In reply to winhill:
The term 'bouldering' may have been coined by a woman. But I've never witnessed anything that has made me demur with Chauncely-Phibes’ opinion of lady climbers - as stated in his seminal ‘Mountaineering for the Married Man’ (1911):
“In general – notwithstanding some freaks of nature – the male of the species is biologically advantaged in matters of leading. Studies have conclusively established that men have longer necks, cooler heads, more developed powers of concentration, greater athleticism, and greater powers of route-finding and navigation. Haply, as in may other areas of life, The Maker has established a natural harmony; for just as men are naturally endowed with the qualities required for leading up steep courses of rock, women have innate proclivities for subordination – perfectly suited to seconding. The fairer sex has (and this is amply evidenced by any disinterested observer of the human species) a psychological and emotional constitution that lends itself to admiring, hero-worshipping, and approval-seeking.
A lady’s voluptuous physique – whilst most pleasing to an admiring male’s eye – lacks the well-developed musculature of the male form. Her mind – whilst excellently suited to concentrating on quite extraordinarily detailed pieces of needlework, and even following quite complex political and philosophical debates that we men are wont to indulge in whilst enjoying our pipes on a capacious belay ledge – similarly lacks the steely resolve that characterises the cultivated male climber’s. Amid the manly terrain of mountains and high precipices, the more adventurous specimens of modern womanhood – whilst unable to emulate the skill and courage of her male mountaineering colleagues and chaperones – may gratify their desire for approval, affection, and love by following their husbands on courses of moderate severity.”