Three women, including one 樱桃视频climber, are planning to go where no man has gone before.
Aidan Oloman of Squamish, Katy Holm and Katherine Fraser, both of Vancouver, have secured funding for daring first ascents of unclimbed mountain rock walls in China. In exchange for written submissions to the Canadian Alpine Journal, a post-trip slide show and the acknowledgment of their sponsors, the Alpine Club of Canada and the Banff Mountain Film Festival have donated enough money to fund the $12,000 trip, scheduled for September.
While the task of climbing looms large, Oloman, an ACMG rock and ski guide, lists numerous intended goals while in the remote area that has only recently begun to allow visitors: "To interact with a different culture, to spend time outside, traveling, to push our personal limits, to learn new things and to challenge ourselves. To try to be a team that works together well."
The trip will involve an exploration of twin river valleys in the National Reserve of Siguniang Mountains, or Four Girls Mountains, in western China. Both valleys are approximately 40 km long and are flanked by huge unclimbed granite walls on 5,000- to 6,000-metre unclimbed peaks. The trip will take approximately two months, depending on the weather. Their only support will be horses to help transport the climbing equipment between base camps.
The climbers applied for part of the funding from the Alpine Club through the Jen Higgins Memorial Fund, established in 1997 in memory of the avid outdoorsperson to promote alpine-related pursuits for young women.
Oloman said the fact that the group is compromised entirely of women does affect the dynamics of the team. "As I have developed some strong female partners I have had a feeling of empowerment when we climb routes that we are proud of together," she said. "There's something about working together as a team of women, and feeling strong and self-sufficient that is really wonderful. I also think that as women we often deal differently with some of the mental aspect of climbing. Working through fear, whether it is real or perceived, is something that I think women are more tuned to and more open with."
The trio fit all the right criteria, said granting committee chair Julia Keenliside, adding that even though they were the only ones to apply for this year's grant, the committee chose the group's proposal for other reasons.
"They're a self-organized, self-supported expedition with young women in leadership roles, doing a self-propelled trip in a mountain environment, with a good communication plan and good potential for giving back to the community and inspiring other young women, and a good opportunity for the young women to grow and gain skills," said Keenliside.
The Jen Higgins grant is not just for serious international expeditions, "but for any young woman dreaming of a mountain adventure," said Keenliside. "If a woman is not sure whether to apply, she can contact the Alpine Club of Canada for further information."
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