Anna Fleming

Anna Fleming is a climber and author of prize-nominated Time on Rock: A Climber’s Route Into the Mountains(Canongate 2022). Inspired by Nan Shepherd, Anna writes about her experiences climbing across the UK. From Yorkshire to the Cuillin, Cairngorms and Moray Sandstone, she reveals the close sensory relationship with the landscape that climbing brings.
Anna will also discuss her 2024 summer expedition to Bolivia to research the Cholita Climbers. This collective of Aymara Indigenous women climb and guide the highest mountains in Bolivia, dressed in their signature pollera style: huge colourful skirts and petticoats. For generations, the Cholitas were targets for discrimination, and mountains are part of their journey towards empowerment. In 2019, five Cholitas defied expectations and climbed Aconcagua (6,961m) the highest mountain in South America. Now they are crowd-funding to climb Everest with a team of Sherpa women. Their aim is to be the first women to stand on top of the world wearing skirts!