StThey are open until March 31st free subscriptions to the first photo contest Women move mountains. The mountain declined for women organized by the Italian Alpine Club. There will be three categories, for a total prize pool of 12,000 euros.
A hiker walking on the Canin plateau, in Friuli. Photo Anna Sustersic.
“The idea was born last December 11, on the occasion of International Mountain Day which in 2022 was entitled or Women Move Mountains”, says Antonio Montani, national president of the Italian Alpine Club. «It is precisely the women, in fact, who have historically kept alive the mountain economy, which in our country is an anthropized and lived reality. While the husbands emigrated, it was the wives who took care of the animals and the fields, saving them from abandonment. Today we see that, in a general trend of returning to the high lands, women are once again the protagonists. Let’s forget the image of the peasant woman with the pannier; today we are talking about high professionalism».
Then there is the sector of those who go to the mountains, for hiking or mountaineering. «And there is a whole world here that we would like to highlight. There are extraordinary women, like Nives Meroi and many others. We would like to tell stories of women also to entice many others to climb the mountains». The competition is organized in three categories: The frequentation of the mountains (single photo), Society and culture of the high lands (single photo) and A female story (six photographic shots). The total jackpot is 12,000 euros, you can also register for more than one category. Entries must be sent by March 31st. A selection of the participating photographs will be exhibited in Biella in May during the CAI Delegates Assembly. The award ceremony will take place on that same occasion.
In the general mountain boom, which has been going on above all since the end of the pandemic, the presence of women on the peaks is increasingly strong, and brings something more: «The mountaineer by definition is self-centered», says Montani. «Women tone down this aspect, and bring a dose of sociability and empathy that is very useful in an association like ours».
But despite the dizzying increase in members, the presence of women in the upper echelons of the CAI is still a rarity: «Of the total number of members, 40 percent are women. They go down to 20 as section presidents, while the instructors stop at 16. We have a lot of work to do on the subject of Equal Opportunities, it is no coincidence that we have recently created a dedicated section. In our daily practice we try to facilitate female enrolments. There is a major change going on in society and as an association we try to reflect that.”
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