Victorian Women and the Gendering of Mountaineering in the Alps

Abstract

This article explores the gendered segregation of Victorian mountaineering, highlighting how societal norms sought to confine women to passive roles within the alpine landscape. As Elizabeth Le Blond declared, ‘there is no manlier sport in the world than mountaineering’, encapsulating the pervasive attitudes of the era. Despite such views, several women like her navigated these constraints, forging spaces of resilience and agency. Victorian guidebooks and literature often advised women to avoid strenuous terrains and instead focus on more gentle activities, reinforcing a narrative that segregated their participation. Yet, through travel narratives, artistic depictions and personal accounts, many women subtly subverted these boundaries. This paper also examines the complex relationships between female climbers and local male guides, as evidenced in the writings of Amelia B. Edwards, revealing how these interactions both challenged and reinforced societal expectations. By uncovering these nuanced dynamics, the study argues that while mountaineering was predominantly male-dominated, women played a significant, yet deliberately overlooked, role in its history, negotiating and redefining their place within the mountains.