"Mountain Femininity". Selbstpräsentationen und Legitimierungsstrategien im Rahmen der ersten Himalaya-Frauenexpedition 1955

This article focuses on the first all-female mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas. In 1955, three Scottish women headed to Nepal to climb and to explore the glaciers of the Jugal Himal. As high-altitude mountaineering was at that time still considered a male preserve, the three women can be considered pioneers in the way they crossed gender barriers and expanded the space of agency for female mountaineers. However, their expedition report “Tents in the Clouds” shows that the three mountaineers felt a strong need to legitimize their endeavour. In accordance with Karen Routledge’s concept of the “games of identities” in female mountaineers’ self-presentations, narrative strategies are examined in relation to three types of game: “the climber’s game”, “the woman’s game”, and “the cultural game”. The negotiation of a “mountain femininity” results in a compromise between traditional gender norms and attributes of leadership, physical performance and self-reliance.