NZAC: Centenary of First Ascent of Aoraki by a Woman

Media Release

Tuesday 23rd November

Alpine Club Celebrates Centenary of First Ascent of Aoraki/ Mt Cook by a Woman

Over a hundred and fifty people will gather together at Aoraki/Mt Cook Village on December 4th to celebrate the centenary of the first female ascent of Aoraki/Mt Cook by Australian climber Freda Du Faur.

The New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC), supported by the Max Foundation for Women, is hosting a series of events, culminating in a celebratory dinner with guest speaker Lydia Bradey, first woman to ascend Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen.

Key organiser of the event Pat Deavoll (NZAC) said Du Faur’s climbing played an inspirational part in the development of mountaineering in New Zealand and few climbers these days could match her success.

“Not only was she the first woman to climb Aoraki/Mt Cook, she was also the first woman in New Zealand to take up ‘high alpine climbing.’ Her career was brief, but over four years she assembled a remarkable 30 successful ascents, many of them firsts.”

Du Faur began her alpine career at Aoraki/Mt Cook in 1909, under pioneer mountain guide Peter Graham. Graham was impressed with the young woman and said that despite her gender, he saw no reason why she shouldn’t be a mountaineer. They formed a guide/ client partnership that endured until 1913, with highlights being the first female ascent of Aoraki Mt Cook, the first east-west traverse of Mt Sefton, and the first “Grand Traverse” of the summit ridge of Aoraki/Mt Cook.

“Du Faur left New Zealand the most successful amateur climber, man or woman the country had ever seen and certainly one of the most accomplished amateur climbers of her day anywhere in the world,” Deavoll said.

“Sadly this woman who had kicked down the barriers of gender stereotyping, who was celebrated for her climbing expertise, perseverance and athleticism, took her own life in 1935 after suffering declining mental health.”

Deavoll said the celebrations are an opportunity to acknowledge not only Du Faur’s life and historic climb of Aoraki/Mt Cook, but also the female mountaineers who have followed in her footsteps.

ENDS

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