Mountaineering for the Preservation of Youth and Beauty

By Constance A. Barnicoat, Member of the French Alpine Club.

Mountaineering for ladies is no new development of Alpinism, although it was not until late years that it became very popular. As long as 30 years ago, an aunt of the Rev. W. A. B. Collidge, one of the greatest living authorities on the Alps, made with her nephew both in summer and, what is much more remarkable, in winter, ascents of some of the most difficult peaks in the Alps.

Since then, it has been proved by many ladies that the “weaker sex” is capable of the prolonged endurance required for serious Alpinism.

Provided a woman be physically strong enough to begin with, there is no recreation more generally beneficial to her, both in mind and body, than the ascent of high peaks. In the opinion of lady climbers generally, climbing is the best cure for nervousness. Moreover, a woman climber usually keeps slim and youthful looking at an age when other women are apt to have lost both figure and features.

Good for nerves and beauty.

Moderate mountaineering not only brings health and happiness, but preserves youth, and tends to develop self reliance. A well known Alpinist has said that he never met a woman climber who is either gossipy, hysterical or mean. He also added that a lady Alpinist always makes a good wife and a good chum. The saying came from Mr Julian Grande, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, who, however, may not be the best of judges, since he is a bachelor.

But a well-known lady doctor, who herself has done some climbing, agrees with him. She says there is no recreation, which, in all its aspects, brings about quicker rejuvenation of worn-out nerves, tired brains, and flabby muscles than mountain climbing. A woman climber knows nothing of ennui.

Probably one of the chief reasons why mountain climbing is so beneficial is it requires so much concentration of mind and purpose as to take the climber absolutely out of herself. For this reason climbing is more beneficial to women, even than to men, since women are notoriously more prone than men to “talk shop”, and not leave their office worries at the office.

One of the best known lady climbers originally began climbing for the sake of health, she having had a tendency to consumption.

Youth and strength.

Women climbers are not always particularly strong-looking, any more than men climbers are. However, really to succeed as a climber, a woman must be of more than average strength, and for her, as well as for a man, it is a great advantage to begin young.

Women in climbing have two serious handicaps which men have not. One is the difficulty of getting clothes which shall be thoroughly suitable, and not hideous. The other is the fact that women, as a rule, have less money than men to spend on their holidays, and climbing is unquestionably an expensive sport, one of the most expensive, in fact.

An ideal climbing suit.

The other day, I saw a young girl who was in her first climbing season, setting out with her father to traverse a mountain known as the “Ladies” Mountain—the Wetterhorn. She had somehow or other managed to procure herself an ideal climbing suit. It consisted of closely fitting knickers, kept up with braces, and worn over a simple white linen shirt. With the knickers, which were, as I have said, not bloomers, not baggy or full, but close-fitting as a man’s, she had a Norfolk suit, made loosely fitting in the waist and back, and thick golf stockings, and the usual heavily nailed climbing boots. I have never seen a lady climber look so well before. But it goes without saying that she was slim. She had had considerable trouble, I believe, to prevail upon a tailor to cut the knickers neatly and closely, and not to make the detestable bloomers, with which most women climbers think it needful to disfigure themselves; and also to get the coat cut loosely, and not pinched in at the waist. Of course, she wore a short skirt over her knickers until she left the valley.