Serious, informative and fun
How to Climb Mont Blanc in a Skirt,
By Mick Conefrey.
Oneworld £8.99
THE male dominance of his earlier work, The Adventurer's Handbook, made Conefrey realise that he needed to redress the balance and consider the many – largely forgotten – female explorers who have traversed deserts, seas and continents. He focuses on various examples of discrimination, such as companies' reluctance to back women explorers financially, or the Royal Geographical Society refusing to admit women. The mountaineer Arlene Blum, for example, was turned down by large expeditions because women weren't considered “emotionally stable” enough to cope with high altitude. How to Climb Mont Blanc is serious and informative, yet fun, too. The tale of Susie Rijnhart, who attempted with her husband to reach Lhasa in 1898, and suffered disaster after disaster, was particularly touching. — The Independent
THE male dominance of his earlier work, The Adventurer's Handbook, made Conefrey realise that he needed to redress the balance and consider the many – largely forgotten – female explorers who have traversed deserts, seas and continents. He focuses on various examples of discrimination, such as companies' reluctance to back women explorers financially, or the Royal Geographical Society refusing to admit women. The mountaineer Arlene Blum, for example, was turned down by large expeditions because women weren't considered “emotionally stable” enough to cope with high altitude. How to Climb Mont Blanc is serious and informative, yet fun, too. The tale of Susie Rijnhart, who attempted with her husband to reach Lhasa in 1898, and suffered disaster after disaster, was particularly touching. — The Independent
