Meet the women who climb the Swiss peaks

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All photos courtesy of Dan Patitucci

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the first woman to climb the Matterhorn.

Many great female rivalries throughout history inspire, motivate and encourage women to push themselves further and further in their aspirations. One of those rivalries, and perhaps one of the most important in the history of women’s sport and gender recognition, is that between American socialite and mountaineer Meta Brevoort and British mountaineer Lucy Walker, in compete to be the first woman to successfully climb a 4000 meters. (14,692 feet) summit – a terrifyingly difficult feat for even the fittest athlete who seeks to conquer one of God’s natural wonders. Especially at the time when cable cars did not exist and when women were chained to skirts.

Although he must live up to the social conformities and gender duties of the 19th century, Walker was not easily tamed, setting out to conquer fearsome peaks in a skirt, surrounded by men and living with animals from around the world. barn in mountain huts. But not without a survival pack of champagne and candy, of course.

Considered a jewel in the crown of women’s mountaineering, Walker has made all of her expeditions in style. She wasn’t bragging and, in fact, didn’t write anything about her escalation. She was, however, known to have one vice: she loved champagne. According to mountaineering historians, Walker would pass through several bottles of champagne on an expedition, hydrating himself on bottles of sparkling bubbles to nourish her more and push herself harder. I must like his style.

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With the Matterhorn on the Italian-Swiss border, her drink of choice was Italian sparkling wine, Asti Spumonte, which she drank liberally and supplemented with sponge fingers for nourishment rather than protein bars.

Perhaps scandalous and intoxicating Victorian society was in Walker’s blood, and to greet Lucy Walker on her 150th birthday this year (obviously with her drink of choice), many women are now embarking on their own personal adventures. to conquer a 4000-meter summit in Switzerland.

In the history books

On July 21, 1871, Lucy Walker became the first woman to reach the top of the Matterhorn, which left her rivalries and skeptics in the proverbial dust (powdery). There were many reasons why Victorian climber Lucy Walker seemed an unlikely candidate to conquer the Matterhorn. Not only was it the world’s most difficult climb at the time, but six years earlier four men from the first expedition to stand atop this heavy 4478-meter (14,692-foot) pyramid perished. in their descent.

But, for Walker, a 35-year-old Briton, the gusty winds, cold weather and social disapproval were not going to hold her back from what would be remembered as a historic moment for women around the world. Perhaps it was the champagne that fed her, but to many modern-day admirers, Walker was more than just a woman seeking to rebel and break social rank.

According to Swiss origin and No ladies, please! – A play about Lucy Walker – playwright, Livia Anne Richard, very little has been documented about this sports heroine.

“Neither the English, nor Switzerland, nor the media in general really wanted to take note of her great success in being the first woman to climb the Matterhorn. As a result, you can hardly find any information about him in books or on the Internet, ”explains the award-winning playwright.

“At the time, the inhabitants of Zermatt were in shock that a woman wanted to climb the mountains, especially the Matterhorn, and in a skirt!” adds Livia.

Mountaineer historian Clare Roche agrees that very little has been documented about mountaineers, which limits what we really know about them. In an interview with the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), Roche attempted to resuscitate all forgotten stories and celebrate women’s achievements in mountaineering. “There have been many celebrated birthdays of the first men’s ascents, but almost none of the women… which I’m trying to correct,” Roche said.

Despite single-digit percentages of women as mountain guides (around 2%, according to the UK Mountaineering Council), more women attempt to climb peaks, which Roche says is due to “iconoclastic actions” of Walker who ultimately broke the glass ceiling for women to follow.

Caroline George, of Swiss origin, fell in love with the mountains at the age of 18 and has been mountaineering for over 20 years. Despite a serious accident in 1997 that saw her fall over 450 meters (1,476 feet) on a ski mountain, her passion for mountain sports became an obsession. “I made a living [of the mountains]: professionally and personally ”, declares the internationally certified IFMGA / UIAGM mountain guide.

She continues: “I participated in the Ice Climbing World Cup, which was the start of building community in the mountain world. This passion for the mountains and for ice climbing in particular has been the golden thread of my life and I continue to pursue it because it feeds my soul and nourishes my energy.

“Mountaineers are still few in the mountains. The most representative fact is that only 1 to 2% of mountain guides in the world are women and with an all-female group moving through the mountains, it is still seen as the exception rather than the norm. The fact that it is a predominantly male sport is based on the history of the Alpine valley, ”says George. “This structure has now evolved and mountain activities are now accessible to everyone, and this is true for all mountain sports. The family structure has also changed, but the mentality around women in the mountains has not yet fully adapted to this new reality.

Hi to you, Lucy

During his brilliant 21-year career in the Alps, which began in 1858, Walker embarked on 98 expeditions, including 28 successful attempts to 4000-meter peaks. According to the Mountaineering and Climbing Federation, UIAA, there are only 82 peaks at this height. Walker also holds the first female ascent record on 16 peaks, including Monte Rosa, Strahlhorn and Grand Combin, as well as the Balmhorn which she completed in 1864 on any other gender.

To commemorate Lucy Walker’s 150th birthday, Switzerland Tourism has launched a campaign, Peak Challenge, encouraging greater visibility of women in Switzerland in all sectors, and not just in mountaineering. The challenge seems very late if we consider that in Appenzeller, one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland (the Member States of the Swiss Confederation), women only obtained the right to vote in 1991. The selfies at the top spreading on the social networks of women who have already climbed and conquered one of the 48 4000-meter peaks in Switzerland, which includes the highest peak in the Swiss Alps, Dufourspitze, the Eiger in the Bernese Alps and of course Balmenhorn that Walker conquered, George hopes it will get more women out into the mountains. but more importantly, “feel empowered”.

“Platforms like #peakchallenge will hopefully motivate more women to climb with a guide, maybe hire more female guides, and maybe even motivate them to try venturing into the mountains on their own afterwards. have acquired the training and skills required to do so, ”says George.

She adds: “The mountain offers a challenge both physical and psychological that meets people at all levels: extreme mountaineers will find challenges that meet their high level needs and beginners can climb summits that will reach. their goals. This is the mountain: personal development. I love the mountains because they provide me with the energy I need to be a good person in this world.




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