Winter Warriors – The Beginnings
What makes an amazing climbing friendship? Gemma and Charlie are delivering our 2020 winter mountaineering courses and they tell all about their heartwarming story....
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Winter Climber or Mountaineer
Film Review: ‘Liv along the way’
This short 24 minute Salomon film, shown as part of the Mountains on Stage Lineup, demonstrates the formidable strength of Liv Sansoz. Her aim is to climb all the summits in the Alps that are over 4000metres, of which there are a hearty 82, in...
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#6 Easy Access Resources
If you've ever felt lost and not sure how to progress, our downloadable resources can help you to identify areas to develop and learn new climbing skills and techniques, all in one place. No more hunting round the internet for trustworthy and reliable resources once...
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#5 Get Better, Get Training
Plenty of us want to get better, but don't know how. That is where Womenclimb training comes in. Join women around the UK who have already benefitted from our dedicated training programmes, face-to-face and remote-access online. Whether it's the practical skills for climbing or managing...
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#4 Exclusive Discounts
At the heart of what we do is this: people. When you sign up as a member of Womenclimb, you are creating and becoming part of an authentic community that is committed to supporting women to achieve their goals, in more ways than one. ...
Read More#3 Get Outdoors
Summer is on its way in the UK, which means that lots of us want to get outdoors. Being a Womenclimb member will give you access to our amazing outdoor meetup programme. At our meetups we can guarantee that you will meet incredible women...
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#1 Amazing Climbing Community
Our climbing partners are crucial to our climbing success. They are there through our achievements and highs, as well as our struggles and challenges. They can make or break our climbing experience. What we’ve discovered through listening to you, our community, is that women often...
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Reasons to become a Womenclimb member
Have you ever felt like you can’t find the right climbing partner?Would you like to climb more and get better at climbing? Do you want a confidence boost?Have you hit a climbing plateau? Natasha Hirst photography Womenclimb membership is here to help with these things and...
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20 Ways to Motivate Yourself on a Can’t Be Bothered Day
The days are getting longer, the air feels a little warmer, the spring is coming. Now is the time to get into the climbing gym and get ready for the season, so you can reap the fruit throughout the summer. But what happens when you...
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Monday Motivation: A story of strong forces, volcanos and chicken
Date: March 8th 2019 – International Women’s Day Location: Ojos del Salado, Chile. Depart 2am. Summit at 6,893m. Back at base camp 8pm. Sounds like a standard, well-prepped alpine ascent (‘alpine start’ = obscenely early, obvs). This 12-strong team of women were not your standard alpinists though. Only...
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Womenclimb Meetup Gallery
Hello. Over the years since Womenclimb started, we've run lots of different events and Meetups, where women of all different abilities have come together to make new climbing partnerships and enjoy climbing. As founder and CEO, I'm always so proud to see people coming together and...
Read MoreMera Peak – Part 2: The Summit
'I’m not getting out of bed for less than $10,000.' My alarm melodies. It's 1am on 13th October, 2018. I hear people shuffling around outside the tent of our summit camp, 5800 metres high in the Himalaya. I lie for another 20 minutes until Durjee calls “tea?”....
Read MoreWhy Hard is Not Bad
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 239–251 I am new to the climbing scene. Funny, as I am now a climbing writer, but I have a few experiences up my sleeve, that I am finding...
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How to Get into Mountaineering
Mountaineering can sometimes be seen as an expensive and inaccessible hobby that most people can only dream of trying out. The Jonathan Conville Course seeks to break those boundaries and ensure that young people aged 18-30 can take their first steps in this exhilarating sport...
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Top 3 Tips // Finding a Local Guide
My tight budget and desire to explore came together when I hired local guides on my far-flung trips. Here are my top 3 tips to finding your own local guide for your next adventure 1. Start asking around You have friends who are travellers, or you have...
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Monday Motivation: “We show them with actions, not words”
Do you ever think it’s too late to take up a new activity, like mountaineering? Perhaps you’ll get criticism just from believing you can. Particularly if you’re a middle-aged woman working as a cook at the bottom of Bolivia’s highest peaks… A few years ago, 11...
Read MoreWomen in Adventure Film Competition 2019 Launched
The fifth Women in Adventure Film Competition with the BMC is officially launched. The BMC and Womenclimb launched the competition at this year's Women's Trad Festival in the Peak District, in the company of 180 climbers from all around the UK. The competition is designed to...
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#inversion Christmas Giveaway
Adventure travel company inversion are offering an incredible prize to one lucky Womenclimber - a free place on their upcoming ice climbing adventure in the stunning Pyrenees. The trip, running 19th – 23rd January 2018, led by MIC Simon Edward, includes transfers, half-board accommodation, guiding &...
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Charlie Low Reviews // Rab Kinetic Plus Softshell Jacket
"As soon as my Kinetic Plus jacket arrived I was impressed with how soft and comfortable it felt." Charlie Low is a climber based in the Peak District. She runs the popular Women's Trad Festival every summer, she climbs and she's all round outdoorsy - perfect for a...
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Climbing Inspiration // 1920’s to 2010’s
We all know that you can't be what you can't see, so in today's post are some Youtube videos to help you visualise success. Vicarious experiences, seeing other achieve success, are critical to gaining self-efficacy. Feel Successful, Watch Others' Success Self-efficacy is the thing that makes us...
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Successful Climbing
Today's climbing has been a success. I've been to Wilton 3 Quarry, north of Bolton where I led one route (a Severe), and backed off another (a VDiff) only 2 metres from the top. You might wonder how this was 'successful', because climbing one route and backing off...
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How to Set up a Women’s Climbing Group
In the second in our series about setting up a women's climbing group, guest writer Lorna Potter discusses how she went about setting up Bristol Women Climbers. She talks about what you might need to think about and what you'll need to do. It doesn't have to be...
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Women’s Winter Week Review
At the start of March for Women Outdoors Week both Plans y Brenin and Glenmore Lodge, the National Mountain Centres, ran a series of winter training courses specifically for women. We’ve caught up with avid hiker and Mountain biker Laura Hall who attended the week long winter mountaineering course run by Plas y Brenin in Scotland. Here’s how she found it….
My Best Adventures Part 1 // Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson is a Mountain Leader with a thirst for adventure, remoteness and fun. As part of our 'Best Adventures' series, Emily shares some of her best adventures. Here's part one of three: First Solo Wild Camp In the Moelwyns North Wales. I hiked up Cnicht and camped...
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Buff from Buff // Review
A lot of people love a good buff. This versatile loop of fabric, created in the 1990s by a keen off-road motorcyclist, is the staple of many climbers and outdoorsy people. It’s for good reason. The buff is a multifunctional piece of clothing, which can...
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Indoor ice climbing in the UK
The UK has some fantastic locations for ice climbing, but what if you live a long way from the mountains and your time is short? There’s a growing number of indoor ice climbing facilities where you can hone your skills before heading out on an adventure in the mountains. Have you tried them and fancy writing us a review?
Shino DLX Glove // Trespass // Review
Love: the soft inner & general feel
What I would change: Women-specific or Slender-hand fit
Price: £65.99
Dry hands, that luxury above all luxuries, on a day out in rainy hills. However ‘waterproof’ any glove proclaims to be, it’s simply not possible to keep them dry when there’s a stonking great hole to shove your soggy hands into. Most gloves have been disappointing in one way or another. I therefore went into this review experiment with very low expectations. My review is of the Trespass Shino unisex Adult GLX Glove in size XS/S, which boasts the following features:
My First Winter Climb
On January 19th 2013 an avalanche swept four people to their deaths in Glencoe. It was an event that shocked a great many people. Me included. I was on the mountain on that day. A year later I returned to Scotland to do a Winter...
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Vertical Chill Ice Climbing // Manchester // Review
I am super excited about an upcoming trip to Norway when I’ll get to up my game from Scottish Winter Mountaineering and get out on easy water ice for the first time. I’m lucky to live not too far away from Vertical Chill Ice Wall in Manchester, so I headed over to learn the techniques needed for climbing ice and get some tips for the extra gear I might need.
Top tips to identify and deal with hypothermia
Ensuring you’re properly prepared is important at any time of year, but in winter it is essential to ensure a walk in the snow doesn’t lead to a miserable day or even a life threatening situation. Here’s Womenclimb’s top tips to identifying hypothermia as you head out this winter, and how to deal with it should the unfortunate happen.
Getting out in Winter: Stay safe
Mountain Rescue Services are staffed by volunteers. Stay safe in the hills using their download as a guide. Read on to go to the download…
Winter is here. If you are considering learning new skills to make the most of Scottish winter, or perhaps just thinking of going out with friends or family over the winter weekends, there are many ways to enjoy the winter season. Here’s essential information from Mountain Rescue England & Wales about how to stay safe in during winter.
First Ascent // Rebecca Coles
In November 2016, Rebecca Coles and Simon Verspeak made a first ascent of Lasarmu La, a 6246m Peak in the far West of Nepal. Rebecca talks about the ups and downs, the highs and lows of her expedition in this remote area of Nepal. How...
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My 25 Best Adventures // Emily Pitts
Sometimes the best adventures are the small ones or the unplanned ones or the ones that aren't even meant to be adventures. Adventures don't have to be in 'the outdoors', they can be expeditions of the mind, to new places, exploring different kinds of thinking....
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Ready for a Winter Adventure?
If you're ready for a new challenge and want to move beyond summer hillwalking or into winter mountaineering or climbing, Plas Y Brenin and Glenmore Lodge, National Mountain Centres are running a series of exciting courses for women in spring 2017, in Scotland, as part of...
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Telling Women’s Stories
Women are underrepresented in adventure sport, and their stories are not making it in to the media. Do our favourite outdoor magazines have a responsibility to redress the balance? Lucy Wallace talks outdoor media and women, in our latest article. If you've got something to say,...
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Choosing a Winter Mountain Guide
Traditionally, mountaineering has been a man’s world. Especially winter mountaineering. When you pair this up with a natural tendency for us to link up with people we already know, or people who are ‘like us’, it’s not difficult to see why we choose instructors who...
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Women Inspiring Girls & Women
Are you a woman working in the climbing/ mountaineering/ outdoors industry? Perhaps you're a mountaineering instructor? Or maybe you're a garment technologist and engineer outdoor clothing? Or maybe you do something else related to the industry? Womenclimb has a Youtube Channel and we want to fill it with great...
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Competition Winner
Congratulations to Louise who has won our competition for a 3rd Rock Sports Bra. We asked 'Tell us about your favourite bit of climbing gear (equipment, rope, boots, rope…) and why you love it, in under 100 words'. This was Louise's response: My favourite piece of gear...
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Getting Close to Emily Roo // Intimate Climber Bio
[caption id="attachment_3014" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Emily Photo Credit: Jen Randall[/caption] Emily Roo rocks; a strong, independent person, with an untethered passion for climbing. She's 5ft 4's worth of fun, laughter and motivation, hiding a serious commitment to alpinism and exploring untouched areas of the planet. In 2016...
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The Perfect Pressies for Climbers
Finding just the right present for the climber in your life can be tricky. Chances are she/he’s got all the usuals, so here are the Womenclimb top Christmas or birthday present picks. You can be in with a chance of winning a 3rd Rock sports bra
Buy a man a book…
And you educate him! Looking through the shelves at Waterstones or any bookseller you would imagine that women never do sport. So this Christmas, how about making a difference by buying a man one of these incredible, exciting, adventurous books. We've gone to the trouble...
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How to Get Over a Climbing Fall
A fall can be nothing and everything depending on the outcome. Not many people enjoy falling and the aim of climbing is too often to complete your bucket list of routes, without taking a fall. Sometimes however, the artist makes a mistake – hopefully they get straight back on the rock to perfect the move, but other times they can’t walk away from the fall and it is a long wait before the next attempt at any route outdoors.
Where to Start – High Altitude
So, you’ve done plenty of UK peaks and maybe even done a few lower level summits in Europe? What’s next and where can you go to get a real taste of high altitude?
Top Tips for High Altitude
Emily Thompson writes her top tips for staying as healthy and safe as possible at high altitude:
Freedom Climbers by Bernadette McDonald // Review
Beth Thomas, long standing Womenclimb contributor, tells all about the book Freedom Climbers, by Bernadette McDonald:
This is hands down the best climbing and mountaineering book I have ever read, fact or fiction.
Fancy joining Mountain Rescue??
The second article in our Mountain Rescue Series. Previously Emily explained what a Mountain Rescue Team does and here she goes on to discuss what it takes to be a Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) member – the training, the considerations you should make before committing and a personal perspective of life as an active MRT member.
Becoming a Mountain Rescue Member
Steph Heeley // Climber Bio
If you’re someone who worries about how strength could affect your climbing, then you’re definitely not alone. So many beginners and more experienced climbers feel this too. This week, we’ve got a wonderful bio of Steph Heeley, who talks about all this stuff and tells us where she’s at now.
Steph at the Idwal Slabs in Wales
Climber Bio // Rocio Siemens
‘You are not alone. Being afraid is normal.’
These are the words of Rocio Siemens. Rocio (pronounced Rotheo) is a 5ft 5 (165cm) tall Spaniard who started climbing at the age of 21. Depending on how stretchy the material is she is a size 10 or 12. Born in 1975, she is 41 years old at the time of writing. She is an International Mountain Guide and an IFMGA member who climbs all sorts of winter and summer routes in the UK and beyond. Her short answers are an incredibly insightful look into the life and experience of this climber. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
#FridayFilm // Project Ellie
Each week we feature a film to inspire, excite and motivate you to go on an adventure.
Ellie Johnstone out running in the hills in winter
They films are free to watch. Some feature climbing, while others will showcase other great sports. If you want to find more films, just click on the ‘Reviews’ tab and scroll down to ‘Film’, where you will find even more awesome films to enjoy.
Ella Williams // Climber Bio
‘Climbing for me is like a dance, when I am in the moment I don’t have to think about what I’m doing.’
Ella Williams is an outdoors instructor living in North Wales. At the time of writing, she was 29 years old, born in 1987, having started rock climbing at the age of 26. She is 5ft1 (155cm tall). We met Ella on a climbing weekend in north Wales in 2015, where she showed her love of sharing the outdoors with others. This is a really beautiful piece of writing, enjoy.
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