Anne Lister: The Mountaineer
Anne Lister was an accomplished mountaineer, climber and hiker. Here are some of her documented adventures in her own words.
Through Her Eyes
Anne Lister , the famous 19th-century Yorkshire landowner, saw and accomplished much on her many travels around Europe. She scaled mountains with her skirts tied up around her legs, hiked miles in treacherous weather, and crossed glaciers in crampons tied to her boots. She blazed many trails and was often the first person to do so. We know this because, just as with other aspects of her life, her journals include extensive detail on her expeditions. The adventures included here demonstrate Anne's impressive mountaineering endeavours and are a testament to her ambition and athleticism.
This article features some of her known ascents. Most were completed, but we have also included others that were planned but never realised due to changes in the weather (or in one case, an earthquake!). The transcripts nonetheless show how such endeavours were approached by Anne, and, should she have lived, Anne would no doubt have ‘climbed every mountain’.
After summiting Mount Vignemale in August 1838 , Anne reflected:
"I have made each ascent for my pleasure, not for éclat. What is éclat to me? What is éclat to anyone? "
It is clear that she enjoyed the personal challenge, and her tenacity to push herself physically comes as no surprise when you consider her remarkable dedication and discipline in other areas of her life.
World Map
This map includes all of Anne's known completed, attempted and intended climbs. Even by modern standards, this is an impressive tally.
The Excursions
Anne, as ever, documented her excursions in her daily personal journal and her travel journals (often more portable notebooks used for recording trip details while travelling). Edited extracts are included below for each location.
Anne's Legacy
Lister was one of only a handful of female mountaineers that we know of in the early part of the 19th century: the Golden Age of mountaineering is generally considered to be 1850-1900. The physical exertion required would certainly have been considered 'unladylike' for the ‘weaker sex’ at that time, and mountaineering, in general, was then considered a ‘man’s sport’ or simply a ‘masculine endeavor’. Anne even commented on this herself in conversation with a friend, reflecting on her ascent of Monte Perdu. ( 28 August 1830 )
'Lady Stuart and I sat up talking till 1 - told her the sort of place Gollis was and all about it saying I did not mean to say much about it to people in general for it was not quite a ladys expedition'
Nevertheless, some other contemporary women climbers included Maria Paradis . Paradis was a poor maidservant from Chamonix (a small town at the base of Mont Blanc). In 1808, at age 30, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. As mentioned above, this was an ascent that Anne Lister was not able to achieve due to poor weather conditions. Paradis allegedly suffered from terrible altitude sickness during the ascent and had to be dragged the final part of the way by her guides. She reportedly told them ‘Chuck me into a crevasse and go on yourselves’. Thankfully they did not ‘chuck’ her over, and Maria Paradis went on to be known as ‘Maria de Mont Blanc’!
The Duchess de Berry (Maria-Caroline of Bourbon Sicile) was another woman climber, who was the first female to reach Brèche de Roland (a naturally formed gap 40m across and 100m high, at an elevation of 2,804m in the Pyrénées). The Duchess made the ascent with 30 guides and although she was carried part of the way in a chair, she did complete the most dangerous part on foot. Anne Lister, in 1830 on route to Mont Perdu, saw and recorded in her travel journal the Duchess' name carved into the rock at Brèche de Roland.
Anne Lister's mountaineering achievements are relatively unknown in their entirety. They are eclipsed perhaps by the fame of her magnificent 5 million word journal, her intriguing love life or simply because we have been unable to fully know about them until the Diary Transcription Project by the West Yorkshire Archive Service had begun to uncover Anne's life in more detail. It is entirely possible that even more of Anne’s daring adventures may yet come to light.
It should go without saying that Anne’s physical athleticism and incredible achievements detailed above, must not be overlooked when examining her life. Her sense of adventure, courage to seek out new challenges and desire to experience and learn from the world beyond the Yorkshire dales is truly inspirational.
One group of women who have been so inspired by Anne Lister are the Blister Sisters , who are planning to follow in Anne’s footsteps and climb Mount Vignemale in August 2021. Bon voyage!
Additional sources
- All journal and travel journal references can be found on the online catalogue at West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale.
- ' Sensing the Divine: Frankenstein's Creature and the Mer de Glace ' by Kristin Hogue
- 'Our Common Room in Geneva' and the Early Exploration of the Alps of Savoy by J.S. Rowlinson
- 'True Tales of Mountain Adventures for Nonclimbers Young and Old' by Mrs Aubrey Le Blond
- 'Les femmes à la découverte des Pyrénées' by Nanou Saint-Lèbe
- Women mountaineers: A study of affect, sensoria and emotion - Thesis by Jenny Hall
- Zurich Central Library collection and Office de Tourisme de la vallée de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc