Join us for a collection of events set to educate and inspire you for the Arc'teryx Backcountry Academy, or where ever your next outdoor adventure might take place.
We have a jam-packed line up of Academy Preparation Series events coming your way! Experience the power of community in your backyard - from a women's backcountry snowboarding panel with Arc'teryx ambassadors and athletes to avalanche safety tips and an Academy beer launch party with our friends at Coast Mountain Brewing, we guarantee there's something for everyone to keep you stoked on snow season.
Your skis and board looking tired and ready for a wax? Drop them off at the Arc'teryx Victoria store for a free wax! The best part is, when you pick them up, we're having a party with food, giveaways and music. Come hangout with your local community and mingle with friends, who knows, maybe you'll find a new friend to hit the slopes with!
A beer launch and backcountry safety panel conversation! Join us at the Arc'teryx Whistler Store to help us launch this years Backcountry Academy beer collab with Coast Mountain Brewing - the Yardsale Yeti. Sip the new brew and listen to local Arc'teryx ambassadors share their backcountry wisdom and discuss safety in the snow.
For any inquiries regarding the Arc’teryx Backcountry Academy, please contact backcountryacademy@arcteryx.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
The Arc’teryx Backcountry Academy Team
Æther 5 is a short visual journey of self discovery featuring the snowboarding of Spencer O’Brien. Allowing her mind to tune into the pace of the world around her, she blurs the line between reality and the ethereal. It is an exploration of the ancient concept of æther, the fifth element. The space between matter - a place where light stands still. As a tribute to this theme, every frame on screen was captured directly in-camera, unaltered.
To most skiers in British Columbia, Ts’zil (Mount Currie) is a true gem. The gorgeous mountain looms high above Pemberton and is home to many stories of skiers and snowboarders pushing themselves on the classic lines of its Northwest Face. But while Ts’zil is the backdrop to life in the valley, it’s easy to forget that the history of Ts’zil goes much deeper than what's been skied or snowboarded.
“Slides on the Mountain” follows Talon (17) and Riki (15), two brothers from the Lil’wat Nation, as they decide to ski Ts’zil and set off to learn the skills they need to ride the mountain safely. Their unique personalities shine as we follow them through the winter. Lil'wat elders also shed light on why it's so significant for Lil’wat youth to be able to experience the mountains so deeply entrenched in their culture.
Chief Ian Campbell is a hereditary Chief of the Squamish Nation. He served 16 years as an Elected Councillor and 22 years as a Lead Negotiator for the Squamish Nation. Chief Campbell was instrumental in establishing the Squamish Nations independent environmental assessment of the Woodfibre LNG project, which yielded 25 legally binding environmental conditions and an impact benefit agreement that allows the Squamish Nation to participate as partners for the life of the project. Chief Campbell was also involved in forestry acquisitions, 9 clean energy projects, ski hill development, and major land acquisitions forming substantive partnerships and investments. Chief Campbell has an MBA from Simon Fraser University and is the proud father of four beautiful children.
Tom Peiffer and Eric Carter are both world-class competitive skiers—but in completely opposite disciplines of skiing: Eric is a former US National Team skimo race athlete, and Tom is a former Freeride World Tour competitor. And yet, as they have progressed beyond competition in their respective disciplines, their paths have converged.As they set out together in search of rarely skied descents, they find strength in their differences, and come to understand that there’s more to a successful partnership in big terrain than meets the eye.
In today’s era of outdoor adventure sports where social media followers, engagement and ‘likes’ have shaped the industry, an important question remains unanswered: If a snowboarder rides a steep, exposed line in the Whistler backcountry and no one sees it or hears it, did it really happen? Joe Lax would put this age-old philosophical debate to rest— “Who cares”?
A 44-year-old Pemberton local, Lax has created a life defined by snowboarding, family and wildfire. Despite his accolades in the mountains, leaving his mark on the iconic lines of British Columbia that have defined an industry, you’ve likely never heard of him. And he’s happy to keep it that way.
From rubbish to resource, a tent was assembled from 137 unrepairable jackets. The kaleidoscope of colour is a creation from material well used and deserving of more life. Exploring the possibilities of circularity, Michelle Parker, Elena Hight, Spencer O’Brien, Lucy Sackbauer, Robin Van Gyn, and Tatum Monod take the tent on a winter journey in its new form, creating their own memories and moments with its walls.
