Bayers, Imperial Ascent<\/i>, provided a great insight into the way masculinity has dominated the mountaineering world, through analyzing various books. I\u2019m not particularly a huge fan of \u201cbooks on books\u201d, as I find they tend to be very dry at times, however, I enjoyed the approach Bayers took and found it to be an interesting read.<\/p>\n
For this response though, I am choosing to concentrate on the two articles dealing with women mountaineers, Wanting the Children and Wanting K2 <\/i>and Sharp End: Off the Map<\/i>. As a female athlete and particularly one who enjoys extreme adventure, I found myself incredibly intrigued by these readings. Not only because I find the attitude regarding a woman\u2019s place in society extremely disappointing, past and present, but also because I can relate to many of the discouraging comments about being a female in a male dominated sport (hockey). I thoroughly enjoyed Frohlick\u2019s article, although at times it became very repetitive. The attitude that \u201cwomen are expected to remain at home with their children (Wanting the Children and Wanting K2<\/i>, p478)\u201d has existed for centuries, and will continue to exist for some individuals. What I find most disconcerting though, is the attitude that society has towards women who attempt to do the very same thing that men get admired for doing. When a man follows his \u201ccalling\u201d to the mountains, he is praised and viewed as a hero, while a woman is seen as a \u201cbad mother\u201d. Is the definition of a \u201cbad mother\u201d really one who follows their dreams and seeks adventure? Mallory didn\u2019t get called a \u201cbad father\u201d throughout his attempts at Mt Everest, which eventually led him to never return home to his children. Instead, he was admired for his risk-taking and physical strength, and was seen as someone pursuing a dream and pushing their limits. \u201c[Alison Hargreaves] heroism was conditional upon her safe return to her children\u201d, and, \u201cno such demand is placed upon men\u2014their deaths are the purest symbols of heroism\u201d (p488). Another fact I found unsettling about the negative comments regarding Hargreaves death on the mountain, is \u201cno comparable comments about fatherhood were made in the British press about the four men who died on the mountain the same day (p488)\u201d.<\/p>\n
The same hypocritical attitude can be seen regarding Claude Kogan\u2019s death. Her remarkable accomplishments as one of the most famous female climbers, is out shadowed by the label \u201cthe leader of the failed \u2018womens expedition\u2019 on Cho Oyu\u2014rather than the successful first ascensionist of Nun, Salcantay and Ganesh Himal (Sharp End: Off the Map<\/i>)\u201d. Although mountaineering was largely male dominated in the past, I personally find it discouraging that very little literature includes the accounts of the daring and adventurous women mountaineers, and when they do, it rarely highlights their achievements and focuses on their failures, particularly as a mother who left their\u00a0children behind. \u201cTheres still a tendency to treat women\u2019s adventures as a side branch of climbing history, to forget the ways they influenced its overall evolution (Sharp End: Off the Map<\/i>)\u201d. I personally believe that women and mothers, who choose a life full of adventure should\u00a0not be scrutinized, but instead should\u00a0be admired just like any man and father in pursuit of their dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bayers, Imperial Ascent, provided a great insight into the way masculinity has dominated the mountaineering world, through analyzing various books. I\u2019m not particularly a huge fan of \u201cbooks on books\u201d, as I find they tend to be very dry at times, however, I enjoyed the approach Bayers took and found it to be an interesting…<\/p>\n