Edmonton Woman Magazine Online

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Heading for the top - Mountain climbing: an art and a joy

By Louise Schutte

“In climbing mountains, I found ways to overcome obstacles within myself.” – Marilyn Mason.

Whether it is the highest mountain in Canada, the highest peak in Africa, or the highest mountain on Earth, women are there to climb it. So, why do we do it? One woman that I spoke to summed it up in a nutshell. Janet Greidanus, who climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp five years ago, says, “Climbing a mountain is a metaphor for life. Each of us has our own personal mountain to climb, whether it is cancer or a divorce, or another of life’s challenges.” In her essay The Hero(ine)’s Journey, she writes, “What I felt was a call that originated in a place deep within me, a call to begin a search for something that is very difficult to name or explain.”

Recorded climbs by women mountaineers date back to 1799.

Mountaineering seemingly has changed in modern times. Our generation has the benefit of retailers who can assist with proper attire whereas pioneering women climbers found creative ways to deal with the cumbersome traditional garb of the time.

Some women would rig up a pulley system of rings sewn into their skirt – with strings threaded through the rings. They would pull on the strings to hike up the skirt. Others would wear trousers under the skirt and ditch their outer layer under a log at the first available opportunity, retrieving it upon descent.

With that history, it is hard to believe that in 1965, one female climber, Arlene Blum, was told upon applying to join an Alaskan expedition that, “women did not have the physical strength or the emotional stability to climb high mountains.”

The concept that mindset may be equally as important as physicality has become more prevalent, however. Professional women athletes and other strong role models are providing encouragement for women who are starting to climb.

So, it is no wonder we are heading up everything from climbing walls and cliff faces to the Himalayas in larger numbers than ever before. Banff-based Yamnuska Mountain Adventures reports an increase in the number of women participating in its ice climbing and some mountaineering programs in recent years.

According to Abby Watkins of Alala Women’s Mountain Adventures, “getting started in either rock climbing or mountaineering can seem daunting for anyone. If you have experienced friends who can take you out, that can be a way to start.”

But she cautions against “just going out with anyone” – “It’s difficult for a beginner to decipher true experience from bravado, so I would suggest taking a course to begin with, just to find out what safe practice is all about.”

Alala Women’s Mountain Adventures also offers beginning courses in both mountaineering and rock climbing. Their courses are taught for women, by women, “to encourage women to thrive in an environment built for them to learn in.”

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures also offers beginner programs such as: Introduction to Mountaineering, Snow and Ice Long Weekend, Basic Ice, and Outdoor Intro.

Whether they are scaling a rock face, climbing a wall of ice, or trekking up a mountain trail, something motivates these women to do it.

Rob Davidson of Yamnuska says that motivators include sense of adventure, personal growth, challenge, and enjoyment of the environment.

Phyllis James Munday, a pioneering mountaineer, referred to modern climbers as “rock monkeys…hanging on a string for hours and hours feeling around for something.” Phyl, as she was known, was one of the trailblazers of her time.

The source of each woman’s drive to climb the mountain may be different, but there is definitely something driving all of them.

Greidanus was going on 55 when something she heard at a wedding shower motivated her to climb. Each of the guests told a little about themselves in the way of introduction. When one woman said that she had climbed to Everest Base Camp, Greidanus was astonished. That revelation planted the seed for her desire to climb to Base Camp as well.

Abby Watkins states that, “Women have always had the ability, but in the past, only a few women realized that it was an option for them. Climbing a mountain takes courage and perseverance, skill and fitness. To climb a mountain safely is an art and a joy. This is why I climb mountains.”