“I came to the event on my own as a novice alpinist and can't wait to come back next year. It was amazing from start to finish, not just the courses; I did the Bivouac & the Glacier Tour, but the side events, the staff and the guides too, they made you feel very confident in the mountains. I will be back next year and bringing friends!”

Rob Parkin, participant from Kent in the UK. 

Chamonix, France – Over 300 participants from over 19 different countries took part in various clinics throughout the three-day period on June 14-16. After a good start in 2012 with roughly 70 students, the second Alpine Arc'Ademy has become an internationally renowned event, taking place at the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix.

Presented as a weekend of mountaineering education, experience and inspiration, alpine beginners and skilled mountaineers from Poland, Serbia and Finland, along with the majority of participants from Switzerland, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Scandinavia, took part in a variety of workshops designed to introduce and hone their mountain skills. Amongst the courses offered were alpine climbing, high altitude mountaineering, mountain rescue, navigation in the mountains, an overnight bivouac and the chance to hone their photographic skills with outdoor photographer and alpinist Alexandre Buisse.

One of the other highlights of the event was the Arc'teryx/Gore-Tex sewing booth at the Valley Station, where participants could have their jackets and pants repaired or learn to sew. Over 150 handmade stuff sacks became proud souvenirs!

The Overnight Bivouac Clinic, held at the Col du Midi, allowed participants to connect with Arc'teryx athletes including Ines Papert, Luka Lindic, Jacob Slot, Conny Zamernik and mountain guide Gian Luck. The two groups of 12 committed mountaineers spent their nights on the glacier in veritable mountain comfort thanks to Hilleberg tents, Optimus stoves and Trek'n Eat food.

VIDEO: Arc'teryx Alpine ArcAdemy 2013:

Friday night's seminar saw 130 people listen to a variety of topics on high altitude medicine, training & navigation in the mountains, and over 300 people took part in Saturday's Alpine Movie Night and Mountain Dinner which was a free social event to inspire and showcase Alpine films; presented by some of the world's top mountain athletes including Nina Caprez and Will Gadd.

The aim of the weekend was to raise awareness about personal responsibility and self-sufficiency in the mountains. The event was sponsored by Arc'teryx, Gore- Tex, Petzl, Scarpa, Suunto and the Compagnie du Mont- Blanc, supported with necessary equipment.

Back Next Year And You Can Come Too

Thanks to the continued success of this event, the Alpine Arc'ademy will be back in Chamonix in 2014.Keep up to dat at www.facebook.com/ARCademy

Arc'teryx Equipment, Inc. is an innovative outerwear and equipment production company based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. With proprietary Canadian manufacturing facilities to test designs and function, products and materials are continually driven forward by passion and performance: evolution in action.

UKClimbing.com and UKHillwalking.com are media sponsors of the Arc'teryx Alpine ArcAdemy.