An introduction to the adventure

What is Expedition Arcada?

Arcada University of Applied Sciences and 45 students join forces with adventurer Patrick “Pata” Degerman and wheelchair athlete Aron Anderson during spring 2015. The goal is to scale a 300 meter tall, perfectly vertical mountain wall in La Grave, France after months of preparations in Helsinki, Finland.

The expedition is an extensive development project which spurs new ways of thinking regarding innovations and entrepreneurship, supports the participants’ professional and personal development and offers excellent opportunities for networking. The expedition gives all parts involved the opportunity to stand out and to test and develop new products, methods and concepts.

The climbing expedition takes place 7–15 May 2015 in La Grave. About 60 students and experts from Arcada handle everything from cooking and first-aid to media coverage.

EXPEDITION ARCADA IN THE MEDIA

The expedition has caused quite a stir in the media since it’s reveal and it has been featured in various magazines and online publications.

Participants

Our adventurers

Patrick “Pata” Degerman is Finland’s only professional adventurer. He has climbed, skied and paddled every single continent in the world and also named three mountains on his expeditions. Together with our wheelchair-carried athlete Aron Anderson he will take on 300 meters of mountain wall proving that success is only a mindset.

The students who are participating

The 45 participating students from Arcada University of Applied Sciences were hand-picked from a large number of applicants to be part of the team. Every single one of Arcada’s 17 bachelor’s degree programmes are represented and the group consists of everything from physiotherapists, energy and environment engineers and paramedics to business students and occupational therapists – all working together to do something never done before. Everybody has skills in their own field of studies, as well as personal strengths and skills that will contribute to making Finland’s biggest expedition successful. This is a project with focus on co-operation, where we all play a vital part.

La Grave

Offering the most exciting and challenging terrain La Grave can be called the Mecca of extreme and off-piste skiing. It is here, or more precisely to the small village of Villar-de Arêne, that Expedition Arcada sets up its camp during May 9-18 2015. La Grave is a small commune in the Département Hautes-Alpes in southeastern France, located 77 km east of Grenoble. The small ski resort in the French Alps has about 500 inhabitants and is well known for the great off-piste skiing possibilities. The most dominant mountain in La Grave is La Meije, which is 3,982 meters high.

Dictionary

 Figure- eight knot

Paramount to the safety of a climber, a double eight knot prevents the ropes from running out of retaining devices.

 Portalegde tent

A portalegde is a deployable hanging tent for rock climbers who spend their nights on a climbing wall.

 Via Ferrata

Via Ferrata, italian for iron road, is a climbing concept that was developed in Italy during the first world war as a way to easily ferry troops over the alps. After the war, climbing the routes became a popular past time and now you find these routes all over the Alps. A Via Ferrata route consists of steps and handholds usually made out of rebar with a steel wire running along side to stop you from falling. When climbing the route you wear a climbing harness and a special Via Ferrata lanyard that you attach to the steel wire and yourself.

Arcada

Arcada is a multi-professional university of applied sciences (UAS) with campus located in Arabianranta, Helsinki. We offer high quality practice-oriented higher education at both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels as well as further education in Swedish and English in: Business Administration, Sports, Media, Culture, Social- and Health Care, Technology.

At Arcada you become a professional with great prospects for work life. We want to see our students grow in their professional roles and give them the competencies they need for their future work life - we want to take part in moulding and challenging them into the talents of the future. We also educate those who already have entered work life through offering them further education. Arcada co-operates closely with organizations and alumni in order to maintain up-to-date knowledge about the competencies demanded in the industries.

Sponsors

We would like to say a big thank you to our sponsors and co-partners! Expedition Arcada was made possible thanks to their support and shared enthusiasm.