Check Out These Women Only Rock Climbing Events Happening This Month

Women Uprising is a community of badass female climbers who are hosting some rad climbing events over the next two weekends at Mt Arapiles, Victoria. If you’re a climbing fiend, this is the place to be.

These events are not for the faint-hearted, but for the well-experienced and totally daring. Is that you?

This coming weekend is Cracks and Racks, a specialty event all about the technical art of crack climbing. This is a trial and error, experimental type of climbing that involves ascending through crack systems in a variety of rock types and formations, including limestone, granite and sandstone.

For this event you need to be able to climb grades 18+ indoors on top-rope/lead, have the ability to belay with an ATC, have a reasonable understanding of basic climbing knots and ideally, be able to trad lead. Got all that? Sweet!

You’ll be led by a bunch of climbing superstars, including Esther Renita, who’s been climbing around the world for 20 years and Jo Lee, a lead instructor for She Went Wild and ACIA qualified Single Pitch Instructor Guide. How good!

For more info about Cracks and Racks, check out the Facebook event. There are still a few spots available.

The following weekend’s event, Trad is Rad, focuses on traditional climbing, the type of climbing that was done before the popularity of sport climbing took the community by storm. It focuses on the skill of route-finding, the technical knowledge of creating climbing anchors as well as carrying and placing protection, rather than clipping into bolts. And it all happens outside! On real rock in real nature where no bolts exist. Rad.

To get involved in Trad is Rad, there’s a few things you’ll need. You’ve got to be comfortable climbing at a grade 16 minimum indoors, be able to safely belay with an ATC, have a fairly good knowledge of basic climbing knots and already know how to lead climb sport indoors.

A bunch of climbing legends will be there to lead you. Louise Shepherd has been climbing for 40 years and guiding for 35, since before there were technical distinctions between each type of climbing. How’s that for badass? Jo Lee will be back as well to help you conquer another rock and another skill specialty.

Trad is Rad still has spots available! Check out the Facebook event and get outside!