I met Noël at Tuolumnethe eastern region of Yosemite, in 2016 during a climbing trip with a friend. His mental game on the Tuolumne domes was just as inspiring as his love and respect for his fellow climbers. When I discovered his current job as a guide in Inuviknear his hometown of Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories in Canada, I wanted to know more about what growing up in the Arctic was like and how it influenced his climbing. Instead of a regular training regiment, Noel works in the wilderness of the Northwest Territories, teaching its indigenous way of life, culture and traditions. He says he continues to get out and enjoys one long climbing trip a year, preferably filled with adventurous big walls. Noel’s climbing strength comes not from a climbing gym or even a hangboard, but from a pure love of the sport and the land, as well as a joy in problem-solving and overcoming obstacles. The efforts made in this direction are inspiring!
Hometown: Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, California
Age: 31
Years of climbing: 12
Preferred climbing style: crack
Favorite climb: Triple Direct, El Capitan C2 5.8, Yosemite Valley, California, USA, Grade VI
Favorite Cliff Food: Classic PB&J (preferably all-natural crunchy peanut butter and multigrain bread)
Favorite traditional festival: jamborees, every community has one, resulting in weekly jamborees in the Northwest Territories throughout the spring.
What was it like growing up in the Arctic?
I am part of the Inuvialuit. I grew up in the traditional Eskimo lifestyle, hunting and fishing on the Arctic tundra. It’s a tough environment and we travel to different camps to hunting and fishing. During school, our vacations coincided with hunting and fishing periods, so we didn’t miss any school (K-12). Nowadays, vacations are the same as in the south, so there are many students who miss school during harvest times. I don’t remember the age I started hunting because it happened when my mother raised me here after I was born in Calgary, Alberta. We were always on dry land because that was all we knew. The camps we have and where we go are not very far; along the coast, only about 25 kilometers from the city, and inland we travel about 70 kilometers. Summers were our longest stay on earth, most of which was spent in our camps.
How did you get into climbing?
My first climbing experience was indoor bouldering, then a day outside with a Outward course. After that I made a NOLS semester in the southwest in 2007, which is when I really started. Since then, I’ve pretty much been doing it.
How did growing up in the Arctic influence your climbing?
In Arctic hunting, there are a lot of obstacles that can arise and I find that this is also true in climbing: when you are on top of your piece and you have to stay calm and make decisions. The weather, especially in the Arctic, can change very quickly and so I have had to deal with unexpected blizzards. We learn to accept these obstacles because we have no choice, it is our way to survive. Likewise, when we climb an escape route, we usually need to keep going, staying focused so we can solve the problems. Sometimes a snowmobile or boat broke down during a hunting trip and the problem had to be resolved. While climbing, sometimes you drop something; you have poor quality rock; or gear malfunctions; and you need to stay calm, understand and keep moving forward.
Noel on the southeast buttress of Cathedral Peak, 5.6, Grade II, in Tuolumne, California. Photo by Kaybe Loughran.
What about wildlife? Do you see this as one of your dangers in the Arctic?
Mmm not so much. We’ve never had truly close encounters, but we also don’t see ourselves as so separate from other living things. In our culture, we all share the land, so we are not as afraid of animals.
How did you leave home?
I felt privileged to grow up the way I did. Honestly, I don’t think my life has changed much. I had to go to school at Northland College in Ashland, WI, USA, which is surrounded by three Ojibwa tribes. I learned a lot from them and shared my culture in return. In the NOLS courses I have taught, I have been able to teach traditional methods of navigation and tell stories from my childhood. I feel lucky to have grown up the way I did and even luckier to be able to learn more from others and share my story. Many people my age stayed home, got married, and started families. There is also a lot of alcoholism in my community. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to share my traditions, learn, and be able to offer more to my community now that I have lived far away.
You seem to enjoy learning from others just as much as you enjoy celebrating your own culture, could you expand on this?
Yes, as a small tribe we learn that we can’t really be isolated. To survive we have to share and learn from each other, that’s why I love learning from others. native people and others in general. Staying open, sharing and learning is key to our survival as a people.
What do you think about the current state of climbing? I would say that the average climber these days tends to have a very different mindset than your traditional values.
I tend to be a very pure climber, but if there’s a safer way to do something than before, I’d rather do it that way. I really enjoy my life and would like to continue living it, so minimizing risk makes sense to me.
When it comes to purism, what is your opinion on crack gloves? Cheating? Climbing help?
I have no problem with anti-crack gloves. I don’t think they are cheating. If it’s between using and throwing away a lot of tape or using anti-crack gloves, gloves make sense. I just haven’t found a pair that fits me very well.
Are you having trouble finding climbing partners you can relate to?
I think part of it comes from a small group, native community, as I said before, is that we learn to accept people as they are. I’m grateful for all my climbing partners and we’re bound to disagree on something from time to time. In a community of hunters and fishermen too, we learn to share and be generous. If someone has a tool that is malfunctioning and we see it on the trail, we will offer them a replacement part that we might have. If their equipment breaks, we’ll help them repair it. In the Arctic, we are all in this together. I see climbing partnerships in a very similar way.
What are you currently working on in your hometown?
I worked for three years as a guide for Northern Tundra Toursan Inuit adventure tourism company sharing the Arctic experience with all kinds of people. I now have a programming position for Déchintaan institution that offers land-based programs to university students. These programs bring students onto the land and teach traditional skills and the history of the region.
In addition to introducing your community and culture to other groups, do these programs help support local people in other ways?
These guide services hire a lot of local staff, so money goes back into the community.
Is there rock climbing in Inuvik?
Not really… There’s potential but it looks pretty shabby. Chossy, overgrown… I want to do some development in the future but it would take a lot of work. I considered turning old tin cans (basically shipping containers used on boats) into rock caves. I think it would be pretty cool to get more locals into rock climbing because it’s a fun activity and good exercise.
Do you have any climbing goals or aspirations for the next couple of years?
I hope to go back down to Yosemite in the spring to climb big walls again, but climbing, in general, is something I hope to continue doing at least once a year.