the chance to socialise with mountain lovers from around the world in the unique setting of Chamonix is undoubtedly a winning combination. These year’s event sees more clinics than ever – a total of 77 immersive clinics, five of which are new including a two-day overnight trail running experience, an adaptive climbing session and a two-day overnight big wall climbing clinic. The full program covers a wide assortment of activities for every skill level, from mountaineering and climbing, to trail running and alpine photography.
Another Arc’teryx event coming up soon is the The Big Mountain Weekend which takes place on May 8-10 in the Langdale Valley. The event is part of – and indeed, kicks off – the Arc’teryx Lakeland Revival initiative, which encourages climbers to explore and tick off routes in the Lake District in return for goodies such as Arc’teryx T-shirts. The weekend itself offers a whole range of clinics and sessions, from trad climbing to wild swimming and environmental education, however there are very few spots left as we write this – so head over to the website now and snap up one of the last places!
