Skip to content 
For decades, the face of professional climbing has been disproportionately male. But women have been sending tough routes the entire time without much recognition. Thanks to Instagram, it’s now possible to follow along as these ladies conquer walls and the most insane crags.
Here are five female athletes to inspire your next climb:
1. Alyse Dietel
Alyse Dietel climbs rad routes, creates impressive visual art, and she has the MOST adorable puppy. What else could you want? She survived a 60-foot fall a few years ago, but refused to let a few broken vertebrae, a shattered pelvis, collapsed lung and broken ribs slow her down. Sometimes she even climbs in a dinosaur costume.
2. Wai Yi Ng
Want some scenery with your climbing inspiration? Check out Wai Yi Ng’s Instagram, filled with photos of her and her friends dangling upside down in front of Oahu’s beaches at sunset. She didn’t start climbing until she was 25, but has since become a sponsored athlete and is working to develop new climbing routes throughout Hawaii.
If the warm beaches of Hawaii aren’t your cup of tea, follow along with Angela Van Wiemeersch as she scales impressive ice walls around the world. Along with gnarly pictures of her climbing, she invites followers on every step of the adventure . Sometimes that requires days of hiking or biking. Sometimes that requires pack mules.
Okay, this isn’t actually an individual. But why settle for one person’s adventures when you can see a whole host of ladies sending. The group focuses on increasing the visibility of women of color who are climbing all over the U.S. They also host meet-ups in Denver and D.C. and even their own climbing festival.
Along with sick photos of her routes, Michaela Kiersch also shares some of the workout routines that keep her fit. There are a lot of insane pull ups, sometimes only using one finger. The Salt Lake-based climber also offers insight into how she manages stress, the pressures she places on herself, and unattainable female beauty standards.
Author: Elise Schmelzer
