Rock climbing is an increasingly popular sport that requires both physical and mental strength in order to scale cliffs, crags and mountains. Although the sport is traditionally male-dominated, female athletes are rapidly closing the gender gap by ascending the world’s most difficult climbs. There are, however, a few things that climber girls have to deal with when we’re out climbing…
Planning your life/work/social engagements around the weather. If I check the weather forecast and realise that the weather conditions in the mountains/on the crag are looking apt for an expedition then all other pressing issues will be instantly dropped. This can become an issue around exams and will definitely pose a problem for my dissertation deadline which has been inconsiderately placed right in the middle of the winter-climbing season, but you never know when these ideal conditions are going to happen again.
Having to lose 90% of your body heat in order to have a wee on the mountain or rock face. Having five or six layers of clothing, plus a climbing harness, plus sharp ice-axes and crampons does not create the ideal situation when you suddenly realise that you’re desperate for the toilet. It is often necessary to wade a few meters into a snow drift in order to be slightly discrete and is inevitable a very cold experience. These issues are exacerbated even further when the same urgency strikes half way up a sheer rock face when you are actually dangling in mid-air.
Being covered in so many bruises and cuts that it looks like you’ve been in a fight. All the time. The bane of all climber’s lives is the jam which is essentially shoving you’re hand/fingers/arm/entire being into a crack in a rock, hoping it sticks and using it to wiggle your way to the top. Such technique often results in a chronic lack of skin on exposed areas such as knuckles, knees and elbows, plus bruises literally everywhere.
Becoming fixated with shiny objects. There are many types of rock-climbing, sport climbing, traditional climbing and bouldering amongst others and each discipline requires its own range of cool stuff. Traditional climbing, when climbers place specialised pieces of gear into the rock to protect them against falls, particularly requires the acquisition of metal objects and climbers are often found staring at or discussing them for long periods of time.
Becoming so muscular your shoulders don’t fit into girly clothes. As climbing demands a lot from the upper body, in order to get better at climbing you need to train your arms and shoulders. Eventually, all that training means that your figure ‘resembles an upside-down triangle’ and tight clothes have been known to rip when you put your arms over your head – but that’s ok, when you can show up the guys with your ability to perform multiple pull-ups and hold yourself on one or two fingers.
Getting stuck inbetween rocks. Being a girl and having boobs/hips means that you can often get wedged in between places with the only option being to flail around desperately in order to free yourself. I have been stuck in a chimney-esque climb for a solid half an hour and each milimeter of movement became an achievement. It is not uncommon to find items of clothing such as socks and hats stuck in between such places.
Fearing for your life on a regular basis. On a non-climbing day I’m worrying about deadlines, applications and how much work I haven’t done, but when I’m climbing it sometimes gets to the point that I’m worrying about whether I’m going to survive or not. There’s been many times when I’ve found myself clinging to a sheer rock-face, unable to move up or go back down, wondering if the gear I’ve placed is going to protect me from a fall and generally questioning my life choices. In a strange way it’s quite relaxing to have your mind taken off those daily anxieties and it definitely puts things into perspective.
Getting to explore the world with incredible people. None of these problems are really problems when you get to travel the world to do one of the most exciting, rewarding sports it has to offer. Climbing allows you to get off the beaten track, have amazing adventures and collect plenty of stories to tell afterwards.