Arc’teryx, Canadian-based high performance outdoor apparel brand, is expanding its trail running involvement in 2026, and beyond. While the brand’s known extensively in skiing and climbing circles, it’s only just beginning to gain recognition in trail running communities.
With trail running-specific shoes and an increasing offerings of lightweight, breathable, and all-condition crafted apparel, Arc’teryx is bringing a variety of mountain sports innovations to trail running. World renowned professional trail runners including Jazmine Lowther and Emma Cook-Clarkeare pioneering these products in their training and racing as a part of the growing international Arc’teryx “mountain running” team.
In the following Q/A style interview, I chat with Adam Campbell, Canadian trail running and ski mountaineering legend and manager of the Arc’teryx mountain running team. Campbell shares his insights about building the team, selecting athletes, and the growing place of the brand in the trail running community.
PROTIP: Read our review of Arc’teryx products by ATRA “Gear Wrangler” Sarah Barber here.
[TAYTE] You’ve been involved with Arc Tery’x since 2006. Take us through what it was like first joining the team. How has the brand transformed your own journey as a trail runner?
[ADAM CAMPBELL] It’s wild to think how long I’ve been with the brand now. I had just finished my first year trail running and cold called them as a brand asking if they had considered getting into trail running. They responded a few weeks later and invited me into a meeting, where I met some designers working on some early prototypes. I gave them some feedback on the product, and they handed me an athlete contract, so my career as a trail runner and mountain athlete has grown in parallel with the brand. It has also led to me having a career shift to working with the brand team and product creation team, so it has impacted various areas of my life.
In terms of my progression as a runner and athlete, through the athlete team I have met some of the best mountain athletes in the world. It has changed me from seeing myself as purely a runner to someone who interacts with the mountain in different mediums including climb, ski mountaineering, alpinism and running – the synergy of moving light and fast in the mountains is where my passion now lies. I don’t think I would have had the same skill development had I not been brought into the athlete fold.
[TAYTE] What makes an Arc’teryx athlete? How do you decide among the many great athletes who to sponsor?
[ADAM] The brand works incredibly closely with our athletes on product development and line planning. We want to make sure that the athletes have access to the right tools for the job and that we are evolving our products at a similar pace and direction in which the sports are evolving. Our athlete team also has a motto that “better people make better athletes,” so they support us in a very holistic way – providing mental health support, physical support, as well as the usual financial and product support. That holistic, long-term, view of the athlete journey allows you to have a much more stable foundation to be able to pursue your wilder objectives. We also learn and work with athletes who are good people – my measure when thinking about which athletes would make a good teammate is “who would I want to go into the mountains with? Are they fun, skilled, creative, safe, are they good communicators? Would they still be doing this if they weren’t sponsored” those are the main criteria I look at.
[TAYTE] In the wide world of endurance/mountain sports, why do you think trail running is something Arc’teryx should continue to focus on and put more energy and attention into?
[ADAM] Aside from being the best sport in the world, it is a very accessible way for people to interact with the mountains and nature. It doesn’t take a lot of specialized gear or technical know-how. We focus a lot on trying to encourage people to get into nature and trail running is an excellent vehicle for that. I also think that the more performance-oriented side of the sport can inform a lot of the brand. Super critical foams are starting to appear in hiking shoes and climbing approach shoes, the needs of grip and traction of the shoes have a similar impact. I also think that the high output needs of runners can impact how we make base layers for ski touring for instance – ultimately it keeps pushing the brand to evolve and push performance boundaries, which is what Arc’teryx has always been about.
[TAYTE] With backgrounds also in climbing and skiing, how has Arc’teryx harnessed its background in these disciplines to bring new and exciting ideas to trail running?
[ADAM] No one does outerwear quite like Arc’teryx. I believe we have the best assortment of rain and cold weather run gear on the market. Our footwear team are also learning a lot about patterning and the complex notion of stripping away and elegance in design from our apparel team. Conversely, our apparel team is also learning a lot from our footwear team about their approach to design, testing and development. We talk a lot at Arc’teryx about the system of dress, which is critical for mountain pursuits, so our footwear team informs our apparel needs, but sometimes our apparel may inform a footwear choice as well.
[TAYTE] What is it like managing the athlete team as an accomplished athlete yourself? What have you learned about yourself and the sport from these connections?
[ADAM] I love how fast the sport is progressing. Athletes are getting so much faster and dialled these days, the sport as a whole is getting more professional. We have some athletes on the team who are just damn good in the mountains. It’s a treat for me to be invited on missions with them and I learn so much from them. From my end, I try to act as a mentor to them, honestly more from a long-term planning and life role, to be a sounding board when they have hard choices to make around contracts and which events or projects to focus on. I also try to help them figure out what to say no to and to follow a path that makes their heart sing and be by their side through injuries, break ups, bad races and celebrate their successes too.
[TAYTE] What future involvement can we expect from Arc’teryx in the USA?
[ADAM] Trail and mountain running are big areas and opportunities for growth for us as a brand. We are looking at increasing our athlete team, our presence at races and support for grassroots programs in the US and globally. It’s a very exciting time for Arc’teryx in this space.
