The UIAA in Banff : Women who have made a difference to the Mountaineering Community

Sharon Wood

Mount Everest was a culmination of an odyssey that began at age 12 when Sharon’s father took her up her first mountain. By the time she was 17, she was devoting all her time to climbing. Laurie Skreslet met Sharon at Outward Bound and knew she was out of the ordinary. “It was obvious to me the moment I saw her that she was committed, grounded, determined, focused, persevering… overflowing with potential.”

Her first break came in l977 when she joined an all-women’s expedition to Mount Logan. Then in l983 she had her first big success with the Cassin Ridge on Mount McKinley which “really changed my attitude. I didn’t see myself so much as a woman but as a climbing partner. I came back with a lot of confidence.” Expeditions to Makalu (1984), the south face of Aconcagua (1984), and the northeast face of Huascaran Sur (1985) followed. By 1986 she realized that she was “ready for anything.” Her ascent of Mount Everest by the difficult west ridge and north face was first for a North American woman, but as her friend Albi Sole recalled, “It’s not because she was a woman that she got to the top, it’s because she was the right person for the job….”

After Everest she had moved on to other adventures. Much in demand as a public speaker, she travels North America sharing her experiences and her approach to risk. In l988 she married and is now raising a family. Much of her time nowadays is taken up organizing a private school she started in her home town of Canmore, Alberta. In l997 Sharon received the Summit of Excellence Award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Sharon explained her motives in a recent interview. “The constants that I have tried to maintain through all of these things are …the steep learning curve, the intensity, perhaps a certain degree of risk… and tremendous adventure… and that ongoing, never ending quest for self knowledge”.

— from Chic Scott’s Pushing the Limits