She Climbed Alone in The Alpinist

she climbed alone

As a young rock climber in the 1990s, I developed a strange habit. Each year I found myself obsessively searching the American Alpine Club's Accidents in North American Mountaineering for entries about women. Why was I ogling these accidents?

Over time, I came to realize my impulse was about something more than mere voyeurism. I craved stories about women who played the lead role.

I compiled a piece for Alpinist Magazine, the Summer 2016 issue, only using quotes from Accidents, published every year since 1948. It's called "She Climbed Alone." You can read it on Alpinist.com