Upward mobility
Meet the women climbers who make molehills out of mountains
On May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It was almost two decades later when a Japanese woman Junko Tabei was able to match the feat on May 16, 1975.
Unlike the white women scrambling up and down the hills and having the freedom to take part in sports, the rather small yet resilient Tabei, seemed like an anomaly. Here was a woman from an Asian society where a female’s job was primarily to look after the house and family and yet she managed to achieve the greatest feat in mountaineering.
She summed up the struggle to get to the top of Everest in a matter of fact manner when she said: “I can’t understand why men make all this fuss about Everest — it’s only a mountain.”
Yet another climber was Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest in 1984, who went on to set some climbing records.
The success of Tabei and Pal along with many Western female climbers challenged gender roles, cultural norms and societal stereotypes; they also gave other women the inspiration to take up mountaineering.
Last year, Pakistanis were buoyed by the good news of Shimshali girl Samina Baig’s Everest summit. She, along with Malala Yousafzai, is proof that girls thrive when they have supportive men in the family, be it their brothers or fathers.
“To me she is a little sister and I am supposed to protect her. But I also want to see my sister and other women stand on their own two feet and make a better life for themselves and enjoy what life and nature offers.”
Despite being home to five of the fourteen 8,000-metre peaks including K2, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and II Broad Peak, alongside hundreds of unclimbed 6,000m and 7,000m peaks, Pakistanis stay away from climbing. In this scenario, for majority of Pakistani women adventure outings, let alone climbing peaks, remain an out of reach prospect.
In the mountaineering community, a popular mantra is ‘the mountain doesn’t care’. Pal herself once said that “the mountain doesn’t distinguish between a man and a woman”. But what is it that stops many women from going out and climbing?
“The major reasons behind minimal participation of women in adventure outings are zero training opportunities and lack of support from families,” says ace mountaineer Nazir Sabir.
The first Pakistani to have climbed Everest and former president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), Sabir was instrumental in reviving the Basic Mountaineering Camps for Women during his tenure; two camps were held in 2007 and 2009 respectively, after a gap of over two decades. But then the Lal Masjid crisis took place.
“American and other foreign female climbers were supposed to conduct the camps but they backed out seeing the country’s situation. In the end, we went ahead with the camp with local instructors,” he said.
Patience and resilience
A former lecturer and currently the manager of Margalla Hills National Park, Shadmeena Khanum can easily be called the first amateur woman mountaineer in Pakistan and a trekking expedition leader.
With some fine achievements despite limited opportunities, her story highlights the way women are sidelined in this country.
In 1979, she became the first female member of the ACP on paper. “For years, I paid the membership fees but was never called for any meetings or training camps,” she says.
After literally badgering the ACP officials to send her on a training course, she was finally selected for the 1985 basic mountaineering camp along with some other women.
The then ACP president was a staunch believer that ‘women should never take part in outdoor activities’ and went on to the extent of issuing orders that the three female trainees, including Shadmeena, must not be allowed on expeditions.
“I can’t understand why men make all this fuss about Everest — it’s only a mountain.”
However, her patience, resilience and the gold jewellery she sold to fund her dreams paid off and in 1987, she accompanied a foreign expedition and film crew shooting a Hollywood film called ‘K2’ as a liaison officer. To date, she is the only Pakistani woman to have been a LO for foreign expedition.
Her big moment came in 1990, when she reached the height of 7,400m on Gasherbrum II (8,034m). Late Wanda Rutkiewicz, the first woman to summit K2 without supplemental oxygen in 1986, was on that expedition with her, although she went on to climb G1 (8,080m).
Though Shadmeena has bid adieu to climbing, she continues to guide groups on various hikes and treks and has been instrumental in getting more young people to step out and enjoy nature.
The two who made it
The journey to Everest wasn’t the first step. The first steps were often small and led to failures. “However, it was hope and the idea that change will come that kept us going,” says Mirza Ali Baig and Samina Baig, the only Pakistani female to summit Everest.
Mirza says the ‘gender equality’ slogan was more than just a buzzword for him.
The duo hail from the remote Shimshal village situated in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The place is rugged and harsh, the environment harsher for women. Mirza, who began as a porter carrying expedition loads for foreign mountaineers, gradually moved up as an assistant cook and cook and then a high altitude porter and guide.
Somewhere in between, the idea of increasing exposure of Pakistanis to the mountains was born. And then the idea to make such pursuits mainstream for women took hold.
“When I spoke of ‘gender equality in mountaineering’, I was laughed at. Back then in 2010, I started the climbs with a Pakistani female and some friends. However, the team couldn’t work out due to financial constraints and personality clashes. However, I kept going up and down the mountains and kept on sharing my stories with my younger sister Samina.
“The reason why we don’t see that many women stepping out of their houses for even small tasks like buying groceries or medicines is the fear that something will happen to them and their reputation will be tarnished. It is not an unfounded fear at times, but the way it paralyses girls and their parents is sad and shows how society likes to control women. Coming from a village, I saw these things not only in small settlements but also in a mega city like Karachi,” he notes.
Mirza says the biggest resistance that came was when he expressed his desire to get Samina to join him on an expedition.
“When I floated the idea of letting Samina climb, my parents were apprehensive and started fighting with me. They didn’t want Samina or even me to indulge in ‘dangerous pursuits’ and also implied that ‘girls don’t climb’,” he says, adding that he wanted to dispel these notions.
“To me she is a little sister and I am supposed to protect her. But I also want to see my sister and other women stand on their own two feet and make a better life for themselves and enjoy what life and nature offers,” he stresses.
On his sister’s part, she says the interest gradually grew and now it’s a passion.
“I was intrigued by the mountain stories that my brother told me. I grew up with the mountains. But see, if a woman can climb a mountain she can do anything. My own example is there. I come from a place where there is no electricity or running water or phone connectivity, and life doesn’t offer many opportunities to men and women. Coming from such a place, getting to motivate women to get out and achieve their dreams is a vision me and my brother share,” said Samina.
Mirza says that the road is not an easy one for women adventurers. “There are gender stereotypes and barriers to break. Even in Samina’s case, people have said the nastiest things including how I am exploiting her. All I care about is that she has the confidence to do things. Not many people know me; my sister is the one who summited Everest and I am happy for her. I know my support led her to this but she has a long life ahead of her and many more adventures,” he says, his voice full of brotherly affection.
‘More training, more exposure’
Explaining the importance of training, Sabir says that for decent acclimatisation at least three weeks are required at higher altitude. To be able to climb, a person needs to have good stamina, knowledge of rock climbing and ice climbing, survival skills and plenty of practice. “Climbing high mountains is not a joke. Go slow, attempt a few 6,000 and 7,000m peaks and then move towards the 8,000m arena,” he stresses.
Shadmeena, too, stresses on the need for more exposure. But for all this, finances are a major issue.
Recalling her G II attempt, Shadmeena says, “I paid more than Rs20,000 back then, my entire savings. And then I didn’t have any money to pay for my insurance. Nazir stepped in and bailed me out.”
A trek up north to Concordia can easily cost between Rs60,000 to Rs100,000 per person these days. The ACP with its meagre resources is unable to offer any financial support to local climbers.
“We are planning to hold some women mountaineering camps in the near future. This summer, we hope to get some 50 girls from all over Pakistan and train them,” says the current ACP president, retired Colonel Manzoor Hussain.
However, he is quick to say that women adventurers must be careful when selecting a guide/tour operator, admitting that societal and cultural norms make it very difficult for women to take part in such activities. “With so many Facebook pages popping up, shady characters are always there. Please be careful and carefully vet the people,” he says.
Many female trekkers say that stepping out in the wilderness leaves them vulnerable to personal attacks, particularly from Pakistani trekkers and climbers. “Everyone feels free to comment on your character just because you went to the mountains for a vacation and slept in a tent. The same people won’t bat an eyelid if you went to Dubai and wasted yourself at a club,” a woman said.
A cautionary tale
A female amateur mountaineer endured physical and mental violence at the footsteps of Spantik (7,027m). The lady had teamed up with a newbie guide to scale Spantik, often referred to as the perfect training peak for would-be alpinists. Facebook interaction aside, she didn’t really know who the man was.
By the time she reached the base camp of Spantik, she was having trouble with the guide, who allegedly asked her for sexual favours. Upon her refusal, he left her at the base camp with no food or proper gear. The lady in question was found by an Iranian women expedition. Not only was the trekker in question left disappointed, but the entire episode led to a bad name for the country as well.
Commenting on the incident, Col Manzoor says the event could have been avoided if appropriate inquires were made in advance. “Call up the ACP and find out if the guide is registered. Also, it’s always better to inform the club before embarking on an expedition,” he added.
Speaking from her own experience, Shadmeena says that one must not let such experiences deter them. Try to travel in groups where there are more women and friends, she says, adding, “The wilderness changes people. It brings out the best or worst in them!”
The writer is a member of staff.
Twitter: @sumairajajja
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 7th, 2014