We head to the Lake District to participate in Arc’teryx’s annual get-together in the Great Langdale valley, and to join a number of clinics they had on offer…
Having attended several memorable Arc’teryx Alpine Academy events in Chamonix over the years, we jumped at the chance to join this year’s Arc’teryx Climb Academy event in the Lake District when we received an invite back in April. Set in the idyllic location of the Great Langdale valley, and surrounded by easily-accessed climbing crags, scrambling routes and hillwalks, the hub of the event was the Old Dungeon Gyll Hotel and the small but buzzy basecamp area that had been set up outside. It was here that everyone would meet each morning before going on one of the clinics that were on offer, and where we’d all return to later to enjoy a pint and share stories from the day. As well as the clinics, Arc’teryx had also organised entertainment in the evenings, including live music and ‘hang’ competitions in the basecamp area, and a film night on Sunday evening. Arriving on Thursday evening full of enthusiasm, we signed up for a selection of the clinics and couldn’t wait to get out and at it the following morning…
Topping out at Raven’s Crag Yewdale during the roped scrambling clinic
Roped Scrambling and abseiling
Day 1 saw Chris joining instructors Adrian, Dave and Greg and a keen group of attendees including several from the Muslim Hikers group on the roped scrambling clinic. After a short drive we arrived at Raven’s Crag Yewdale, and made our way up the lower slopes through trees before coming out on a more rocky area where we donned helmets and harnesses. Here it was time to pay attention to Adrian Nelhams, of the International School of Alpinism, who explained that we’d be teaming up with a partner and taking turns in keeping our partner safe when ascending tricky or exposed steps up the route. We roped up and took coils as you would do when climbing in the Alps, and then took turns at leading and seconding. The idea is to move together when the terrain is easy, but when a slightly more difficult, or exposed, section is encountered the leader would go first, take a stance and then keep the rope tight as the second moved up. Any slip could be prevented becoming a fall by the leader locking the rope off. The route proved ideal for practising these techniques, with the odd tree or spike providing the opportunity to also use a direct belay or Italian hitch. After topping out, we walked back to the carpark to get ready for our next activity – abseiling. After another short drive and walk-in we arrived at the top of a cliff in Cathedral Quarry. Local climber and instructor Greg had already set up a top rope anchor, and we took it in turns to abseil off the cliff which was ideal because halfway down we swapped from feet against the wall to hanging in free space. A cloud of midges at the top meant that everyone wanted to get down the cliff as quickly as possible; perhaps that’s one way of getting round first-time nerves!
Practising nav skills in the Langdale valley
Navigation
While Chris was scrambling and abseiling, Amanda headed out with a group practising their nav skills with instructor Rose. It seemed fitting that the rain should start just as we were about to start our navigation course, though this wasn’t a problem as Arc’teryx had a gear library with waterproof jackets and trousers available to borrow for the day. Six of us gathered around Rose, who asked us what navigation experience we had. This ranged from nothing at all to having done a few courses, and even having done Mountain Leader training. Arc’teryx had custom OS maps of the area made for the event, which was a really nice touch and we were each gifted one to take home with us. We started with an exercise, going over the various symbols that you’ll find on OS maps, and then Rose explained access and gave a brief description of contours. This wasn’t your typical classroom navigation course though, so it wasn’t long before we started our hike that would take us along the stunning Langdale valley, with the hills surrounding us looking particularly moody this day with low cloud hugging the summits. Just getting out there and doing it made the course not only enjoyable, but suitable for the various levels of knowledge within our group – for some it was more of a refresher and a bit of practice, and for others it helped build the confidence needed to start heading out on the trails with a map. Somebody in the group timed as we ticked off features along the route and practiced ‘thumbing’ the map i.e. using your thumb to continuously keep track of your location on the map. One lady told us that her biggest take-away of the day was to break it down into sections, as she tended to get overwhelmed when looking at the route as a whole. We did a 6km circular route which brought us back to the Arc’teryx Academy basecamp where we had some food and a well-deserved pint.
Looking for ‘bomber’ gear placements on the top rope anchor clinic
Building top rope anchors
Day 2 saw Chris join instructor Greg and a keen group of climbers to head to Stickle Barn Crag, a short but steep walk up from the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, to practise making top rope anchors at the top of the crag. This is a super-useful skill for all levels of climbers; although more associated with novice or inexperienced climbers, it is also used by experienced climbers to practise hard moves on a route before leading it. Stickle Barn Crag is often used by instructors because of its easy access and quick-drying rock, and we passed another group getting ready to climb from the bottom as we headed around and up to the top. Before we got stuck into building anchors, we spent a good chunk of time practising gear placements with nuts, cams, slings and hexes – with Greg challenging us to find as many as possible in 20 minutes. He explained his rating system of the quality of placements from 0 to 5, with 6 being absolutely beyond reproach (e.g. a sling around a one-ton boulder!). Inevitably some of our placements were better than others, and Greg pointed out how they could be better, or if they shouldn’t be used at all. The meat of the clinic, though, was Greg showing us how to build the top rope anchor, by putting in multiple pieces of gear to create anchors, equalising the anchors and then bringing the rope down to a clip-in point that would dangle over the edge of the cliff face, protected by a canvas rope protector to stop the rope getting damaged. The clinic was excellent in terms of understanding the principles of building this kind of anchor, however it was clear that most of us would have to go away and work on it to become proficient in its use!
Getting creative on the Tessa Lyons-led art session
Creative Drawing Class
Back at the basecamp, Amanda joined the Creative Drawing Class with Tessa Lyons, a perfect way to spend a free afternoon while others were out exploring the crags, boulders, and hills. With no clouds in the sky, Tessa decided to set up some picnic tables in the field so that we could use the surroundings of the valley for inspiration in our drawings. Even if you don’t know who Tessa Lyons is, chances are you’ve seen some of her lovely artwork, having a huge portfolio and having worked with numerous brands and organisations (her work can be found at: www.tessalyons.co.uk). The tables were set up with paper, charcoal, ink and some fun tools such as feathers and bubble wrap. She had us listen to a couple different types of music and we let the music inspire our markings on the page – we weren’t aiming to draw anything in particular, just allowing the music to translate into art. After, we moved onto the landscape portion of the class. Tessa did a demonstration and explained how she works out proportions as well as giving us insight into her creative process. We had plenty of inspiration all around us – trees, hills, waterfalls, and lots of light and shadow hitting the rocky outcrops. Although we were all looking at the same landscape (aside from Arc’teryx athlete Holly who was facing the opposite direction!), every drawing was very different and uniquely beautiful. I hope she’ll return again next year, and highly recommend giving it a go, even if you’ve not yet discovered your inner artist – you may just surprise yourself!
‘Fine-tuning your lead’ clinic at Stickle Barn Crag
Fine-tune your lead climbing
On the last day (Sunday) of the Climb Academy, Chris joined the DMM Fine Tune Your Lead Climbing clinic with instructor Des and fellow participants Fraser and Henry. Returning once more to Stickle Barn Crag, we spent the first 20 minutes discussing gear racking options while waiting for the rain to ease. We then stood beneath a route and visualised where we might place anchors and calculated how many bits of gear and quickdraws we might need. The thrust of the clinic was to become more efficient in terms of not carrying too much (or the wrong) gear, optimising our rope management and generally being as smooth and safe as we could be on any particular route. Finally, we each had a go at the route with Des watching closely and giving us tips for what we might do better or differently. Despite the rain, it was another enjoyable and enlightening session!
Arc’teryx athlete Holly Toothill hanging tough while being interviewed
Film night
On Sunday evening we all settled down for a selection of Arc’teryx-sponsored films covering three different climbing styles – bouldering, rock climbing and alpinism. ‘Keep it Real 2’ was a short film following several British climbers as they joined locals at the world-famous Fontainebleu bouldering venue; ‘La Belle Trace’ featured two French alpinists as they attempt to traverse the Mer de Glace skyline in Chamonix, and ‘Yamnuska: The Ragged Edge’ follows Quentin Roberts and Vikki Weldon as they explore the rich history and folklore of one of Canada’s most iconic cliffs.
Overall we had a brilliant time at the Arc’teryx Climb Academy 2024, and would return in a heartbeat given the opportunity.
For more info, head over to:
https://arcteryxacademy.com/