Fay Manners Takes a Whip
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Fay Manners is a British climber known for her first ascents and all-female expeditions. She's sponsored by brands like The North Face and Petzl. Her ambition is to inspire women to pursue alpinism, emphasizing resilience, adaptability, and bold leadership in a male-dominated field.
She's made the first ascents of Waa Shakil (6b/M5, 2,200m) on Trango II in Pakistan (2023) with the Pou brothers; Mental Breakdown (7b+, R, 750m), a traditional rock climb on Father Tower in Greenland’s Mythic Cirque (2023); How not to (M5, 250m) on Senja Island, Norway, with Freja Shannon (March 2023). Other ascents include Phantom Direct: In 2022, with Line van den Berg, she made the first female ascent of the Phantom Direct route on the south face of Grandes Jorasses in the Mont Blanc massif, likely the fifth overall ascent. Denali’s Cassin Ridge: In 2022, with Michelle Dvorak, she completed the first female ascent of the season on this 6,000m+ Alaskan route, known for its arctic-like conditions and technical challenges.
Manners gained significant attention after a harrowing incident on Chaukhamba III (22,949ft) in India’s Garhwal Himalayas. On Sept. 27, 2024, while attempting a first ascent with Michelle Dvorak, a rockfall cut a rope, causing a bag with critical gear (tent, stove, food, down clothing, crampons, and ice axes) to plummet into a ravine. Stranded at 20,000–21,000ft for three days in -15°C conditions, they survived on a 10-inch ledge with minimal equipment. After sending an SOS (Dvorak’s phone died shortly after), they endured 80 hours of hunger, thirst, and near-hypothermic conditions. Rescue helicopters initially failed to spot them, prompting a partial descent. On Oct. 5, a French climbing team from the Group Militaire de Haute Montagne assisted them, sharing gear and guiding them to a lower altitude for an Indian Air Force helicopter evacuation on Oct. 6.
About the fall in Sweden, Fay Manners said here, ''In between rain showers we managed to find some dry rock at Galgeberget. This attempt was unfortunately another failed Bohuslän onsight for me! It is on a route called Masken, an incredible finger crack on grey cams and there is a few small feet outside the crack too. Oh well… weak arms and fingers means a strong head.''