Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes

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Rendez vous Hautes Montagnes
FormationMay 16, 1968
FounderBaronness Felicitas von Reznicek
Founded atSummit of Titlis
TypeNetwork
PurposeWomen's climbing network
OriginsInternational meeting of women alpinists coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the Swiss Women's Alpine Club
Region
International, Europe
ServicesYearly summer meeting and winter ski tour
MethodsNo constitution and no laws
President
Sophie von Borstel (Germany), Karolin König (Austria)
Website https://www.rhm-climbing.net/

Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes (RHM) is an international climbing organization founded by women alpinists. Founded in 1968, the organization remains an international women's climbing network for women climbers and mountaineers who can lead climbs of grade 5 and higher. The group was founded at a time when many women were excluded from male-only climbing clubs and is notable for its formation as an international climbing collective.

Contents

Background

Since the golden age of alpinism, women had historically been excluded from Europe's alpine climbing clubs. [1] The sole exception was France's Club Alpin Francais. [2] As a result, early women climbers made their own climbing clubs, such as the Swiss Women's Alpine Club  [ de ], Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club, the Pinnacle Club and the Ladies' Alpine Club. [3]

Creation

Summit of Titlis in the Uri Alps, where the RHM was founded. 00 0481 Titlis - Westseite.jpg
Summit of Titlis in the Uri Alps, where the RHM was founded.

On May 16, 1968, Baroness Felicitas von Reznicek  [ de ] led an international group of sixty female mountaineers and their husbands to the summit of Titlis in the Uri Alps. The occasion coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the Swiss Women's Alpine Club and sought to bring women mountaineers together from different countries for the first time. [4] [5]

At the summit, Baroness von Reznicek proclaimed, ”Es lebe das Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes” in three languages, and toasted the assembled party with champagne from a snow bar. [6]

A group of women from Czechoslovakia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Netherlands, Austria and Poland would remain in Engelberg for the next week, later forming the network that would become Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes. They included some of Europe's top women alpinists of the time, including: Blažena Karasová  [ cs ], Halina Krüger-Syrokomska  [ pl ], Colette Le Bret  [ d ], Christine de Colombel  [ fr ], Jeanne Franco  [ d ], Nea Morin, Eileen Healey , Silvia Buscaini  [ it ], Nadja Fajdiga  [ sl ] and Helma Schimke  [ nl ]. [6]

Organization

Felicitas von Reznicek would serve as the network's first president until 1982, when she took the role of Honorary President until 1997. [7] Swiss climber Verena Jäggin served as the organization's following president for the next thirty years. [8]

Since its founding, the Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes would fill a niche for women climbers until traditional alpine clubs would open to female membership. [9] In 1975, women would first be allowed to join the Alpine Club. [10] It would not be until 1980 when women were permitted to join the Swiss Alpine Club. [11]

Based in Switzerland, [12] the organization operates as a loose network with no formal rules and "no laws", governed by local country coordinators. Each year, the association comes together for two gatherings, a summer climbing expedition and a winter ski tour. [7] [13] [14]

Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes has country coordinators in Switzerland, Austria, France, Slovakia, Italy, England, Slovenia, Serbia, Germany, Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Bosnia. [7] Outside of these countries, other members are welcome, including from the United States. [15]

Exhibition

From 2024 to 2025, the Talmuseum Engelberg exhibited Frauen am Seil - Die Geschichte des Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes, a showcase dedicated to the history of the Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes. [16] [17]

Notable members

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wirz, Tanja (2013-06-02). Gipfelstürmerinnen: Eine Geschlechtergeschichte des Alpinismus in der Schweiz 1840-1940 (in German). Hier und Jetzt, Verlag für Kultur und Geschichte. ISBN   978-3-03919-706-4.
  2. ↑ "Pioneering French body – FFCAM – celebrates 150th anniversary - UIAA". 2024-05-07. Archived from the original on 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  3. ↑ Staveley-Wadham, Rose (2021-06-17). "The British Newspaper Archive Blog Early Women Mountaineers | The British Newspaper Archive Blog". Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  4. ↑ "AAC Publications - A Woman's Place is On Top". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  5. ↑ Roelfsema, Anna (1968). Ladies' Alpine Club. The Club. pp. 34–38.
  6. 1 2 Franny_RHM (2015-01-25). "History | RHM - Rendez vous Hautes Montagnes" . Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  7. 1 2 3 Franny_RHM (2015-01-25). "About us | RHM - Rendez vous Hautes Montagnes". Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  8. ↑ Forrer, Sarah (2021-02-15). "Plus de femmes en haute montagne". Club Alpin Suisse CAS (in Swiss French). Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  9. ↑ "Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes (RHM)". Schweizer Alpen-Club SAC (in Swiss High German). 2019-09-16. Archived from the original on 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  10. ↑ "The Story Behind: The Alpine Club". Montane - UK. 2023-03-01. Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  11. ↑ "About us". Swiss Alpine Club SAC. Archived from the original on 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  12. ↑ Summit Magazine. Acacia Company. 1982. p. 24.
  13. ↑ Franny_RHM (2015-01-25). "RHM Summer | RHM - Rendez vous Hautes Montagnes" . Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  14. ↑ Mountain. Youth Hostels Association (England and Wales). 1981.
  15. ↑ "Guide to the Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes : files and journal, 1968-1994". oac.cdlib.org. Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  16. ↑ "Starke Frauen am Seil - Die Geschichte des Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes". myswitzerland.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  17. ↑ "Die Geschichte des Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes". sac-baldern.ch. Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  18. ↑ Blum, Arlene (2005-10-04). Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-0-7432-8178-2.
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