What’s next
You’ve had a tour of our illustrious history and how we got to where we are. The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for us all, and for the team planning our centenary celebrations. Along with this heritage project, we had developed all sorts of ambitions for real climbing in our centenary year, along with some parties; those plans all had to be adapted as rules and restrictions changed. Our plans for an expedition to Kyrgyzstan were postponed, and later cancelled; our celebration dinner, planned for January 2021, took place in 2022.
In 2021 we ran various events, including public exhibitions and online events as well as climbing meets: a Women’s Trad 100 event in Wales, a three-week expedition taking in the classic climbs of the UK, and introductory meets for prospective members. Please keep an eye on the Pinnacle Club website and Facebook page for information about post-Centenary events.
Pinnacle Club Centenary Sponsorship Fund
Jessie Leong with climbers at the 2018 Women’s Trad Festival. Credit: Hazel Jones
Looking to the next 100 years, our vision is of a Pinnacle Club membership that reflects and represents the wide diversity of women in the UK.
In 2021 our members are predominantly white, middle-class women, which we recognise needs to change. However, the pool of competent women trad leaders from which we draw our members is not currently particularly diverse. Our focus therefore will be on helping to diversify that pool of potential members, by supporting under-represented groups of women to participate in and enjoy outdoor activities, and rock climbing in particular.
Because the Pinnacle Club doesn’t cater for beginners, we are keen to support others who do. For example, our members have supported the Women's Trad Festival from its inception, by volunteering as leaders to share skills and experience with women starting out in trad climbing.
Our newly launched Pinnacle Club Centenary Sponsorship Fund will support women who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to get started and develop their rock climbing outside. The aim is to increase participation of women from a whole range of under-represented groups, including ethnic and religious minorities, LGBT+ and disabled women, and from financially and socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
We see this fund as only one aspect of a broader long-term initiative to support diversity in women's climbing which will develop over a number of years, allowing partnerships to form and identifying approaches that work. The club's rich resources, including members' skills and time, will also be harnessed.
We welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with like-minded organisations. If you are a member of an under-represented group, or you know of women who you believe would benefit from skills development, or opportunities to experience climbing, then please get in touch via our website.