Women of Verbier

The world of mountain sports is still perceived as a very male domain. However, although the first female guide only graduated in 1980, the mountains have been a female playground for a long time. From the British pioneer Lucy Walker, who first climbed the Matterhorn in 1871, to the founding of the Swiss Women’s Alpine Club in 1918, women did not wait to enjoy the excitement of the summits.

In Verbier, a playground perched at an altitude of 1,500 metres, the environment has also forged vocations. We met with five local athletes to ask them about their careers, their motivations and their perception of femininity in their respective disciplines.

So, what does it mean to be a woman in the world of professional sport? From freeride to trail running, wingsuiting to paragliding, there are as many answers as there are disciplines and personalities. For Géraldine Fasnacht, freeride champion and wingsuit pioneer, this difference acted as a driving force. For her successors Maude Besse and Elisabeth Gerritzen, parity is justified and must be defended. Emily Vaudan, trail running champion, believes that her sport allows everyone to work to their strengths. Finally, Yael Margelisch, who holds three world records in paragliding, saw her femininity as an opportunity to enter major competitions quickly and to make a place for herself.

From these various observations, it is clear that, although changes are still necessary, particularly in the world of competition, femininity is rarely seen as an obstacle by our athletes. Nourished by this mountainous playground, they have turned it into a strength, a driving force, even a facilitator. Our “Women of Verbier” series presents this range of experiences and feelings, in the hope of inspiring a new generation and seeing more and more girls and women on the snow, on the trails or in the air.