Reaching new heights
Aric Fishman says rock climbing is the most addictive thing he’s ever done.
Finding the perfect foothold in the crook of a sandstone wall and reaching with chalked hands for nearby crack or ledge are second nature to the experienced climber.
Fishman is the owner and founder of Outdoors Skills and Thrills, an outdoor rock and ice climbing service in Thunder Bay.
“The scene here is very small in Thunder Bay. It’s a very adventurous type of climbing community, but it’s growing,” Fishman said.
Fishman runs climbing clinics in various parts of the area including Pass Lake, Silver Harbour, and the bluffs. Outdoor Skills and Thrills offers climbing clinics for beginners, top-rope anchors courses, and lead climbing courses, among others.
With 15 years of guiding experience under his belt, or rather, his harness, Fishman founded Outdoor Skills in January 2015.
“This area deserves it, and I fell in love with this place. So I wanted to bring the guiding to people here,” he said.
For a first time climber, the experience of scaling the face of untouched rock is thrilling:
The touch of warm rock, the smell of lush forest, the sound of encouraging cheers from climbers below, the sight of the next ledge only inches out of reach, and the taste of chalk blowing off your hands in the cool breeze.
Fishman said clinic participants are eager to return after testing out their skills on the rock.
“You do it once and it’s almost as if you can’t help but come back. Every single person has been ecstatic, just loving life,” he said.
“It’s amazing how people feel after climbing. It’s like all of a sudden you’re on top of the world. There is no barrier you can’t overcome if you just try. It’s just about trying.”
Aside from the exhilaration of climbing, Fishman said the sport has inspired incredible changes in his life.
“It has taken my life to a certain direction that I just can’t see myself without. The people are amazing,” he said.
During his many yeas of rock and ice climbing, Fishman has traveled to isolated destinations in search of optimal climbing spots.
“If I wasn’t a climber and I went on a vacation I might go to a museum or a coffee shop, versus the top of a mountain. So it’s the lifestyle that is really unique,” he said.
With the climbing community beginning to grow in Thunder Bay, Fishman said he is hopeful for the future of outdoor climbing in the area.
“Myself and some other key folk are developing a lot of really good routes that are going to be accessible to everybody,” he said.
Fishman said he has taken children as young as six years old rock climbing, and adults as old as 85. He added rock climbing is an accessible sport to all age groups and physical abilities.
“I really would tell anybody that has even thought about trying it to just commit to it, to just try it once,” he said.
“There are no barriers. You just have to go out and enjoy life.”
Originally published in the Chronicle-Journal on May 30, 2015.
