British All-Female Team Break New Ground in Alpine Climbing

In a rare and defining ascent, The North Face athlete Fay Manners and fellow British alpinist Ella Wright have opened a new mixed climbing route on one of the Alps’ most remote and rarely explored climbed face: a meaningful contribution to developing a wall in the Trient area. Completed on 3–4th April 2026, La Muse de Trient marks the first time an all-female team has established a route on the north–north-east face, and any face, of the Tête Biselx, an imposing and rarely climbed wall. 

The ascent places two British women at the forefront of modern alpinism, pushing into terrain where few have ventured before; a regional first in French-speaking Switzerland, as to current knowledge no all-female team has previously opened a new route in this part of French Switzerland, making this ascent particularly notable.

Over two days, Manners and Wright climbed entirely on untouched ground, committing to a line with no prior knowledge and no fixed protection in place. Each pitch demanded on-the-spot decision making, as they read the face, placed removable gear, and created a safe passage upwards. Using only ice tools and crampons, they climbed the route in a clean, self-sufficient style, leaving no trace behind. The route reaches technical difficulties of approximately M7+, requiring control, precision and resilience on steep, complex terrain.

First ascents of this nature remain rare for all climbers, and even more so for all-female teams in alpine climbing, a space still largely dominated by men. By establishing a demanding new route on a seldom-climbed face, Manners and Wright have not only expanded what is possible on this terrain but also contributed to greater visibility for women operating at the sharp end of the sport; representing a broader cultural shift as more women step into roles as leaders and pioneers in the mountains.

Manners, a British alpinist now based in the Alps and supported by The North Face, has built a reputation for exploratory climbing and technical first ascents. After leaving a career in data science to pursue alpinism full time, she has completed more than twenty new routes worldwide, including major objectives in Pakistan, Greenland and Patagonia, alongside several steep ski descents in the Alps. Her climbing is matched by a commitment to encouraging more women to transition from indoor climbing into the mountains.

 “Opening a new route like this with Ella was incredibly special. It’s about trusting each other and committing to the unknown, and I hope it shows that women belong on this kind of terrain,” said Manners, The North Face athlete.

La Muse de Trient stands as both a technical achievement and a meaningful progression for the sport. As more women continue to lead first ascents, the landscape of alpine climbing is steadily evolving. Manners and Wright’s ascent is a clear example of that change in motion.