![[Translate to English:]](/fileadmin/Der_SAC/Unserer_Partner/CSS_cyan_rgb.svg)
© Romy Streit
Route Building Workshops for Women SAC launches project to boost inclusivity in the climbing community
Women are (still) underrepresented in route building. Bouldering or lead routes at national and international climbing events are mostly bolted by men, and a route-setting team usually has one female member at most. By organising targeted workshops, the SAC wants to promote diversity and development in Swiss route building and remove barriers to getting involved in bolting.
"Creative ideas on the wall emerge when different shapes, sizes and perspectives are incorporated into climbing routes thanks to input from diverse route building teams," says Alise Zvigule. Together with Friederike Traub, she runs on behalf of the Swiss Alpine Club SAC the project to promote women in Swiss route building. Both are active national and international route builders. "Our aim with this project is to address the gender imbalance within the climbing community and to strengthen the representation of FLINTA* people in route building," adds Friederike Traub. The acronym FLINTA* stands for female, lesbian, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people.
Between July and October 2024, five two-day workshops will take place at bouldering gyms across Switzerland. Depending on the focus, the courses are geared specifically towards people with no experience in route building or cover creative bolting for more experienced route builders. The project is being funded by Swiss Olympic as part of the revitalisation projects designed to give the sport a boost in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Participation in the workshops is free of charge.
Route Building Workshops
A high number of inquiries means that we are unfortunately not able to automatically guarantee participation. In your registration e-mail, please include your contact details and describe in 1-2 sentences how much experience you already have in route building and what you would like to learn, so that we can be sure to match you with the right course. We will e-mail you with full details and to confirm your participation.
26 & 27 July 2024 – Elys Boulderloft, Basel
Focus: Creative bolting
Target audience: People with extensive route building experience
Aim: Learning how to implement creative ideas
2 & 3 August 2024 – Quadrel, Domat/Ems
Focus: Route building basics
Target audience: People with some route building experience who want to strengthen their self-confidence and refine their techniques.
Aim: Using safety protocols and basic principles to bolt competently and safely.
Only registrations from people who live in Switzerland, have a work permit for Switzerland or are already actively involved in the Swiss climbing community can be considered in this phase of the project. The aim is to use the experiences and findings from this year's workshops to create a framework for future training opportunities.
