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Grit & Rock Expedition Award for female mountaineering, deadline 28 February 2023

The deadline for the 2023 First Ascent Expedition Award is 28 February 2023. Promoted by the UK-based charity GRIT&ROCK, the annual expedition grant pool of USD10,000 is aimed at supporting female advancement in mountaineering

Planetmountain

January 2023

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Cerro Arenales, Patagonia: Rebeca Cáceres, Nadine Lehner and Isidora Llarena enjoy the view onto the Northern Patagonian Icefield at the start of their expedition

Nadine Lehner archive

In September 2016 the UK-based charity GRIT&ROCK announced the launch of an annual international First Ascent Expedition Award to enable female first ascents. The award, the largest of its kind globally, funds projects of female-led expedition teams up to the amount of USD 10,000.

The aims of the award is to promote and encourage female participation in pioneering alpine ascents. The Award is open to individuals and climbing teams with majority female participation and is meant to provide funding for those who need it most. Over the past three years, expeditions supported with the GRIT&ROCK grants have resulted a number of new ascents, such as a new route up Mugu Peaks (Nepal) completed in 2018 by Anna Torretta, Cecilia Buil and Ixchel Foord, and, more recently, a new route on Cerro Arenales above the Northern Patagonian Icefield completed by Rebeca Cáceres, Nadine Lehner and Isidora Llarena.

Grants are awarded in three distinct categories of PERFORMANCE, EXPLORATION AND APPRENTICESHIP. They are open to individuals and climbing teams with majority female participation and are meant to provide funding for those who need it most.

PERFORMANCE
This category is reserved for ambitious high-altitude ascents where the degree of difficulty of the project is carefully matched by a well-demonstrated skill.

EXPLORATION
This award category is reserved for beautifully crafted and well thought through projects on a smaller scale, such as exploration and mapping of new routes in remote areas of the world.

APPRENTICESHIP/SPECIAL PRIZE
This category is reserved for projects aimed at advancement of alpine skills and independence of those who are making further steps in their climbing career. Past example of such projects include a route performed alpine-style by a Nepali female guide who has previously climbed only with the use of fixed ropes under supervision of another accomplished climber.

The application deadline for the GRIT&ROCK’2023 grant pool is February 28, 2023

To learn more, check out gritandrock.net