Blog Post: The Climb Is Hers! Reclaiming Space One Summit at at Time

Photo by Solveig Eichner

Journalist Hadia Arif on the Importance of Ascend’s Programming

Two years ago, Ascend extended its reach to Pakistan, bringing women’s empowerment programming to a country where the quest for women’s rights is as complex as it's ever been. Today, Karachi-based journalist Hadia Arif takes a look at why Ascend is so needed within the country, and how our programming is “not just about scaling mountains.” Read on to learn more. 

There is something quietly revolutionary about a woman standing tall on a mountain cliff,

defying not just gravity but centuries of limitations. When I first learned about Ascend Pakistan, a part of the broader Ascend Athletics mission, I felt a surge of hope and pride. Here was a program not just training girls to climb rocks, but helping them rise above fear, conditioning, and invisibility.

In them, I see every woman who has been told to stay quiet, stay home, stay safe - and who

instead chose to stay strong.

If you ask me what strength looks like, I shall tell you: It is a girl in Skardu tying a climbing knot

with trembling hands, whispering to herself, “I can.” And then doing it.

As someone who deeply believes in the strength of resilient women - those who rise against all odds, who break barriers not for applause but for change - I couldn’t help but be moved by this initiative. I have always admired women who don’t wait for doors to open but climb through the windows life gives them. The work Ascend is doing in the breathtaking, yet challenging terrains of Skardu and Gilgit-Baltistan is a living example of that spirit.

Founded in 2015, Ascend Athletics began as a U.S.-based nonprofit with a bold mission: to

empower young women through mountaineering, leadership training, and community service.

When they brought this vision to Pakistan in 2023, it was more than a program launch - it was a promise that girls in our region could be bold, fearless, and free.

The initiative is both rigorous and rooted. Young women are trained extensively in rock

climbing, anchor systems, rescue techniques, and first aid - all under the guidance of

international experts and Pakistani trainers. In 2024, their first cohort passed the American

Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Single Pitch Instructor exam - a milestone not just in

sport, but in history.

But Ascend is not just about scaling mountains – it is about climbing beyond silence, reclaiming space, and showing up for the next generation. These girls - daughters of farmers, students from remote valleys, sisters and friends - are now certified instructors, leading climbing programs for schoolgirls, mothers, and even people with disabilities. They are holding climbing ropes in one hand and lifting communities with the other.

In a country where nearly 90% of women report feeling unsafe in public spaces, Ascend is rewriting that reality - one rope, one rock, one resilient heart at a time.

I was especially struck by the dignity with which Ascend supports not only the physical training but also mental wellness, leadership, and environmental responsibility. Their model ensures that no deserving girl is left behind due to finances. Full scholarships are offered to those with the grit and drive to commit to the program.

Reading about the launch of the program in Islamabad, where mountaineering icons like Nazir

Sabir and Naila Kiani joined hands with young climbers, I felt a sense of unity I rarely experience. Naila - Pakistan’s first woman to summit three 8,000-meter peaks - serves as the

initiative’s ambassador. Her journey is proof that when women rise, they take whole generations with them.

What deeply resonates with me, as a writer, as a woman, and as a mother of three teenagers, is that these girls are not seeking the spotlight. They are seeking change. They are carving

footholds not just into rock but into systems, narratives, and futures that had long shut them out.

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