Published by The History Press, 2026, 282 pages

If you are asked to name mountaineers who have climbed some of the tallest peaks in the world, do you think mainly of climbers who are men? If you do, you are not alone. Although several women have climbed the world’s highest peaks, their names seem to have been forgotten.

This is something that Rosemary J. Brown tries to remedy in her book. She focuses on nine women, starting with Sacajawea, the Shoshone woman who accompanied Merriweather Lewis and William Clark on their expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase (acquired by the United States in 1803) to the modern-day Pakistani mountaineer, Samina Baig.

I have to say at the outset that, although I love mountains and nature, and enjoy a bit of a hike, mountaineering as such has never held much attraction for me. That said, this book is a real inspiration. The women Rosemary J. Brown writes about not only climbed mountains, they defied societal expectations and forged their own paths.

In 1876, Mary Isabella Straton was the first person to summit Mont Blanc in winter—a season of avalanches and storms that arrive without warning. Two male mountaineers had tried—and failed—12 days earlier, but Straton did it and that too, while wearing a skirt! Although hers was a fantastic achievement, newspapers focused more on the failed attempt of the male mountaineers. Some newspapers even credited them with Straton’s feat. But she wasn’t going to stand for this. It was time to recognize women’s “inalienable rights to stand in high places”. She wrote a 510-word letter to The Times setting things straight.

Annie Smith Peck was born in 1850. As a woman, she was expected to marry and raise a family—and nothing more. She refused: she had dreams of her own and would not sacrifice them to society’s expectations. She got a Master’s Degree in Classics from the University of Michigan, was the first woman to be awarded a university professorship, and was also the first woman to be admitted to the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece. Not to mention the mountains she climbed. “‘I have climbed 1,500 feet higher than any man in the United States. Don’t call me a woman mountain climber.” But her achievements as a mountaineer were overshadowed by society’s moral outrage because she wore knickerbockers to climb rather than a skirt. At the time, women were being arrested for wearing men’s clothes in public.

This gives you an idea of what these women were up against. Taking up mountaineering was not something you did casually if you were a woman. It was not only physically demanding, you also had to have grit, determination and a thick skin. It was a man’s world, and women had to fight to become a part of it. They faced criticism not only from society for going against what was expected of them, but also from many men in the mountaineering world.

But they ignored the criticisms and carried on, getting through snowstorms, climbing sheer rock faces, and navigating crevasses. And in their honour, they had peaks named after them.

There are so many firsts in this book: for example, Junko Tabei from Japan, was the first woman to climb to the top of Mount Everest, and Samina Baig from Pakistan was the first Muslim and Pakistani to do so.

Brown brings these women to life. They were all strong characters and a little eccentric, and I enjoyed their company. But a single chapter for each of them doesn’t feel like it is doing them justice, and I want to know more about these exceptional women. Which, I think, is Brown’s aim—to give us a glimpse of these women and encourage us to find out more for ourselves. And remember, these are only nine of the many women mountaineers!