This year for International Women’s Day we wanted to give something back to the wonderful women in our community; On 8th March you can bring any friend or family member who identifies as female and they can climb for free! It’s a small gesture that we hope will introduce more women to this sport. But wait, I hear your brain whirring, what does a free guest pass really do for women in the long term?
Good point well made.
We’re not about tokenism at Highball. There is always progress to be made and we know we can do more. We’re so lucky to host such an excellent bunch of climbers from various backgrounds in one place, and we’re constantly looking at ways to improve the experience for everyone. We dip our teenie beanies in recognition of the women who are already such an integral part of our community, but at the same time it’s clear that there are still real barriers to access when it comes to women in climbing. With this in mind we’re taking the opportunity to get some feedback from the women who climb here… that’s right, we want to hear from you!
We have created a short survey that we hope will give us a bit of insight into the experiences of our female customers. Our aim is to make meaningful change, and for that we need a bit more information. We want to know what we do well, what you would like to see more or less of; we’re interested in what might have prevented you from trying climbing, how you got into it or if anything stops you climbing so regularly now. Next time you’re waiting for a coffee (or Daz’s sunday tatties and gravy anyone?), please take a moment to fill it in.
We can’t change the world, but we can keep learning. Our hope is that with a bit more knowledge we can work towards breaking some of the barriers in our sport and continue to build an environment that is safe, accessible and welcoming for everyone to climb in.
