Mountaineering in Arcerion

Mountaineering or alpinism is an extreme outdoor sport in Arcerion common amongst the population that involves ascending tall mountains or hiking through complex terrain. Mountaineering-related sport includes a wide range of activities, from ice climbing, alpine skiing, helicopter skiing, and traversing glaciers. It also encompasses a smaller range of more recreational activities such as bouldering, indoor rock climbing, sport climbing, and cross country skiing.

Unlike traditional organized league sports in Arcerion, mountaineering and alpine sport lacks a codified set of rules or governing set of laws on proper application of technique. Mountaineers in Arcerion use a variety of techniques, philosophies, technologies, and commonly rely on lived experiences and academic study versus rigorous adherence to rules and set styles. Across Arcerion, predominantly in the South and North (near the respective Aileach and Northumbraeland Mountains) alpine and climbing clubs are organized for people to enjoy activities and learn about the sport.

Mountaineering's close linkage to the natural environment and local ecology intrinsically links it to Arco Determinism, or the guiding cultural doctrine of the Arcer people, wherein ecological protectionism ranks high on mountaineering's list of fundamental principles. Whereas other popular hiking destinations and challenges are littered with trash and garbage, Arcer mountains are regularly cleaned and maintained, with steep fines for the incorrect disposal of waste. Commercially, mountaineering is an expensive sport due to the specific equipment, safety apparatus, and clothing required to successfully summit mountains. This has given rise to many popular clothing and equipment brands in Arcerion such as the Arcer Mountain Gear Company and the Ixnay-wide outdoor brand Northumbraeland.

Early Mountaineering
Arcer explorers during the Arcer era of colonization ventured into the Aileach mountains which loomed over the early colony in Moorden Governorate as early as the start of the 19th century. Exploration and settlement of the mountains was limited due to a lack of equipment, and the majority of expeditions were single-day or short hikes into the foothills that lead up to the mountains. Indigenous peoples in the area had little access to the mountains despite centuries of settlement in those areas, and did not contest the first Arcer settlements to venture into the mountains.

Initial mapping and geographic survey of the mountains was planned as part of the expansion of the Arcer colony Eastward, as the mountains had a significant amount of freshwater springs and streams from which they could support settlement. The Royal Ardmore Institute for Engineering enlisted two local surveyors, John Smythe and Reginald F. Eglington, to begin the surveys and mapping of the Aileach Mountains. Smythe and Eglington are seen as the modern fathers of mountaineering in Arcerion. The pair established some basic sets of equipment needed, techniques, climbing and knot usage (in conjunction with sailors from the fledgling Royal Arcer Naval Service) as well as thicker clothes for the higher altitudes.

The Aileach Mountain Exploration
Smythe and Eglington held several expeditions and over the period of 1814-1833 mapped the entirety of the AIleach Mountains (both the Northern and Southern ranges) and also found significant iron ore deposits, which would serve as much of the impetus for the establishment of Easthampton. The duo also established the Arcer Association of Alpinists (AAA), which began its formative period in a church located in Loughton, a small town at the foothills of the Aileach south of Kurst.

The Association helped to finance, organize, and train new expeditions to mountaineer and climb in Arcerion and other parts of Crona, as the neighbouring nations of Paulastra and The Cape both had large mountain ranges that had yet to be fully explored or in some cases had tall features that had as of the mid-1800s yet to be summited.

Equipment
Overview