WOMEN'S
CLIMBING
SYMPOSIUM
WCS25
A true highlight of the Women's Climbing Symposium, our talks programme offers inspiring plenary sessions and eight focus talks covering a range of topics requested by the WCS community.
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Though everyone will gather for our plenary sessions, you will only have the time and opportunity to attend two focus talks; read more about each talk and the wonderful women hosting them below.
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HEADLINE SPEAKERS
Coming soon
FOCUS TALKS
Delivered by eight engaging women, all brimming with extensive knowledge in their respective fields, we are incredibly excited to present a programme of Focus Talks that we believe are among our best ever.
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Click on the links below for more information about each of our focus talks and the guest speakers delivering them, or scroll on down to see them all!
Wall Art: My Journey in Routesetting Zoe Wood | Routesetter
All Things Fingers Erin Jukes | Physiotherapist
Getting the Most out of Your Belaytionship Dr Rebecca Williams | Performance Psychology Coach
50 Years of Climbing and Adventure Jan Rickman | Lifelong Climber, Mother, Adventurer
Female Hormones Dr Natalie Brown | Female Hormone Specialist
An Outdoor Career as a Deaf Person Morag Skelton | Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor
Risk and Climbing Dr Rebecca Williams | Performance Psychology Coach
wall art: my journey in route setting
Zoe wood (SHE/HER) route setter
In this talk, Zoë will take us on a journey through the world of route setting, from her first setting job in North Wales to setting for some of the biggest National climbing competitions. She’ll share her processes, inspirations, and the steps involved in bringing her ideas to life on the wall. Whether you're looking to get started in route setting, seeking tips to turn your creative concepts into reality, or want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of the routes and boulders we spend so much time on, Zoë will be your guide to all things route setting.
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IZoë Wood is a professional route setter who grew up climbing in North Wales, taught by her mother, Libby, an International Mountain Guide and Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor. Her love for climbing deepened while working at the local climbing wall, where she discovered route setting — a profession she considers the "best job in the world." Captivated by the process of creating movement on the wall, Zoë immersed herself in learning every aspect of the craft. Today, Zoë works full-time as a route setter, traveling across the UK and abroad to set for both competitions and commercial climbing walls. This year she became the first British female route setter to set for both the senior and junior boulder and lead National Championship events, as well as for the US National Lead Championships. As a woman in what has historically been a male-dominated industry, Zoë is passionate about making route setting more accessible to women. She is excited to see the growing diversity within the field and remains committed to advocating for inclusivity. With her expertise and dedication, Zoë continues to be a key influence in the climbing community. IG: @zoebwood
All things fingers: building knowledge and reducing injury risk
erin jukeS (SHE/HER) physiotherapist
Come grow your knowledge and explore how your fingers work while climbing, what different sensations and feelings mean, and how to keep them healthy. Whether you're just starting out or have been climbing for years, knowing how to listen to your fingers and actively engage in injury prevention can help you climb more effectively and avoid injuries. Topics include:
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How Your Fingers Work: A basic look at finger anatomy and what happens when you climb.
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Understanding Sensations: Learn what different feelings in your fingers—like tightness or discomfort—really mean.
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Injury Prevention Strategies: Practical tips on strengthening, stretching, and recovering to reduce the risk of common climbing-related finger injuries like tendon strains and pulley tears.
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Climbing Smart: How to train and climb in a way that minimizes stress on your fingers while maximizing performance.
Erin Jukes is a qualified physiotherapist and passionate climber based in Sheffield. Currently working as a rotational physiotherapist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Erin supports patients with a wide range of health conditions, from diabetes to soft tissue injuries. Her love for climbing led her to focus her dissertation on A2 pulley injuries, which sparked her interest in climbing-specific physiotherapy. Erin is dedicated to helping individuals be their best selves through encouraging an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle. IG: erin_thephysio​
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getting the most out of your belaytionship
dr Rebecca Williams (SHE/HER) performance psychology coach
Climbing partners can have a huge influence on how safe and comfortable we feel and whether we are able to try and fail productively. They can push us to perform at our best, or lead us to feel second rate and self critical. Rebecca will be sharing the common factors which can help or inhibit your climbing partnerships. She'll go through exercises to uncover your relationship beliefs and find ways to effectively communicate your climbing needs, so you can grow your partnership and optimise your own climbing. This focus talk will be a mix of theory and practical exercises, so bring a pen and paper!​
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For over 20 years Dr Rebecca Williams has been coaching climbers on mental skills for climbing, working with hundreds of climbers every year on all aspects of their headgame to develop their confidence and improve their climbing psyche. A qualified Rock Climbing Instructor and author of Climb Smarter, Rebecca prides herself on being a psychologist first and foremost. In order to improve her clients climbing performance Rebecca makes psychological theory practical; utilising psychological formulations and evidence based techniques and tools, and adapting and applying the latest sports and clinical psychology research. Rebecca is also trained in a number of therapies and techniques including cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and behavioural techniques such as exposure and systematic desensitisation, commonly used to help people with fears and phobias (e.g fear of falling). smartclimbing​.co.uk
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A Woman's story: over 50 years of climbing and adventures
jan Rickman (SHE/HER) lifelong climber, mother, adventurer
You're hooked on climbing and want it to be a part of the rest of your life. Is it possible and what does that really mean? In this talk, Jan, born in 1952 and still an active climber, shares her climbing journey over a period of immense change in life, the wider world and climbing. Jan will cover her early life, her route into climbing and her experiences as a climber through different life stages: the adventure years, having a family and climbing as an older woman. A life both ordinary and extraordinary that any woman can relate to and draw inspiration from.
Jan climbed her first routes at Almscliff in 1970 as a student with Leeds University Mountaineering Club, after a childhood spent very much in the outdoors as her family came from North Wales. This adventurous spirit
evolved into a passion for climbing and the climbing way of life over the next few years, when she met her life and climbing partner for the next 35 years down a cave whilst working at an outdoor centre in the
Yorkshire Dales. They then shared climbing adventures all over the UK, the Alps and further afield for 13 years. Jan then had a new adventure, having two children and took great joy in bringing them to the great
outdoors. The family years continued with lots of trips and adventures all he while working as a teacher as Head of Inclusion in a secondary school. With retirement 12 years ago, Jan has continued climbing often with the Pinnacle Club, the club for women climbers, as well as with her daughter and other friends. She is often to be found along with many other British retired climbers on the crags of Europe and Morocco. Jan still has a deep passion for climbing and finds so much inspiration in being with other climbers and listening to their stories.​​
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A S**T TALK! pee, poo and periods in the great outdoors
Hannah Mitchell (SHE/HER) writer, journalist, founder of Tidy climbers
coming soon
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Hannah loves climbing in all its flavours - even the 'type 2' kind! After tagging along to the wall with her housemates in a borrowed pair of shoes six years ago, she caught the bug and the rest is history. As a writer and journalist, Hannah combines her passions for storytelling, climbing and caring for the outdoors. She runs a community litter picking initiative, Tidy Climbers, and can talk rubbish all day long...
female hormones: myth busting and practical advice for active women of all ages
dr Natalie brown (SHE/HER) female hormone specialist
This session will explore female hormones across the lifespan sharing some facts and myths about the menstrual cycle and peri-menopause. Taking a positive perspective of the power of hormones, combined with an increased understanding of yourself and possible solutions, this session will focus on growing awareness and providing strategies to empower you to take action for yourself as well as supporting friends, family and colleagues around you.
climbing and an outdoor career: my journey as a deaf person
moral Skelton (SHE/HER) mountaineering and climbing instructor
Morag will share her journey as a climber, instructor and deaf person. She’ll provide insights to some of the challenges and barriers she has faced throughout her life, as well as the opportunities and growth that’s she’s experienced. Ever wondered how someone like Morag communicates while out climbing? Interested in a career outdoors? In need of inspiration that anything is possible? Then this talk is for you!
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Morag was born profoundly deaf and learnt British Sign Language to communicate before she learnt to speak. In her early days, she pushed herself out of her comfort zone to travel and work worldwide as a ski instructor. Later climbing quickly became her main sport and in a short period of time she worked her way up the qualifications. After completing the Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor training course, the thought of doing the assessment halted her for a while until she realised MCI work style suits her more and anything is possible. She has pushed her way through the challenges and the barriers to become a qualified MCI. This year Morag ran Navigation courses for Deaf people/BSL users and hopes to inspire more deaf people to get involved with climbing, and show them the joy of an outdoor lifestyle.​
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risk and climbing: understanding your own relationship to risk
DR Rebecca Williams (SHE/HER) performance psychology coach
The most common phrase Rebecca hears from climbers seeking coaching for anxiety is "I don't understand why I get so scared when it's a safe fall!" In this focus talk, Rebecca will help you understand your own risk alert triggers, where they come from, and what you can do to manage them better. Rebecca has been running the Risk sessions at Kendal Mountain Festival for the last couple of years, and she will be bringing insights from pro climbers as well as adventure sports research, linking these with practical ideas for how you can balance risk and reward to grow as a climber.
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For over 20 years Dr Rebecca Williams has been coaching climbers on mental skills for climbing, working with hundreds of climbers every year on all aspects of their headgame to develop their confidence and improve their climbing psyche. A qualified Rock Climbing Instructor and author of Climb Smarter, Rebecca prides herself on being a psychologist first and foremost. In order to improve her clients climbing performance Rebecca makes psychological theory practical; utilising psychological formulations and evidence based techniques and tools, and adapting and applying the latest sports and clinical psychology research. Rebecca is also trained in a number of therapies and techniques including cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and behavioural techniques such as exposure and systematic desensitisation, commonly used to help people with fears and phobias (e.g fear of falling). smartclimbing​.co.uk​​
