A new chapter added to history of mountaineering as Switzerland became the first nation to host a 100 pc all woman rope team to climb one of the most challenging peaks in the country on Friday.
A total of 80 women of influence from across 25 countries had been selected by Switzerland and the women came together and successfully created a new world record for, ‘The Longest Women’s Rope Team’ on the 4164 m high mountain Breithorn, in Switzerland on June 17. In a press release, Swiss Tourism says that the lineup for this mega event for what is still an overwhelmingly male-dominated sport included influential women from amongst which, three were Indian, Aanchal Thakur, a renowned Alpine skier; Shibani Gharat, a fitness enthusiast and seasoned marathon runner and finally Charmi Dedhia from Mumbai.
Apart from the three Indian women, the longest women’s rope team also comprised seasoned female journalists and women of influence from across the world like Thai UN woman Ambassador for Asia Cindy Sirinya Bishop, the Pacific, Swedish-Norwegian actress and UNICEF Ambassador Eva Röse, musician and Miss France 2019 Vaimalama Chaves, Swiss historian Marie-France Hendrikx, Iranian mountaineer Mina Ghorbani and Korean actress Lee Si-young.
As part of the 100 pc Women initiative launched by Switzerland Tourism in 2021, the aim of the event was to make women more visible in adventurous mountain and outdoor sports and to promote tourism offerings that are specifically geared towards fulfilling the outdoor adventure needs of women in the beautiful and diverse country.
Swiss Mountain Guides Association, the partner organisation and renowned experts in women’s mountaineering, says that the mobilization of such a large, all-women’s rope team is a first of its kind.
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“I am thankful to Switzerland for inviting me and my fellow Indians to represent our country and join this amazing group of women for this challenge! It was an overall amazing experience- the whole atmosphere up at the summit was so full of positive energy and enthusiasm. I’m no stranger to the Swiss Alps as a skier, but climbing onto the summit with this inspiringly diverse group of women was one of the most unique experiences of my life. I am proud of the fact that I was a small part of this amazing whole that created history with this world record. I would like to give a big thumbs up to Switzerland for promoting this women initiative, I hope this will inspire many other women, both now and in the future to get out of their comfort zone and explore the great outdoors!” says skier Aanchal Thakur.
In order to assemble this diverse women’s rope team, of the 80 spots in total, 10 were kept open to all. Any woman from across the world with the required basic level of fitness for the ascent could apply online in advance for one of the 10 places. Charmi Dedhia from Mumbai was one of the winners of this contest and got to be a part of this record climb.
“I am still not over the joy and excitement I felt at the summit, as I realised not only did, I finish my first mountain climb on a 4000m peak in the Swiss Alps, but we as an all-women’s group had also just created history! I hope this initiative reaches many women across the globe, and especially in India- so that it inspires them to get out there and start exploring the great outdoors, especially the mountains, because mountains only inspire, they don’t discriminate!” says Charmi.
Shibani Gharat, another key part of the Indian contingent, added that it was heartening to see Switzerland encourage women from all walks of life to join this challenge with their contest. Gharat says she would not have missed this challenge for the world and that her experience participating in this all-women adventure was amazing and being a part of this new chapter in the history of mountaineering makes her proud of herself as well as the entire group.
In the press release, Switzerland Tourism says that apart from Swiss Mountain Guides Association, it joined forces with Saas-Fee / Saas Valley Tourism, outdoor equipment supplier Mammut and the Grand-Hotel & Spa Walliserhof to facilitate this unique challenge in the beautiful Swiss Alps and make the campaign a success.
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