Sexual Violence in Mountaineering
Statement by the Board of Directors of the AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation 501(c)(3)
Gender equity on and off the mountain: that is the very essence of our mission here at the Summit Scholarship Foundation.
We are a team of women and gender-diverse mountaineers and adventurers who aim to lift up others like us. As such, we are no strangers to gender-based power dynamics and aggression in the mountains.
Most of the time our focus rests on empowering women and gender-diverse adventurers through scholarships, community-building, and story telling. Today, we have to take a stance on the allegations of sexual abuse towards women mountaineers brought forward against Nirmal Purja in The New York Times on May 31 2024.
As individuals, we are appalled by the reports of Purja’s acts of sexual violence against women in the mountains - made even worse by the fact that one of the women was expressly in Purja’s care as a paying client on one of his commercial expeditions at the time of the credibly alleged assault.
As an organization whose work centers on creating, identifying and supporting safe spaces for women and gender-diverse individuals in the mountains, we are forced to acknowledge that the issue of gender-based aggression and violence in the mountains is far more wide-reaching than this single high-profile case. It is against this backdrop that we are dismayed to see the muted or non-response by many powerful voices in the mountaineering community, and by the various brands affiliated with Purja.
There are ways to honor due process and simultaneously take an explicit and unwavering zero tolerance stance towards sexual violence. We applaud the former; we expect and demand the latter.
Red Bull, Nike, Scarpa, Grivel and Osprey, let us be clear: You cannot eschew your responsibility of taking a clear stance by hiding behind the desire for a court conviction. All involved - including the general public and your retail customer base - know that the chances of legal proceedings resulting in justice are minuscule particularly when they involve non-citizens in countries like Pakistan and Nepal. Silence and inaction speak louder than words.
We call for the following from all brands currently or recently associated with Purja:
1) A clear, standalone statement explicitly condemning the type of behavior and sexual violence that was detailed in the allegations published by The New York Times
2) A transparent action plan for the re-evaluation of the brand’s association with Purja in light of recent developments
3) A temporary suspension of Purja’s financial, product, and marketing support while said action plan is being actualized
For individuals: don’t be silent and don’t be silenced. Know that the #metoo movement was a pivotal moment for gender equality - but it did not reach deeply into the world of mountaineering.
We ask of you to speak up if you have experienced sexual violence. We ask of you to support those around you who are speaking up. We ask of you to take an active stance in any ways that you can.
Not taking a stance, not speaking up, not supporting victims — hurts everyone. There are people in your life that have been affected by sexual violence, whether they have told you or not. The women and gender diverse people in your life are greatly affected by these acts.
For those of you doing the hard work, we appreciate you and thank you. For those of you who are scared and have been hurt, we stand with you.
We want to acknowledge outspoken allies who are taking a vocal stance condemning sexual violence. Individuals like Melissa Arnot and Cody Townsend are amongst those allies, as well as guide services like Alpenglow, Furtenbach Adventures, Climbing The Seven Summits and our sister organization AWExpeditions.
The mountains are a dangerous place. Adrian Ballinger of Alpenglow Expeditions said it well: they should be dangerous due to the mountains’ nature, not due to the nature of the people in them.
It is time for gender dynamics in the mountaineering world - and the greater world - to break free from these patterns of harm and from those that support and condone them.
Alison Wright, Chairwoman of the Board
Nouh Lahoud, Secretary of the Board
Tana Seaford, Treasurer of the Board
Sunny Stroeer, Executive Director
The Summit Scholarship was originally created by women in order to break down barriers for women in the big mountain realm, and we don’t stop there: with gender equity at the heart of our mission, we strive to empower ALL marginalized genders which includes women and non-cis genders through transformative outdoor experiences. We pursue our mission through a sizable annual scholarship program, storytelling, and community building. Visit www.summitscholarship.org to learn more.
Want to show your support for women mountaineers? Buy a Women of Mountaineering Calendar. All proceeds go towards creating more women’s mountaineering scholarships.
The Summit Scholarship Foundation 501(c)(3) is supported by Nite Ize, LOWA Boots, LEKI USA, Fjallraven, Deuter, CAMP USA, Petzl, Julbo, Skratch Labs, Kula Cloth, AWExpeditions as well as the following non-profits & individuals: The Cairn Project, Lucy Westlake, Jeanette McGill, All the Sky Foundation, the DuBose Foundation, Janet Schlindwein, and many more.
