Fay Manners

Fay Manners left Dame Alice Harpur School in 2005 and went on to read Information Management and Business Studies at Loughborough University. A career in Business Intelligence ensued, working for the likes of international names Coca-Cola, Autoglass and Unilever, before combining her love of alpinism into her working life.

Have you ever fancied climbing up the steep and often precipitous edge of an icy mountain over several days, perching a tent (and perhaps losing one of the poles south mid construction!) on a narrow ridge for your night’s sleep, whilst continually adapting and being alert to whatever nature throws at you, be it avalanches, snow storms or blazing sunshine? Most of us would find this difficult to entertain but this is the fascinating life of alumna and professional British alpinist, Fay Manners.

Having had no real exposure to climbing as a child, it was a chance climb on a bouldering wall in New York that began a love of climbing for Fay. This progressed to the mountainous terrain of North Wales, climbing with friends local to the area, who knew the local mountaineering ‘like the back of their hand’, expertly navigating the rocky streams and grassy paths and wet terrain. These climbs in Wales equipped Fay with a variety of skills, enabling her to have the confidence to be more adventurous in her climbing challenges. This determination and curiosity eventually led to Fay being a professional alpine climber.

Now permanently based for the past seven years in Chamonix Mont Blanc, France, Fay can be usually found in the high mountains either ski mountaineering or alpine climbing. She has recently teamed up with outdoor athletic and recreational apparel company, The North Face, who work with a number of intrepid athletes. Aside from her busy climbing pursuits, Fay runs her own data consulting company, BadManners Ltd, and is also working with Unilever as a Business Intelligence Consultant. Fay really is living the dream: living in the mecca of the alpine world and combining what she loves with her day job.

Fay has traversed some of the most challenging peaks of the world including the Phantom Direct on the south face of the Grande Jorasses; at 1,600m it is the longest and most serious winter mixed climb of the Mont Blanc massif, crack-climbing in Cadarese and skiing above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Last year, Fay and her fellow alpinist, Michelle Dvorak climbed Alaska’s Bacon and Eggs on Mini-Mini-Moonflower and the Cassin Ridge on Denali, in what was the first female ascent of the season. To view Fay’s perilous Alaskan climb and a gallery of her photos please visit faymanners.com.

Fay explains the draw of climbing for her: “Now I truly appreciate the mountains, both their intrinsic awe-inspiring beauty and the beauty of the challenge they present to us. I see mountaineering as a physical and mental battle that requires you to be some kind of super-human Swiss Army knife; to have perseverance, courage and adaptability; to venture beyond comfort and into a beautiful unknown.”

Female alpinists are few and far between. There has historically been a perception that females are not strong enough physically and mentally to cope with such harsh and isolated conditions, and Fay feels this has discouraged many women in the past. Fay cites UK climbers Helen Rennard, Katy Whittaker and Emma Twyford for her inspiration. She goes on to say that the latter two have played a huge part in starting a female climbing movement in North Wales.

Fay’s ambition is to inspire women to pursue their interest in alpinism, she told us: “I think it is a good testament for students to chase their dreams and not simply feel like they have to follow one set career path of a five day a week job. By sharing my personal experiences, I hope that I might influence young girls across the UK to try mountaineering. I also hope that by spotlighting some current mountaineers who inspire me that there can be more recognised role models at both an elite and grassroots level. I believe mountaineering should be an accessible and equal sport for anyone.”

Fay’s long-time ambition is to climb the rock faces of Greenland, but in Fay’s true twist of style, she plans to mix it up a bit and sail there first.

“My lungs drawing in cold, thin air at the summit. My body warming from the rays of the late-night sun. My eyes soaking in the vista, an endless horizon of snow-laden peaks. My brain focused on the next step.”