Some people look up at a sheer mountain cliffside and think about how nice it is to have a safe, cozy home. The thought of going there, let alone attempting to climb such a thing, does not occur to them.
Not Fay Manners. The mountains call to her. And now it’s her job to answer.
Fay Manners is a British alpinist (climber) who is now based in the Alps in the Chamonix region of France. Close to her home is Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. She is surrounded by some of the best locations in the world for technical climbing and steep ski mountaineering. But she didn’t come from a famous alpinist family. In fact, it was somewhat lucky that Fay discovered the mountains at all…
Pre-Climbing Career
Before she was a world-famous climber, Fay was a student at Loughborough University. She studied Information Management and Business Studies and earned a BSc in 2008. It wasn’t all geek work, though. Manners competed in field hockey and had a strong connection to her active side. She recalls that the passion for sports was always in her, saying, “I always wanted a career in sports, even when I was at University.”
However, her parents said there was no money in female sports, so she did the sensible thing and took a job in Unilever’s IT Graduate Scheme, working in data roles. She moved to New York in 2010, continuing her career. After work, she would stay active and fit at the local climbing gym and on snowboarding trips to nearby mountains. Little did she know that these fun new activities would start her on a path of destiny. It was on a hike back home in the UK that the seed was truly planted.
In 2014, she took a trip to North Wales for some hiking and fresh air. During the trip, she recalls that something shifted inside her. She went from enjoying the simple pleasure of the outdoors to feeling a pull to nearby mountains. Something up there whispered to her spirit. She looked at the heights of nearby peaks and thought: “I want to be up there where it gets real.” A desire to change the mountains from mere scenery to something she could touch and feel and strive against was growing.
She began to see her work as “draining [her] energy in front of a computer screen.” In truth, she heard that same long-honored voice that legendary naturalist John Muir heard when he famously wrote from Yosemite, “The mountains are calling, and I must go.”
Consulting and the Move to Chamonix
Manners founded her own data consultancy called BadManners, giving her far more flexibility and autonomy. She then moved to Chamonix, France, in 2015 to be near the Alpine mountains. This began the gradual shift toward being a professional climber.
She explored her new passion for years, developing the skills and knowledge needed to take on seriously challenging ascents. She traded her snowboard for skis in 2017 to access high-altitude terrain. Through climbing with others of similar ability and improving together, Manners gradually turned herself into a serious mountaineer.
In 2022, she made her mark and really got the attention of the climbing world when she completed the first female ascent of Phantom Direct on the Grandes Jorasses (Mont Blanc massif). This led to her partnership with The North Face and a whole new era in life as a professional alpinist.
First-Ever Ascent of the Waa Shakil Route on Trango II in Pakistan
In 2023, Manners took a trip to the Karakoram mountain range, specifically the Gilgit-Baltistan area of northern Pakistan. Climbing with Basque brothers Iker and Eneko Pou, the team made six first ascents. This included a major new mixed route (a route that includes ice climbing and rock climbing) on an over six-thousand-meter peak known as Trango II (6,327m). They named the route “Waa Shakil.”
The expedition was rough. Manners had to deal with flu sickness at altitude and stomach issues for the whole team. Snowfall and avalanche risk blocked objectives as snow fell heavily during the ascent. Manners also learned that her close friend and frequent climbing partner, Line van den Berg, had been killed in an accident in Switzerland. It was a brutal hit to morale and focus when she was already deep into the difficulty of trying to conquer a new climbing objective.
The team chose to stay longer and attempt the Trango II summit push anyway.
They made progress using a free climbing style in winter-like conditions, showing that “professional alpinism” isn’t even remotely easy. It’s dealing with hardship on hardship – being tired, hungry, sick, and demoralized – and still finding the strength to continue on. Conquering major objectives comes with a heavy price tag, but also a feeling of sublime satisfaction and accomplishment when the day is done.
Greenland: Mythic Cirque
Later that year in August 2023, Manners headed to Greenland with American alpinist Michelle Dvorak. The two opened a new 370m route (graded 6c+) on Chastity Tower called The Princess Brides. They also established another new route on Father Tower called Mental Breakdown (7b+). On Siren Tower, they made an interesting decision. A particular plan of ascent would have required placing a bolt and aiding, which goes against a pure alpine style of climbing. Drilling a hole in the mountain and using an artificial device is simply not the way Manners wants to climb. Thus, the pair retreated and redirected energy elsewhere.
This is a big part of her mindset. Manners doesn’t want to summit at all costs. Style is a vital component of how she approaches the challenges of nature. Modern exploration alpinism goes light, stays mobile, and is fundamentally creative. Climbers like Fay Manners must rely on short weather windows being self-organized rather than running on a big expedition machine.
It’s not for everyone.
The Chaukhamba III Ordeal
One of the hardest challenges for Manners was climbing Chaukhamba III in the Himalayas.
In 2024, Manners and Dvorak attempted to climb Chaukhamba III (6,974m). They chose to travel via the southeast buttress in India’s Garhwal Himalaya. There were days of technical climbing on granite, with a difficulty increasing up to 7a+, along with ice and mixed terrain. But suddenly, disaster struck. A falling rock cut the rope of their haul bag when they were around 6,400m up the mountain. The bag had essential gear, including their tent, stove, down pants, crampons, ice axes, and headlamps. It fell into a gorge, forcing Manners and her team to rethink everything under serious duress.
The focus on a special achievement stops right then and there. Ambition gets put on the back burner as the expedition instantly needs to pivot and focus primarily on survival from that moment on out. Even a safe descent is in peril at that point.
Manners and Dvorak sheltered on a ledge as the weather worsened. They shared one sleeping bag, struggled to stay warm and avoid hypothermia, and hoped that helicopters would be able to spot them without headlamps in the dark.
They then began descending. Manners got in touch with a French friend on the same peak. The nearby team was a part of Chamonix’s Group Militaire de Haute Montagne (a high mountain squad). They responded to the distress call, and started moving toward a rendezvous to help. It took 72 hours, but Manners and Dvorak reached relative safety lower on the mountain. From there, an Indian Air Force helicopter completed the rescue.
On the mountain, the adversity is nearly guaranteed. It’s all in how you respond to it that defines what kind of alpinist you are.
Manners’s Mountain Mindset
What goes on in the mind of someone who puts their life at risk and problem-solves under pressure? Manners has said that she doesn’t care about the height; that she is happy so long as there are challenging sections where she “just [doesn’t] know what’s going to happen,” and she has to figure out how to conquer the obstacle. It’s a desire to be challenged, to work to overcome it, and to experience the sporting novelty that spurs on creativity.
She says that the decision to leave the office behind led to a “crazy transformation.” Manners explains that her optimism helps her when it comes to trying things, especially things that haven’t been climbed or a new line on a mountain.
In truth, she’s a pioneer. She’s opened at least 20 new routes as of early 2026. She’s always chasing that feeling of satisfaction that comes with doing something when you weren’t sure whether you could do or not. In her internal bookkeeping, the “energy you get is worth the risk.” She encourages others to follow their hearts and do what they enjoy doing.
She sums it up this way: “When I spend more time in the mountains, I have more positive energy, and I feel… more Fay.”
Leading The Way for Women
For Manners, this isn’t a hobby. It’s a calling. And a big part of the calling has become paving the way for other women to change their idea of what is possible. Recently, in February 2025, she took an all-female expedition to Patagonia and opened a new route on an unclimbed peak in the Turbio IV Valley.
She proves that it’s never too late to start, and that people can completely change their lives and careers if they have enough diligence and passion. She proves that there is indeed room in outdoor sports for women who hear the voice of the mountains. It’s still true that gatekeeping can make it hard for people to break in and find mentors, access, and a sense of belonging. But Fay proves that it’s always possible to forge a new path.
Join Fay on the Team Ignition Show
Selema Masekela traveled to Chamonix to learn more about Fay and her craft on The Team Ignition Show. During their encounter, Fay brought to a higher altitude on icy waterfalls and showed him how to find a stronger version of himself in the mountains.
