Vienna Christensen
Women have been summiting mountains and taking the lead at The Mountaineers since the beginning. Of the 151 charter members of The Mountaineers in 1906, 77 were women. With such a strong legacy of women in leadership, we want to celebrate the stories of resilience and honor the challenges that some of our current Mountaineers leaders experience.
Change matters: Menopause and outdoor leadership
Loni Uchytil, Former Climbing Committee Chair
Menopause is a significant transition in a woman’s life that brings various unique challenges. Understanding these challenges helps foster a supportive environment for women in The Mountaineers.
Menopause typically begins between the ages of 45 and 55 and can last a few years to a few decades. During this time, estrogen production declines. This hormonal shift can lead to a range of symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and decreased bone density. For many women, these symptoms significantly impact daily life and physical activity. As a climber and canyoneer, the decline in my muscle mass, coupled with increased fatigue caused by significant sleep disturbances, affects my performance. I tire more quickly and struggle with stamina on longer days. I find myself modifying my goals and opting for easier routes, which can be frustrating. These changes can also lead to a loss of community as younger climbers take off on bigger objectives and older friends slowly leave the sport due to health challenges.
My biggest challenge is maintaining a consistent community of partners. Climbing and canyoning involve big risks, so having partners that you know well and are familiar with your strengths and weaknesses can be difficult. The Mountaineers is a good place to meet like-minded folks. I’ve met wonderful, life-long friends during my years of volunteering and am grateful to have shared my passion for climbing with this community. With increased awareness and support for women who are experiencing menopause, our community can grow even stronger.
Women in their 50s and 60s can still be strong members of a climbing team, and including them in instructing and climbing outings will further our goals to create a more inclusive outdoors.
Loni canyoning with mountaineers friends. Photo by Loni Uchytil.
Nomi Rachel Fuchs and Erica Chao on a winter scramble at Cowboy Mountain. Photo by Nomi Rachel Fuchs.
Reaching new heights
Nomi Rachel Fuchs, Mountaineers Volunteer Leader
I used to think that climbing big mountains was not for me. I was not athletic as a kid. I didn’t grow up engaging in outdoor activities. As a single, working, middle-aged mom, these sports seemed out of reach.
When I moved to Seattle in 2015, I began several outdoor sports, mostly following my kids in snowboarding and downhill biking, then dragging them along on small hikes. Eventually, I took on harder and longer hikes. In 2022, I took a big chance and signed up for an all-women climb of Mt. Baker with Alpine Ascents International. I feel tremendous gratitude for that first mountaineering experience because the women guides were supportive, encouraging, and incredibly strong climbers.
Standing on the summit at age 52 was an amazing feeling. Inspired by my experience, I started rock climbing in preparation for a Mt. Shuksan climb the following year, and then eventually I joined The Mountaineers. While it might seem strange that a woman in her 50s started taking on new sports, I felt that as long as I could safely train, I could continue climbing mountains.
I experienced many symptoms during menopause that impacted my athletic performance and shook my confidence. Initially, it was hard to find women leaders and trainers who knew how to support individuals experiencing menstruation or menopause. I felt like I needed to keep up with the 35-year-old dudes to be successful. But when I joined The Mountaineers as a scrambling student, I met amazing women leaders who were mindful of the range of students' age, ability, and experience.
However, both within The Mountaineers and across my friend group, I also found women self-selecting out of activities and losing confidence as they struggled with menopause symptoms that impacted their ability to participate in certain activities.
The outdoors are for everyone, and The Mountaineers can continue to build more inclusive and equitable communities by improving awareness and support for individuals who are going through menopause or who are menstruating. I’m embracing my postmenopausal self, listening to my body, and telling leaders when I don’t feel comfortable or when I might need more time… but this doesn’t mean I don’t belong on the mountain. I’ve found that if I’m gentle with myself, I can climb – both literally and figuratively – to new heights.
All-women SIG participants on their snow overnight field trip at Blewett Pass. Photo by Yui Tang.
Empowered by affinity groups and allyship
Danielle Graham, Mountaineers Board Member
When I think of my experiences as a woman and leader at The Mountaineers, two concepts come to mind: affinity groups and allyship. I was fortunate early in my Mountaineers career to experience both. When I took Basic Alpine Climbing in 2018, I was in an all-women Small Instructional Group (SIG), created by women who were inspired by their own positive experiences in an all-women Intermediate Alpine Climbing mentor group. In my SIG, I experienced a great amount of empathy and understanding between students. In addition to demonstrating peer-to-peer patience when learning new skills, the women were very encouraging, creating an environment where I felt safe and empowered to test my fears and try new things.
Years later in 2024, I instructed in the all-women cohort of the Winter Mountaineering and Advanced Crevasse Rescue (WMCR) course. Given the “pay it forward” nature of affinity groups, it’s not surprising that my fellow cohort leaders were the same women who led my SIG in 2018. When I saw the waitlists to instruct in the women's cohort of WMCR, I realized that affinity spaces at The Mountaineers are important to students and instructors.
Recently, I helped create the first Women’s Alpine Scrambling course. During the course, our cohort supported one another through experiences that would have otherwise been challenging to navigate. For example, we were able to support a nursing mother by reaching out to other Mountaineers moms who provided helpful recommendations, such as a light-up breast pump for pumping on an after-hours conditioning hike. I continue to hear positive feedback from students who were in that group, especially around our conversations about managing menstruation and other bodily functions in the mountains.
Thank you
To all the women in Mountaineers leadership, thank you. We appreciate the ways you engage in and contribute to the world of outdoor adventure. If you are someone who resonates with these stories or would like to learn more, watch the recordings from our recent Leadership Development Subseries - Your Body and the Outdoors: Menstruation and Menopause at mountaineers.org/your-body-outdoors.
This article originally appeared in our spring 2025 issue of Mountaineer magazine. To view the original article in magazine form and read more stories from our publication, visit our magazine archive.
