British alpinist Fay Manners makes Eiger history by forging new route

British alpinist Fay Manners has etched her name in climbing history by establishing a new route on the formidable Eiger North Face. This summer, Manners, alongside Swiss climbing partner Roger Schaeli, spent 13 days on the iconic Swiss Alps wall to create "Solar Eclipse," a challenging 900-meter, 33-pitch route. This accomplishment marks her as the first British woman to open a new climbing route on the Eiger.

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You don’t know how hard it's going to be, you don’t know the sort of protection that you'll need to put in, you really don’t know if you're going to be able to make it to the top.

The Eiger North Face is renowned for its treacherous conditions, including extreme weather and falling rocks, earning it a fearsome reputation since the first successful ascent in 1938. Establishing a new route, unlike repeating an existing one, involves navigating uncharted terrain. "You don’t know how hard it's going to be, you don’t know the sort of protection that you'll need to put in, you really don’t know if you're going to be able to make it to the top,” Manners explained to Reuters.

Manners, 39, views the creative process of opening new routes as profoundly significant, particularly in a sport historically dominated by men. She highlighted the symbolic importance of women undertaking such challenging endeavors. "If you're looking in the guidebook and every single name of the person that's opened a route is male ... somehow that's telling you that men are opening routes and women aren't,” she stated.

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If you're looking in the guidebook and every single name of the person that's opened a route is male ... somehow that's telling you that men are opening routes and women aren't.

She believes that women actively opening new routes is crucial for both representation and for challenging internalized doubts and stereotypes. "I think that having women go and do that creative process, opening new routes, putting all the hard work in ... is really important,” Manners said. She noted that while women have been part of the Eiger's climbing history for decades, the act of pioneering new paths is vital for inspiring future generations and redefining perceptions of capability.

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I think that having women go and do that creative process, opening new routes, putting all the hard work in ... is really important.

Manners' own journey into professional climbing was influenced by subtle societal assumptions about gender roles. Reflecting on her upbringing, she recalled instances where she was told she couldn't carry as much as boys, leading to internalized doubts. She advocates for an environment where such limitations are not imposed, allowing individuals to pursue their ambitions without preconceived notions of gender-based capabilities.

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Maybe if I never grew up with someone saying to me, ‘You can't carry as much as me, so I'll carry more,’ maybe if it was just always equal from the beginning, then you just never have that doubt in your mind.