In November 2020, US climber Emily Harrington, 34, took on El Capitan—a 3000 foot(914 meters) rock formation(岩层) in Yosemite National Park, US. She accomplished her feat within a day and became the first woman to free-climb the Golden Gate route.
It used to take weeks for rock climbers to reach the top of El Capitan, even with the help of a partner and climbing aids. In recent years, only three people—all men—had free-climbed the Golden Gate route on El Capitan in 24 hours, according to CNN.
Although rock climbing has long been dominated by men, the number of female climbers has been rising in recent years. Even in the pandemic, many of them have made great achievements and pushed human limits.
"I spent a lot of years feeling like I didn't belong, like maybe I hadn't earned my place to be a Yosemite climber," she told the San Francisco Chronicle. "But throughout this experience I learned that there is no belonging or not belonging, no formula to achievement up there. "
The rising number of female climbing enthusiasts should come as no surprise. According to the website Climbing. com. "Climbing is one of the few sports where it's possible to level the playing field. Women's flexibility helps offset anything we may lack in strength, bridging the gap between the sexes. "
Legendary Austrian climber Angela Eiter is another strong female figure in the climbing world. In 2020 Eiter made news as she climbed the unknown face she calls Madame Ching in her home country.
According to the New York Post, the route was free of traces. That means Eiter has to search for the holds and predict how the moves were going to play out by herself. Worse still, the rock there is really fragile and some holds had to be fixed with glue. But after intensive indoor training to visualize(构思) the route and build up her strength, Eiter, who stands 154 cm high and weighs 46 kg, made it.
"I am not the strongest woman and I am very small, and I am happy that I can show other women that they can also do it," she told the New York Post.
As Climbing. com noted, this battle with oneself embodies(体现) the spirit behind the sport. "Maybe that's why more women feel more empowered to find their own way, break free of the mold(模式) and climb what we want to climb. Women have decided to follow their hearts. "
