Create the largest all-female mountaineering consortium. This is the new challenge launched by Switzerland as part of the “100% Women” project, which aims to give visibility to women who practice mountain sports and inspire the female universe to live new outdoor experiences.
Symbolically, the announcement of the initiative was given yesterday, on Women’s Day: in June about sixty women from all over the world will try to conquer a new world record: that of climbing together the 4027 meters of the Allalinhorn in Canton Valais thus forming the longest team in pink in the world.
The new project – announced by Switzerland Tourism, the Swiss Alpine Club, the Swiss Association of Alpine Guides, Saas-Fee / Saastal Tourism and the outdoor brand Mammut – follows last year’s one on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Despite the pandemic, mountain enthusiasts from over 20 countries arrived in Switzerland to take part in the Peak Challenge. In 700 they had climbed all 48 peaks of 4000 meters in Switzerland in ropes made up of women only. An event that has never happened before.
Now the challenge is repeated. Anyone wishing to apply for the women’s climb to the Allaninhorn can do so by 15 April at the Switzerland.it/worldrecord website. The remaining 40 seats will be assigned by the organizers by selecting the other participants with the aim of composing a team as varied as possible. The climb is not technically difficult: the Allalinhorn was chosen precisely because it can be tackled by people in good physical condition but without necessarily mountaineering experiences. There will also be 15 mountain guides to ensure the safety of the participants.
The record is expected to be established between June 15th and 17th. The base camp will be established in Saas-Fee, which for a few days will thus become the world mecca of women’s mountaineering.