Gord McArthur Retires from World Cup Competitions
Gord McArthur has established hard new climbs and represented Canada on the world stage for over a decade.
He’s placed top-five at World Cups, was the North American Ice Champion, is the top ranked Canadian ice comp climber and climbed the world’s first D16 last year.
He announced his retirement from the World Cup circuit on social media on Feb. 22. Read full statement below.
For the last 10 years or so, I’ve devoted a lot of myself to World Cup Ice climbing competition. It’s been a passion of mine that’s led me all over the world. From country to country, climbing on structures that look like they came from outer space, experiencing things that dreams were made of.
Walking along the great wall of China, walking the streets of Venice, storming the castles of Switzerland and even going to the Olympics to represent a sport a love. The food, people, cultures and the like, memories that will last a life time.
I was introduced to the scene by a dear friend, and soon became part of a family that will always be close to my heart. Whether Korean, French, Russian, Austrian, Romanian, Italian, Swiss, Iranian, American, from Finland, Poland, the Ukraine, Japan, China, Britain, Scotland and even Denmark, the friends along the way will forever be part of me.
I’m so grateful for the relationships that came from such a wild scene. The motivation you all gave me to seek out “my best,” you’re all so incredible. Beers shared, parties like no other, trains, planes and automobiles. I’ll never forget the craziness of it all.
I feel as though I accomplished many of my goals: North American Champion twice in a row, being the first North American/Canadian in 13 or so years to break the top-five and take fourth place finish at a World Cup, climbing at some of the craziest venues on the planet, trying hard and learning much about training, myself and what it takes to compete at a high level and it was awesome.
But now it’s time to move on. It’s time to change direction and pursue climbing in different way. And I’m OK with that. It’s hard with change, but at the same time exciting to see what lays ahead.
I’m so grateful for those who came along the way. Friends, my family, teammates, coaches and sponsors. You gave me the ability to chase dreams when dreams were supposed to be impossible. But we did it. We lived it, went for it, and we found some success. I’ll be forever in your debt for never stopping the belief you had in me.
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