Tonight marks the opening of the 2017 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival and this year the festival is kicking things off with a presentation by local climber and alpinist, Marc Andre Leclerc. Over the past five years, Marc has pushed himself into the world of leading alpinism, with a number of free ascents both at home and abroad including the first ascent of Reverse Torre Traverse in Patagonia and the first winter free ascent of the Northeast. Humble is his personality and approach to the mountains Marc’s stories always light up the spirit of adventure in their listeners.
Photo courtesy of Marc-Andre Leclerc ©
We had a chance to catch up with Marc this week and here is what he had to say.
Hi Marc, looking forward to you presentation tonight! You have spent most of this winter in the Fraser Valley this year. Why choose to stay local this winter and what are some of your objectives over the winter?
I’ve been looking forward to being local for a whole winter for a couple years. I’ve finally built up the needed skills to travel and climb here in the winter, something I’ve wanted to do for much of my life, so I’m really happy to be at home climbing in winter. Not a lot of winter alpine climbing happens here, its trickier than one might expect. I get pretty burned out on traveling too, its nice to just stick around one place for a while.
Lets talk about Slesse because from what I understand you were looking for some folks help with some heavy lifting. What is going on up there?
I was seeing if any stoked skiers wanted to come tour with me up there, to share the trail breaking, because I needed to eventually move a bunch of gear up there. In the end two friends came out and we punched in a track to ‘base camp’. I have number of projects up there depending on weather and conditions, so its nice to have all my equipment stashed below the wall
The last presentation you gave around here was in Squamish and some of your tails are just harrowing! Is it true that you often travel in the mountains without a watch, a phone, or any electronic device?
I wouldn’t say that I never use electronics. Just that one time on Robson, I had no electronics and didn’t bother to looks for any. Usually, I have some sort of alarm to wake up early for alpine starts, but its true that I never carry a communication device. The idea is to get away from all that stuff, I don’t have a cellular plan anyways, I like to be a bit out of touch. I go by a self-rescue mandatory policy, its part of the risk of traveling in remote mountain areas.
I have heard you talk about waiting at the base of a mountain and just waiting and talking to the mountain before deciding to go for it. What is the relationship you share with the mountains and has this relationship changed over time?
I don’t talk to the mountains in a literal way but I do listen for clues that might tell me whether or not it is the right time to get on a route. Its a figurative thing, listening for clues, and looking inwards to see if the motivation is right before a big climb. My relationship with the mountains has certainly changed, I feel at home in wild remote spaces. I see the mountains as a place to interact with nature, to appreciate my smallness, rather than a stage to perform my sport.
Would you say that it is a spiritual side of the mountain that you are communicating to or is it a mutual respect between two things?
Like I said its not a literal communication. Its almost more of an internal conflict within the mind of the climber. The mountain simply provides the medium and speaks through its clues. Its part of alpinism, analyzing these clues and acting accordingly.
As you push the sport of alpinism/climbing, do your objectives grow bigger and bigger or have you ever had times where you struggle with motivation?
My objectives change a lot in nature. Often times, I just like to be moving in the mountains, with no hard climb in mind, just moving and exploring. After some hard climbs the motivation dips, one needs to know when to take a break. There is no point in obligating yourself to pursue hard climbs unless the motivation is genuine. So it ebbs and flows accordingly.
Finally, what is in store for you this year and what are you really looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to staying in Canada until August then going back to South America until January. I like being in one place for a long time, as opposed to constantly moving from place to place. This allows me to explore the nuances of a place rather than just scratching the surface before moving on. Brette (Harrington) gets back from Patagonia in a couple of weeks and to be honest, I’m looking forward to spending time with her more than I look forward to any climb.
Thanks a lot for your time Marc! We are very much looking forward to your presentation tonight (and Brette’s next week!).
For tickets for Opening Night at the VIMFF, please visit the VIMFF website or click on the banner to your right!
