Fay Manners writes about the women in climbing who have inspired her and how 'you can't be what you can't see' when it come to female participation in climbing and mountaineering...

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My lungs drawing in cold, thin air at the summit.

My body warming from the rays of the late night sun.

My eyes soaking in the vista, an endless horizon of snow-laden peaks.

My brain focused on the next step.

The mountains and I have shared many magic moments. They don't judge, and they don't care about my gender. This is my place. 

It wasn't until I was in my 20s when I found my passion for mountaineering.

Skiing wasn't available to me in the southern flatlands of the UK and trudging around in the bogs of the Brecon Beacons was definitely not appealing. I took part in the 'Duke of Edinburgh' award, but it couldn't expose me to what turned out to be the most drawing aspects of mountaineering. The younger me saw it as the preserve of white, bearded, middle-class blokes shuffling around on snow or yuppies on their annual show-off tour!

I suppose that, while growing up, if you are not exposed to a thing, you can't know about it—you can't be what you can't see. I had no exposure to mountain sports or alpinism. Social media was in its infancy and indoor climbing walls were few and far between. Role models in these sports were not even on my radar. It was finding a bouldering wall in New York that sowed the seed of mountaineering for me and this has driven the course of my life ever since.

Now I truly appreciate the mountains, both their intrinsic awe-inspiring beauty and the beauty of the challenge they present to us. I see mountaineering as a physical and mental battle that requires you to be some kind of super-human Swiss Army knife; to have perseverance, courage and adaptability; to venture beyond comfort and into a beautiful unknown.

While it seems other climbing disciplines have moved on from the male dominated days of 20+ years ago, mountaineering hasn't quite kept pace. Given the course that my life has taken, this is truly surprising to me. I now know that mountaineering isn't just a man's game. I am proof of that. But why do I feel like I am in a minority? What is it that has kept females away from this sport and what has caused so few females to take up mountaineering? 

By sharing my personal experiences, I hope that I might influence young girls across the UK to try mountaineering. I also hope that by spotlighting some current mountaineers who inspire me that there can be more recognised role models at both an elite and grassroots level. I believe mountaineering should be an accessible and equal sport for anyone. 

Mountaineering and its hidden allure

In a modern world where we value a quick win, the endurance nature of mountaineering seems to attract few people. To climb a mountain with a mixture of rock, snow and ice, there are no shortcuts—you have to gain a lot of experience. Getting out in reliable conditions and stable weather when you only have the weekends becomes a boring waiting game when you are young and you do not have any patience!

And then comes the imbalance of gender in the sport. Once I began climbing and skiing, I perceived myself as being too weak to carry heavy rucksacks on technical terrain. It would be too cold for me to sleep on summits in the harshness of winter, surely, and if I were to venture out into wilderness then I should have a male partner to protect me! A lot of these preconceptions were just stereotype-ingrained feelings, but they all amounted to considerable discouragement. 

I found a deeper curiosity and excitement for mountaineering during one of my first visits to North Wales. I have fond memories of climbing with my friends who lived there and knew the local mountaineering like the back of their hand. We hiked up grassy paths and across rocky streams, scrambling along airy ridges and climbing (sometimes wet) chimneys and corners placing traditional protection. At this point, I was doing more than hiking in the hills, I was combining a variety of skills I had learnt to take me off the beaten path into more adventurous terrain. 

Fortunately, I had some women to look to for inspiration. Katy Whittaker and Emma Twyford are admirable female climbers; both have climbed bold, technical traditional routes with little protection. One of the most powerful aspects of climbers like them is that they are approachable and disarmingly honest. I was able to relate to them both inside and outside the climbing bubble. Those who didn't read climbing magazines at the time wouldn't know they were the UKs most impressive female climbers! These iconic individuals have played their part in why there is now such a surge in women traditional climbing in North Wales. This season, the climbing scene there is buzzing with female climbers pushing their limits.

This boom hasn't been limited to the more popular "standard" venues either. There have been regular female ascents of routes off the beaten track and on the bigger, more remote venues too. A local friend of mine described witnessing an "army of bra-top crushers" during a day out at The Diamond (Wales' premier Limestone crag).

North Wales sparked the fire for mountaineering in my belly and all I could think about next was skiing! The European Alps were on my radar and Chamonix, the mecca of alpinism, in particular was the obvious next step! I quickly realised on moving there that the skiing was different to other resorts I had been to. With high consequence, steep slopes and unforgiving terrain, it is not an easy place to develop in skiing. Uncountable days on the slopes above Chamonix have taught me how to ski with a heavy rucksack, how to handle difficult snow conditions and navigate difficult glaciers (even in the dark!). Chamonix also enabled me to learn slab and crack climbing on granite. I followed the adventures of Hazel Findlay, who was living there at the time, already climbing routes I aspired to climb myself.

Learning to be a mountaineer wasn't easy, it was a long, uphill struggle with my fair share of epics: poor route finding, getting lost in whiteouts, cold, unplanned bivy nights in the toilets of the Aiguille du Midi station and watching my skis disappear down the mountain without me on them resulting in a 7-hour hike out.

My perception that I would be unable to mountaineer, especially in an all-female team, changed for me recently when I realised that my strongest Alpine climbing partners were women! Last year I partnered with women to climb some of the biggest routes I have ever done, shattering my previous, stereotyped beliefs.

Climbing the Phantom Direct on the south face of the Grandes Jorasses as the first female ascent team with Line van den Berg is the pinnacle of 2022 for me! At 1,600m it is the longest and most serious winter mixed climb of the Mont Blanc massif. Not only was it a committing line on a serious mountain but also a complete unknown with regard to conditions and route finding.

At 1,800m of vertical height, Eiger-Nordwand is one of the tallest, steepest, and most renowned North faces in the Alps, recognised even by non-climbers. I had dreamt for years about climbing the Eiger and standing below the face it looked so intimidating, but despite less than ideal conditions, I was confident I was up to the challenge. Once again, I managed to climb it with Line van den Berg.

The Cassin Ridge is over 6,000m and one of the most sought-after big mountain Alpine climbs in the world. Arctic-like cold and a difficult retreat made this climb an intrepid feat for my partner Michelle Dvorak and me. However, we managed to climb it as the first female ascent this season. We pulled sleds with enough equipment and food for 21 days, making it the heaviest and most grueling approach to a climb I have ever done. 

You can't be what you can't see

The hard truth is that "you can't be what you can't see". 

Although later in life I became familiar with the high-performing female climbers I have previously mentioned, this small circle was limited to rock climbing and didn't extend to the realm of mountaineering. Of course I had looked up to Alison Hargreaves and Julie Tullis, who were all-rounders and impressive mountaineers at the time. However, they had very limited press regarding their accomplishments and their efforts were of such a scale of apparent grandeur that I couldn't relate to nor imagine myself doing anything similar. 

There are a few inspirational European female alpinists: Catherine Destivelle soloed the North Face of Eiger and climbed the American Direct on the Dru at 17 years old. Ines Papert won the overall UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup, men and women combined, and has opened up new hard routes around the world. However, as Europeans they are less relatable to UK residents. 

In the UK, Helen Rennard, who is based in Fort William and who has 20 years of experience in Scottish winter climbing, has put up numerous new routes including a grade VIII. But Helen hasn't seen the recognition she deserves and so most younger female aspiring mountaineers in the UK are unlikely to have heard of her. 

Indoor climbing as an Olympic sport has given us exposure and brought encouragement and improved opportunities for people, male or female, who wish to take up up the sport. Everyone is facing numerous challenges right now and we all need to be aware of our environmental impact, however I believe alpinism can be an outlet for these pressures, no matter where you do it: North Wales, Scotland, the Alps, Alaska, anywhere.

The encouragement, inspiration and enlightenment to pursue mountaineering as a recreational sport can come from elite athletes, but the motivation to continue is often inspired further through hearing stories about doing things that are relatable and within reach of amateur but determined and skilled climbers. Brands are increasingly supporting spotlighting budding female climbers and mountaineers. 

Freja Shannon started climbing in Chamonix aged 19. Having grown up by the sea cliffs of Burren on the west coast of Ireland, she fondly talks of how incredibly wild and pure Irish traditional climbing is. This winter we ice climbed the Hydnefossen in Norway and in spring we climbed the North Face of the Dru via the American Direct, where she impressively freed every pitch with ease. At the time of writing, you will find her climbing in Bohuslan in Sweden cruising up E8 granite cracks. 

Rachel Pearce recently climbed the classic Lord of the Flies E6 on Dinas Cromlech. She told me that she had always considered this beyond her capability, but that a video of Jude Spanken gracefully climbing it gave her the final push to try it herself. For me, this demonstrates that seeing pictures and hearing stories of other girls climbing interesting routes (not necessarily groundbreaking ones) are so important for motivation. 

Go out and find your place

There might be a peculiar reticence amongst aspiring and leading female alpinists from the UK in particular to set a trend. It takes courage, commitment and a steadfast love of your chosen sport to be an influence on the next generation. All of my adventures in the Alps were hard-won, with failures along the way, routes being out of condition and/or some other eventuality that didn't always result in success on the day.

We need to show young girls in the UK that there is sublime beauty and reward in mountaineering, and that they can do more than walking in hills in the rain—if they have the desire and encouragement to just give it a try. We need to support more girls from indoor climbing to go outdoors. Having just one elite inspirational female role model might not be enough—it could be more effective to have ten aspirational athletes to make the sport more attainable to a broader range of young girls.

It all starts with us

Time, discipline, and motivation from other women has without doubt propelled me to the successes I have enjoyed. While I have focused largely on female empowerment throughout this article, I must also acknowledge that there have been many males who have spurred me on, shared a rope with me and imparted their love of the sport to me. They too are amazing role models and an inspiration to everyone of any gender. I am fortunate to be part of a friendly, supportive climbing community.  The high level of climbing in general can be overwhelming, which only underlines the importance of strong role models for youngsters in the UK.

The mountains and I have shared many magic moments. They don't judge, and they don't care about my gender. This is not just my place, this can be your place, her place, his place, everyone's place.