Marc-Andrew Leclerc is a rock climber who lives in Squamish, BC. Known for his first ascents in the Fraser Valley and his spot on slab climbing skills, Squamish Climbing Magazine had a chance to catch up with him before he left on his second trip to Patagonia.
SO MARC, Where are yo headed for your next adventure?
I’m headed down to Argentina in early December. I’m going to spend some time alone in the North of the country, in the province of Mendoza, to see how I react to altitude, then I will head south, passing through Bariloche on the way to Southern Patagonia and the Fitz Roy area. I’m pretty psyched to climb in the Torres again particularly.
Over the past few years, you have made a push into alpine climbing. What made you want to expand you climbing repetiore?
Well, I actually started scrambling and peak bagging when I was about 11 years old, around the same time I was into indoor and competitive climbing. I got into rock climbing outside and bouldering later on when I was about 14 because I needed to learn the skills to climb more technical mountains. I’ve pretty much always climbed in the alpine to some degree, but took a break when I moved to Squamish and basically only rock climbed and partied for a while. I got back into the mountains pretty hard again in the summer of 2013, I just needed to have wild adventures again and hanging around town wasn’t cutting it.
Anyone out there show you the ropes first time around?
Way back when I was 14, my buddy had just gotten his license and we would try to climb a mountain almost every weekend. We were super sketchy, soloing awful volcanic choss, or belaying each other without anchors and hammering in the occasional garbage piton. We more or less just improvised, and survived it. Later on I went on some trips with alpine clubs and learned some basics through that, then my friend Matt took me out on my first ever ice climb and we continued climbing together, making a couple first ascents along the way. Don Serl also taught me a lot about ice and alpine climbing when I was 15 and 16. At that point I started going climbing whether I had a partner or not, I soloed the North Face of Cheam Peak when I was 16 and I guess that was the start of all these shenanigans.
Have you been doing anything specific to train for this upcoming trip?
I’ve just been trying to get more fit and tolerant to rugged conditions. I’ve been doing lots of uphill running and hiking, strength training, rock climbing, mixed climbing and stuff. Mountaineering in gnarly conditions is fun, bringing the ski goggles and soloing stuff in heinous weather, getting shut down lots but sometimes pulling it off. Adjusting to unpleasant weather goes a long way, building up the ability to go outside in the cold and wet in a t-shirt and not be too bothered by it seems useful.
Any grueling stories last time around?
Last year, when we were approaching the base of the Mariposa, after a week of jungle thrashing, I offered to carry the biggest bag up to moraine to the foot of the wall. It was an 80 liter bag packed to the tits with climbing gear and ropes. Paul took off up the moraine with his light pack and at some point a rock rolled under one of my feet and I fell over, squashed by the enormous pack. Paul was too far ahead to hear my calls for help and I was just glued to the rocks, face pressed into the gravel, feeling pretty shitty for a while. Eventually I got the buckles undone and managed to roll the pack off of myself and get up, put it back on and finish the approach. Not a heroic story, but pretty damn funny when I think back to it now!
Is there anything you left behind last year that you are definitely taking this year?
I think I will try to bring a solar panel this time, so I can listen to tunes at base camp without all my batteries running out all the time. I’m bringing my girl friend this time too, which is extra deluxe!
Marc-Andre is sponsered by Arteryx, DMM, La Sportiva, and Maxim Ropes.
