UKH

The British Mountaineering Council and Mountain Training have launched a new online platform called OutdoorHer, a hub of advice for women and girls on managing toileting, menstruation and the menopause while hillwalking or climbing outdoors.

Read more

Not sure why there are down votes but perhaps it is because the links aren't working? 

Sad little misogynists and bigots, unfortunately climbing has its fair share. Hiding under the cover of a dislike button. At least when they comment on the related social media posts you can attach a name to them. 

Not surprising to see Maddie involved in good stuff like this, hopefully it's a helpful resource.

Long term it would be excellent to see something similar offering advice to reduce the barriers posed by disabilities.

The 'dealing with periods' advice could well have been taken straight from girlymonkey's excellent 'Aunt Flo' advice.

It looks a good resource. I'm sure I'll be using it for my DofE work.

I’m curious that this has become a thing. I’m getting on a bit now (50+) but don’t youngsters (and older women) still all talk about all this stuff freely? I do, my friends in mountaineering do. If not, why not?  Men I know in the outdoor industry regularly carry period products incase students need them, as they should.  When I first started out in the mountains it just seemed blindingly obvious to carry enough products to manage periods and bag and carry waste out.

General management of bodily waste is something that applies equally to men and women, whether poo or periods. Judging from what you find behind rocks these days men need as much education on what to do with it as women. There was an excellent book called “How to shit in the woods” which was an outdoor must read.  Is it still in print? It was very good. Always a laugh to ask for it in the library.

Everyone has mood swings, good days and bad days and we should all take that into account; menopause, or whatever’s going on in people’s lives.

I worry that articles like this make women seem to be vulnerable, fragile and a problem in a way we aren’t? It’s an imagined inequality I’ve been working my whole life to dispel. If anyone’s reading the article thinking twice about having women in your party, please don’t. Most of us do already manage all these things with no trouble at all and we really, really aren’t going to be a problem. 

Good that you and your friends are comfortable talking about bodily functions.  I am also happy doing so.

Not everybody is.  I have three teenage daughters and am surprised how prudish they and their peer group are about discussing menstruation etc.  

My experience with supervising DofE at a girls' school suggests it depends...

Some girls seem quite happy to discuss it, some don't.

I was once waiting for a group to arrive at a checkpoint. I could see them coming across the plain. Then they disappeared. For ages. When they finally arrived, I asked what had happened, and they happily explained that one of them had started her period, and they had to root around for supplies. This lead to a conversation about making sure they always packed appropriate supplies, and how to deal with waste, etc.

Peeing and pooing is similar. some have no qualms about it. Some are very reluctant. I remember one girl who was clearly bursting, and told her to go and pee behind some nearby bushes. She reluctantly went off, but when she came back, she was bursting with pride with herself for managing her first 'wild wee'.

I try to normalise it, so I prefer not to do the 'if you prefer to talk to a female staff member' unless they are really uncomfortable about talking about with me.

It's interesting - I can't really see what problem this is intended to solve.

From what's been said here, some girls are okay talking about this stuff and some aren't. No one is stopping them talking about it. They just don't want to. Can anyone explain how chucking BMC money at it will change this?

That there is a resource young women can trust and look at without needing to discuss it with someone else if they are prudish about these things? That course providers and the like can point candidates/ new instructors at to ensure they consider it in what they carry when taking clients out?

Ummm think you answered your own question there....? some aren't, which isn't a great situation and clearly somthing the BMC, lead by women outdoor professionals, who work with women and girls and have seen as a real issue that prevents people accessing the outdoors that they think the can help with.

From my perspective (as a man who can piss when and where I want) I do a lot of fieldwork, often overseas, often in religiously conservative society's and I understand from my female colleagues toileting and periods in the field are a big issue. It's not always a case of drop your trousers and join in with the boys no matter how much we'd all like to think these things shouldn't be culturally taboo. From conservations ive had with women who work in outdoor environments this clearly is an issue and I think it's great the BMC have produced this resource.

That doesn't really make sense I think. Unless they only ever climb solo the women will eventually have to talk about bodily functions. That's a normal part of climbing. This initiative doesn't solve that in fact it makes it much worse by teaching women that they don't just have bodily functions like everyone else, they have extra specially shameful ones which require special training to overcome, without which they will be prevented from "accessing the outdoors".

To be honest I haven't got a clue. I'm a bloke. I'm just repeating what women who work in the outdoors tell me, I tend to belive them and respect what they say. If you think you know better then them good for you.

I think we should just close down the internet, as people can just ask others stuff rather than researching it for themselves in a manner and a time that suits them

Are there such people? In mountaineering, I mean.  And if there were, would anyone, let alone any woman, want to be in their party?

Of course there are. The mountaineering world is no different to the rest of the world, there's plenty of sexist pricks in it.

They must be working for themselves.