Kendal Mountain Festivals: A woman’s place?

© KMF
Whilst climbing and mountaineering is a sport long dominated by men, participation levels amongst women have increased and women represent around 25% of all climbers according to the BMC. Women enjoy climbing as much as men (that's official) and the elite women perform quite often as well as the top boys (that's also official).

But, still there are issues. Common questions include:
"Are there barriers, perceived or real, that prevent women from starting climbing? Is climbing sexist? Can women ever perform at the level of the top men - in the Alps or on the boulders? How can male climbers be educated about women's issues without crying FEMINIST!!!! Will we ever have a female CEO of the BMC? Should a mother climb? In a climbing marriage with kids how come it is the woman who doesn't get to go out climbing?"

On Sunday 23 November at 4.00pm at the Kendal Mountain Festival such questions and many more will be discussed in a round table event, A woman's place? when Lucy Creamer will join Steph Davis, Zoe Hart and Karen Darke in a panel chaired by Louise Thomas to talk with the audience about issues relating to women and climbing. Run along the lines of 'Any Questions?'.

YOU can put your own questions to the panel in advance by posting them on this forum topic.

Some women highlights at Kendal Mountain Festivals include:

• Au Dela des Cimes: Catherine Destivelle
• Free Solo and Base: Steph Davis
• A Year in the Life of an Alpine Princess: Zoe Hart
• If You Fall: Karen Darke
• Chasing Glaciers: Zoe Hart

Full details and tickets: www.mountainfilm.co.uk


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24 Oct, 2008
Are there barriers, perceived or real, that prevent women from starting climbing? Yes but nothing a determined person won't overcome. Is climbing sexist? No but some climbers are. Can women ever perform at the level of the top men - in the Alps or on the boulders? There are physiological differences that will make equality of performance difficult even in a perfect world...this works both ways of course women may well one day outperform men on average in some aspects of climbing. How can male climbers be educated about women's issues without crying FEMINIST!!!! Stupid insulting leading question please reword or remove it. Will we ever have a female CEO of the BMC? Yes. Should a mother climb? Yes. In a climbing marriage with kids how come it is the woman who doesn't get to go out climbing? Stupid insulting leading question please reword or remove it.
24 Oct, 2008
Agreed, and it is sexist, tarring all men with the same brush Agreed, more sexism. Fighting sexism with, er, sexism. Yes, that'll work....
24 Oct, 2008
Those are two questions/statements that are frequently heard. Of course all men are not the same!
24 Oct, 2008
Good idea to talk about these issues, but seems to me the chosen format isn't great. No woman is more an expert than any other on this ... it blatantly obviously isn't related to how hard you climb... so a real round table, with a really tough, firm chair to make sure no-one hogs the time, would likely produce a far more interesting discussion than something modeled on 'Any Questions'.
24 Oct, 2008
Heard by who? Stirring journalists with selective hearing?? I'm sticking with they are insulting to most climbers not just the non-sexist men.
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