Climbing: A Woman's World

Louise was hooked by the sport after spending a summer season in the Alps although she saw one downside:

‘it was boring being the only girl in the hut’. While being surrounded by men is not something girls normally complain about, it isn’t necessarily the best environment for women to develop their climbing ability, something Louise realized after attending a women-only climbing course.

‘Not only was it fun to climb with other women but they gave each other incredible encouragement and support without being competitive.’ And so Mountain Girl was born, bringing together a group of experienced female guides – ‘who are both mentor and coach’ – to introduce more women to the joys and exciting challenges of climbing.

But don’t you need to be tough and fearless to climb? Louise doesn’t think so, ‘Climbing isn’t about being hardcore or how hard you climb. It’s about finding the beauty in the climb.’ In fact Louise believes that women can benefit from having less brute force to use when they climb, ‘they develop better technique instead. Rock climbing isn’t just about being big and strong.’ But how does a wannabe rock chick get started? We asked Louise for some tips. Her most important one? ‘Stay safe, laugh a lot and have fun.’

Climbing tips

Starting out

• Join a local climbing wall and take a course to learn in safety

• Don’t be put off by fear. Learn to separate the irrational ‘I’m going to die’ from the rational ‘a rope and a partner I trust equals good protection’

• When you buy equipment, get a drop-back harness.

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