WOMEN WHO SEEK EQUALITY WITH MEN LACK AMBITION
– TIMOTHY LEARY
WHILST WOMEN ARE AN EVER-GROWING PROPORTION OF 8000m CLIMBERS, IT’S STILL A VERY MALE-ORIENTED INDUSTRY. DESPITE WOMEN ACTUALLY HAVING A PROFOUND PART OF EXPEDITIONARY CLIMBING HISTORY CLEARLY DEMONSTRATING THERE’S NO REASONS THEY SHOULDN’T, IT’S A SCENE STILL MOSTLY IN THE HANDS OF MEN. THIS APPLIES NOT JUST TO THE PAYING CLIMBERS, BUT THE INDUSTRY THAT PROVIDES THE NUTS & BOLTS OF COMMERCIAL CLIMBING IS OVERWHELMINGLY MALE, OFTEN A REFLECTION OF THE CULTURES THAT THE CLIMBING TAKES PLACE WITHIN.
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS HAS NO AGENDA TO TAKE ON ANY OF THAT, BUT WE DO HAVE THE POSSIBLY ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO NOT GO DOWN THAT PATH. LIKE WE’VE FOUND WITH MATTERS PERTAINING TO SUSTAINABILITY, IMPACT & PRESERVATION, WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO BUILD THE BEST POSSIBLE MODEL FROM THE GROUND UP – WITH MANY FACTORS GIVING US A HUGE ADVANTAGE.
OUR BACKGROUND WITH PURSUING THE CAUSE FOR EQUALITY IN CLIMBING HAS ALWAYS BEEN PRESENT, WITH WOMEN MAKING UP ABOUT 40% OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS. WITH NAE YAGI WE WORKED WITH THE FRENCH DOCUMENTARY COMPANY, ARTE, ON A FILM ABOUT HER CAREER AS JAPAN’S TOP COMPETITIVE ICE CLIMBER, AND IN 2014, WITH ICECLIMBINGJAPAN, WE ARRANGED AN INTERNATIONAL WOMENS ICE CLIMBING TRIP TO IRAN, THAT RAISED A LOT OF DISCUSSION (AND ALARM). INDEPENDANT WOMEN ON OUR TRIPS HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING OF A PRIORITY FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN BY OPERATING IN CHINA IT’S ATTRACTIVE TO WOMEN.
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS TAKE PLACE WITH VERY LITTLE ‘FOREIGNER BUBBLE’ AROUND THEM. WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN LOCAL CULTURE ON LOCAL LEVELS, AND CHINA IS THE MOST ACCESSIBLE OF ALL PLACES WITH 8000m PEAKS FOR WOMEN.
FOR WOMEN, TRAVELLING IN CHINA COMES WITHOUT GENDER POLITICS. THAT INCLUDES XINJIANG, THAT ALTOUGH ISLAMIC, HAS NONE OF THE ATTITUDES TOWARDS VISITING WOMEN SEEN IN SOME OTHER PLACES. WE KNOW PAKISTAN, INDIA & NEPAL ARE OK FOR WOMEN TO TRAVEL IN – WE’VE DONE IT A LOT – CHINA IS SIMPLY EASIER, REQUIRING NO SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS. IN CHINA WOMEN HAVE NO SPECIAL RULES. SOME AREAS ARE DEEPLY TRADITIONAL WITH SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS FOR EVERYBODY, BUT IN GENERAL INTERACTION IT’S JUST AS LIKELY IT WILL BE WOMEN WE ENGAGE WITH AS MEN.
TIBET IS A SPECIAL EXCEPTION. MUCH OF TIBET IS MATRIARCHAL WITH WOMEN RUNNING THINGS WHILST THE MEN SIT TALKING ON FANCY MOTORBIKES IN THE STREET. IN TIBETAN TOWNS VISITING WOMEN WILL OFTEN BE ADDRESSED BY LOCAL WOMEN, OFTEN ASSUMING THEY ARE THE ONES MAKING THE DECISIONS FOR THEIR GROUP. WHEN WE VISIT TIBETAN HOMES, WOMEN OFTEN GET PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT BECAUSE IT IS ASSUMED THEY ARE THE REAL DECISION MAKERS.
LOGISTICALLY, RUNNING TRIPS IN A COUNTRY WITHOUT INHERENT GENDER ISSUES IS EASIER AS MANY OF THE FACTORS OF WORKING WITHIN A GENDER-DIFFERENTIATING STRUCTURE ARE NOT PRESENT. THE WOMEN ON OUR TEAMS DO ALL THE SAME ORGANIZATIONAL STUFF BEFORE LEAVING TOWN MEN DO. NO SINGLE EVENT ARISING FROM GENDER DISPARITY HAS EVER OCCURRED ON ONE OF OUR TRIPS.
CLIMBING-WISE THE QUESTION OF WOMEN BEING EQUAL TO MEN ON THE MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN RESOLVED DECADES AGO. ASIDE FROM THE TRIP TO IRAN, WE HAVE SPENT TIME ON K2 WITH GERLINDE KALTENBRUMMER, IN JAPAN WITH SARAH HUENIKEN & RUN TRIPS FOR WOMENS TEAMS IN TIBET AND SIMPLY SEEN THERE’S NO DEBATE TO BE HAD. BUT WE STILL HAVE A WAY TO GO.
OUR GOALS ON THE SUBJECT ARE TO SEE WOMEN TAKE EQUAL SHARE OF THE TRIPS TO TIBET, SIMPLY BEACUSE THEY CAN. AND TO EMPLOY MORE LOCAL WOMEN. BUT NEITHER OF THESE THINGS ARE AS SIMPLE AS WISHING FOR THEM. WE KNOW THAT FOR MANY WOMEN SOCIAL LANDSCAPES PUT DIFFERENT OPTIONS ON THE TABLE. THE MAIN REASONS WE HEAR FOR WOMEN – BOTH CLIMBERS AND STAFF – NOT COMING ON BIG TRIPS LIKE THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS TIME. OFTEN WOMEN TELL US THEY JUST CAN’T BE AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES FOR 2 MONTHS BECAUSE THEY KEEP THE WHEELS MOVING. WE’VE ALSO HEARD SOME EMPLOYERS HESITATE, MORE THAN ONCE CITING MATERNITY LEAVE AS SOME SORT OF TRADE OFF.
A WOMENS TEAM FOR THE NORTH SIDE OF K2
WE ARE MOTIVATED TO GET SOMETHING DONE ON THIS FRONT. JUST LIKE THE IRAN TRIP IN 2014, WE’D LIKE TO SEE A WOMENS TRIP TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 THAT INCLUDES STAFFING BY WOMEN. WE KNOW CHINA IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE THIS IS EVEN CONCEIVABLE, AND WE KNOW WE CAN ARRANGE OUR END IF THE INTEREST IS THERE.
WE KNOW THIS CAN BE VIEWED AS A STUNT IN GENDER-POLITICS. WE ALSO KNOW THIS ISN’T ABOUT THE CLIMBING. WHAT WE SEE IT AS IS A CHANCE TO DO IT BECAUSE WE CAN, JUST LIKE WE USE THE OPPORTUNITES TO SEE REAL WILDERNESS, REAL LOCAL CULTURE, REAL PRISTINE MOUNTAIN ROUTES & GENUINE PRE-ACCLIMATION. A WOMENS TRIP TO THE CHINESE SIDE OF K2 DEMONSTRATES THAT A HEALTHY EXPEDITION STANDARD EXISTS FOR WHOEVER WANTS IT.
YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND US IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU
