Climbing Days

by Dorothy Pilley, Dan Richards (introduction)

When Dorothy Pilley first set hand on the rope in the 1910s, women climbers were seen as a dangerous liability, their achievements ignored, unrecorded or disbelieved. Undeterred, Dorothy proved herself on the vertiginous slopes of Wales, Scotland and the Lake District before tackling the rock faces of the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Rockies, Mount Fuji and the Himalayas. Her tireless championing of other women climbers as well as her own trailblazing example led to women being seen as serious mountaineers with impressive records on bravery, skill and endurance.

First published in 1935, Climbing Days tells a daredevil tale of adventure, near-death slips and rapturous achievement in high places, interleaved with moments highlighting the particular challenges of being a woman in a sport seen as the province of men.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1935

Reviews

[ticilici · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me ages to read it, but I liked it a lot, I feel like a greater mountaineer after having read all of this woman's experiences in the mountains. What a sport we enjoy, how different it is nowadays, and how brave and special this woman was.
Thanks for opening the space for all of us now!

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pilley was a really pioneering alpinist. Having already read a biography of her I was interested to read her version of her life. She is very inspiring and this is a this is a powerful read. They certainly took some risks and had some scrapes. She had a high level of determination - to pursue new, exciting climbs and peaks in whatever the conditions were. Written in the style of the time, it holds up well against modern climbing books.

[Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully charming, funny, exhilarating and full of mountainous delights - so glad to see this book back in print. An absolute must for any good mountaineering bookshelf!

[Warrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales of beauty and daring in high places. I found the social interactions just as fascinating; a kind of golden age between the wars, with just a hint of the rise of fascism that was to come emerging in the Italian part of the Alps.

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read, took me too long to get through it