Going manless: Looking back, forward and inward 75 years after Miriam O?Brien Underhill?s milestone all-female ascent of the Grépon in the French Alps

?The Grépon has disappeared. Now that it has been done by two women alone, no self-respecting man can undertake it. A pity, too, because it used to be a very good climb.? Those were the words of French alpinist Etienne Bruhl in 1929 on the return of Miriam O?Brien Underhill and Alice Damesme from their successful manless ascent of the classic Alps test piece of the era, The Grep n. Women climbing ?alone? ? without the presence of a man ? was in those days a scandalous act. The year 2004 marked the 75th anniversary of American Underhill and Frenchwoman Damesme?s ascent, a hallmark in the history of women?s climbing. Although one other recorded ?en cordée féminine? climb had taken place (Elizabeth Le Blond and Lady Evelyn McDonnell?s winter traverse of Piz Palü on the Swiss-Italian border in 1900), in the late 1920s the Grépon was considered one of the Alps?s toughest climbs; the daring and gall required for two women to climb a route as technical as the Grépon shocked the climbing community. Despite prejudices and obstacles created by societal norms, women have followed Underhill?s lead and succeeded in style on the world?s most difficult routes: Alison Hargreaves blitzing the classic north faces of the Alps, Lynn Hill freeing The Nose in a day, and Ines Papert winning Overall First at the Ouray Ice Festival. And many of today?s top female alpinists, like AbbyWatkins, Karen McNeill,Heidi Wirtz, and Sue Nott, often choose to climb in all-women?s teams, continuing Underhill?s manless tradition. But, despite a long list of impressive ascents helping to dispel doubts about women?s capabilities in the mountains, and the near-century that has passed since Underhill and Damesme?s groundbreaking ascent, women remain a minority in the world?s high places. Why? Driven by an interest in climbing history, a curiosity to hear the perspectives and insight of her foremothers, and a belief that female voices aren?t heard enough, the author set out in search of their stories. With bivouac conversations and e-mail discussions with nearly two dozen leading climbers in today?s small sorority of alpinists, she has tried to explore what keeps women?s numbers down and what the future holds for women in high places. The American Alpine Journal, 2005 pp98-115