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ARTICLE: My Weekend as a Learner at the Women's Trad Festival

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 UKC Articles 22 Aug 2019
Friendly scenes at the WTF 2019. Christine Liang writes about her experience as a learner at the Women's Trad Festival...

Women are risk averse creatures. Or so historically car insurance brokers seems to suggest, and business people and behavioural psychologists. Men's higher tolerance for risk, at least in part, explains the historic dearth of women in trad climbing. And yet, the atmosphere at the Women's Trad Festival this year was warm, friendly and optimistic (especially about the weather). Lacking over the weekend was the sketchy stuff or death wishes for which trad climbing has a certain reputation.



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 Offwidth 22 Aug 2019
In reply to UKC Articles:

Thanks Christine, a really postive report and I'd not seen that Flash Foxy research before. 

On the subject of unwanted beta I think it's important to say it is sometimes welcome (and even wanted) but people should always politely ask if the climber wants it and accept refusal in good spirit. I think it would be really sad if people stopped asking because of the risk of it being interpreted as a micro-aggression. At my local walls where I climb most  (Nottingham Derby and Loughbourough), we have always had good female role models across the ability range. I've proportionately got more interesting and useful thoughts on movement from women (despite the  often massive contrast in my, inflexible, overweight, male frame). I do like to try and work out myself how to flash most problems and adapt for the next few goes, but by the time I'm outside the first few attempts I really welcome advice. Solving the puzzle matters more to me than doing it all on my own; and solving things together is both friendly and beneficial.  Learning to read the subltle changes in movement that lead to success at a limit can pay real dividends for me outside. One of the great things in bouldering for me is working hard on something that seems really 'out of reach' until, after much thought and effort, the movement puzzle is solved to the extent it feels OK most times. Doing this in company of other climbers makes it much more fun.

I look forward to the day when gender is as irrelevant on outdoor trad as it is in my local walls and congratulate WTF in helping achieve that.

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