Magic ritual. A prayer to Mother Earth. The mountaineering art of the Cholitas Escaladoras contains cultural codes far more significant than the mere physical act of climbing vertically. Theirs is a contemporary Bolivian fable, made of ancient traditions that, filtered through their courage, become a form of redemption for Andean women: a female challenge that draws on aesthetic languages and traditional knowledge, translating them into the conquest of summits as a way to affirm both individual and collective identity, and into a respectful, almost mystical, approach to this natural element.

On the occasion of the premiere of the documentary ‘Ascensio’, a narrative chapter within a broader support system for the Cholitas shaped by the partnership between SCARPA® and GORE-TEX®, we captured the quiet, yet thunderously powerful, philosophy of these Aymara pioneers. According to them, the conquest of some of Latin America’s most iconic peaks, and their recent ascent of Mont Blanc, are not sporting achievements but manifestos: challenges to gender stereotypes and to the social barriers that many Bolivian women still face today.

We gathered the reflections of Lita and Dora, stepping into the world of the Cholitas Escaladoras and discovering the intentions that guide their work: intentions also reflected in the special documentary we present here.

“We come from a community called Cañavirizongo, a humid valley hidden behind one of the best-known mountains of the Cordillera, Huayna Potosí. Our community has always been tied to the mountains. Life there revolved, and still revolves, around working the land high up, where the snow can be seen in the distance. Women were not allowed to climb those mountains; they were expected to stay at home. And yet, for reasons we can’t fully explain, those peaks kept calling to us. For a long time we didn’t have the equipment to climb them. We didn’t even have high-mountain boots that fit our feet. Still, a question kept growing inside us: what does it really feel like to reach the summit?

The turning point came in 2015, when a photographer made an open call for girls who wanted to try climbing a peak. That was the moment we decided to go. We set out together with other local women. When we reached the summit, we realized something simple and powerful: we could do it. That was the beginning. We kept climbing peaks: first in Bolivia, then in other parts of South America… mountains rising above six thousand meters. What had started as a dream slowly turned into a small revolution.

We climb wearing our traditional clothes: the pollera (the colorful traditional skirt), the manta, and the hat. It isn’t an aesthetic choice; it’s a choice of identity. For a long time Aymara women were seen only inside the home, in the kitchen, beside their families. But those clothes tell the story of our roots. The pollera reminds us who we are; it keeps us connected to the earth, to Pachamama – Mother Earth. For us, mountains are not just mountains: they are living beings. When we climb, it is not only an ascent; it is also a way of greeting them.

Over time we realized that our role could not simply be to climb higher and higher. We also needed to tell our story. We wanted other women to see and feel what we had seen and felt: that fear can be faced and overcome. For many years, mountaineering in our region was an exclusively male world. Today we feel we have opened a path. And when a path opens, someone has to keep walking it. 

Every mountain speaks to us in a different way. When we arrived at Mont Blanc, we felt it immediately. Everything here is different: the glaciers melt faster, the mountain is different, the terrain as well. But the feeling is the same. From the kitchen to the summit. That is the story we want to tell.

Now our dreams have grown larger. We want to keep climbing, preparing for new mountains: Everest Base Camp, Kilimanjaro, and one day peaks above eight thousand meters. But more than anything, we want to leave a message: dreams must be nourished. And the path we have opened does not belong only to us. It must become a road for many other girls and women who, looking at a mountain, feel that same call.”