Fay Manners (born 1 February 1987) is a British alpinist and skier who transitioned from a career in the technology sector to full-time mountain sports. She is a member of The North Face international athlete team and is known for her ski mountaineering and climbing projects in the Alps and internationally.
Early life and education Manners was raised in Bedford, United Kingdom and attended Dame Alice Harpur School before studying Information Science at Loughborough University, where she also played competitive field hockey.
Career in technology In 2008, Manners began her career on Unilever's IT Leadership graduate scheme, working in data-focused roles across the UK. In 2010, she relocated to New York City, where she began snowboarding and climbing recreationally.
Transition to alpinism After returning to the UK in 2014, Manners travelled and climbed across the country. In 2015, she moved to Chamonix, France, where she began training in alpinism, initially focusing on snowboarding before transitioning to skiing in 2017 to access high-altitude terrain more efficiently.
While working as a freelance data consultant, she began to undertake climbing and skiing expeditions. In 2022, Manners and climbing partner Line Van Den Berg completed an ascent of Phantom Direct on the Grandes Jorasses, reported as the first all-women ascent of the route. The climb was included in the Piolets d'Ors list of 53 Significant Ascents of 2022.
Later that year, Manners and Michelle Dvorak completed an ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali.
Manners has spoken publicly about encouraging greater participation by women in climbing and mountain sports and has described herself as a potential role model for younger women.
Climbing and skiing career In 2023, Manners signed with The North Face and paused her technology consulting work to focus on mountaineering and ski projects.
In May 2023, she joined Andres Marin and Iker and Eneko Pou in establishing six new climbing routes on Little Trango in Pakistan. One of the routes, Dommage pas de Fromage, was named in memory of Van Den Berg, who died in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps during the expedition.
In August 2023, Manners and Dvorak established two new climbing routes in the Mythic Cirque region of Greenland. The pair, along with Martin Feistl, climbed The Mental Breakdown, a 765-metre traditional rock route, and later completed The Princess Brides, a 370-metre route on Chastity Tower, accessed by kayak.
In November 2023, the short film Embracing the Grim was released, documenting Manners' trip to Scotland earlier that year with Van Den Berg. The film was selected for 31 international film festivals and was a finalist at the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival and the Cortomontagna - Premio Leggimontagna. It received the Best Adventure Spirit Documentary award at the International Outdoor Documentary Film Festival of China.
In January 2024, Manners and Tom Lafaille completed what is believed to be the first repeat of a steep ski line variation on the southeast face of Aiguille du Moine, originally skied in 2016. In March 2024, Manners skied three couloirs in Val d'Arpette with Noa Barrau, and later the same month skied three additional couloirs in the Miage Basin, Italy, within a 24-hour period, again with Lafaille.
In spring 2024, she completed several steep ski descents, including Épaule Salière and Le Z on the Grande Fourche, and Stratonsphérique on Aiguille d'Argentière. In May, she undertook a project titled Ride to Steep Lines, in which she cycled from Chamonix and skied three steep lines in Switzerland over 10 days, ascending each from the valley floor.
In February 2025, Manners participated in an expedition to the Turbio IV valley in Patagonia, Argentina, alongside Caro North, Belén Prados, Julia Cassou, and Rocío Guiñazú. The team established a new alpine route, Apollo 13, on El Cohete, a previously unclimbed peak. The ascent involved 13 pitches on granite up to 7b+ difficulty, followed by 650 metres of AD 4a scrambling onto a snow ridge and the summit, with a total elevation gain of approximately 1,250 metres.
In April 2025, Manners returned to the Alps and completed two new steep ski descents with partner Marco Malcangi. The first was from the summit of Becco della Pazienza in Italy, a line they named Navigando fra le spine, graded 5.3. The second was a descent from Col Maquignaz in Switzerland, named Serac Umgehung, also graded 5.3.
In June 2025, Manners and Malcangi with Diego Margiotta established two new multi-pitch traditional rock climbing routes in Italy.
In autumn 2025, Manners returned to Chaukhamba III in the Garhwal Himalaya with climbing partner Michelle Dvorak. Dvorak withdrew from the expedition due to illness, after which Manners continued to advanced base camp and completed two solo ascents of moderate ridges, later named the Asha Traverse and the Anamika Traverse.
In late 2025, Manners undertook climbing trips in the Middle East and North Africa. In November, she established a new 405-metre multi-pitch sandstone route in Jordan with Nicole Berthod, named Mukatila. In December, she travelled to Morocco, where she partnered with Solenne Piret to establish a new bolted route near Zaouia, close to the Taghia region, named Win Oumalou.
Recent activity At the beginning of 2026, Manners completed the first ascent of a new mixed climbing route on Tête aux Chamois in Switzerland. The route, named Elles Aussi, was established while partnered with Melanie Grünwald. The ascent was notable as the first route opened in the area by an all-female team and their climb received coverage on Swiss television and was presented as an effort to encourage greater female participation in mountain sports.
Returning to Switzerland in March 2026, Manners opened Nostalgie Alpine, a 325m ascent on Roc Noir with Marco Malcangi and Max Kilcoyne. Lacrux magazine noted Manners for being one of the few female first ascensionists actively opening new routes.
In April 2026, Manners completed La Muse du Trient (M7+) on Tête de Biselx, completing a series of three mixed climbing first ascents established in different regions of the Swiss Alps during the 2025-26 winter season. The routes were collectively referred to as the "Winter Mixed Trilogy" and received coverage in alpine climbing media, including Alpin magazine, which discussed its significance within contemporary women's mountaineering.
On 28 May 2026, Manners and Marco Malcangi completed a new ski line on Nevado Ranrapalca (6,162 m) in Peru's Cordillera Blanca. The pair ascended via the mountain's southwest ridge and descended through the col between Ranrapalca and Ocshapalca before skiing a 900-metre, 5.1 E3 line, which they named Acceso Momentáneo.
In June 2026, Manners and Mathilde Badoual completed a new alpine route on the northwest face of Nordend in the Monte Rosa massif. The line, was mapped by Manners over the prior 12 months to correspond with the present morphology of the face rather than the configuration encountered during the historic routes established more than fifty years earlier.
In August 2026, Manners and Roger Schäli established Solar Eclipse, a 33-pitch climbing route on the north face of the Eiger in Switzerland. She became the first British woman to establish a new route on the mountain.
Setbacks and challenges In October 2024, Manners and Michelle Dvorak became the focus of a three-day search and rescue operation while attempting to climb Chaukhamba III in India. The team reportedly lost key equipment and supplies partway through the ascent, resulting in a call for emergency assistance. The incident received attention from both media and the international climbing community. While no injuries were reported, it highlighted the logistical challenges of remote Himalayan expeditions.
As with many alpinists, not all of Manners' objectives have resulted in successful ascents. She has retreated from routes due to conditions, including poor weather and avalanche risk as well as illness, although specific instances have not always been formally recorded.
Notable ascents and descents The following table lists selected ski descents and alpine ascents by Manners since 2023. Ski grades follow the Toponeige steep skiing rating system.
+Date commencedAscent/ DescentCountryMountainRoute/DescentGrade LengthPartner(s)23 March 2023AscentNorwayGrytetippenHow Not ToM5250mFreja Shannon22 May 2023AscentPakistanLittle TrangoDommage pas de Fromage6c250mEneko Pou, Iker Pou, Andres Marin29 May 2023AscentPakistanThe LadyThe Pretty, The Bad and The Ugly7a230mEneko Pou, Iker Pou4 June 2023AscentPakistanThe LadyThe Prime Minister6c205mEneko Pou, Iker Pou10 June 2023AscentPakistanThe GentlemanMore than an Addiction6b235mIker Pou12 June 2023AscentPakistanTrango IIWaa ShakirM5 6b2,200mEneko Pou, Iker Pou17 June 2023AscentPakistanThe Lady FayAlways Elurra7a+260mEneko Pou, Iker Pou17 August 2023AscentGreenlandAtaatap TowerThe Mental Breakdown7b+765mMichelle Dvorak, Martin Feistl22 August 2023AscentGreenlandChastity TowerThe Princess Brides6c+370mMichelle Dvorak17 February 2024DescentFranceAiguille d'ArgentiéreStratonsphérique5.3 E31,000mTom Lafaille12 April 2024DescentSwitzerlandL'Epaule de la Tour SalièreNorth East Ramp5.3 E31,000mAnna Taylor12 May 2024DescentFranceGrande ForcheLe Z5.3 E3300mBenjamin Ramos17 June 2024DescentItalyMont Blanc West FacePierre Tardival Variation5.2 E31,000mRoss Hewitt26 November 2024AscentMoroccoDutronc ButtressLes Cactus à DutroncE2 5c190mDaniel Coquoz27 November 2024AscentMoroccoDutronc ButtressTraversée AmoureuseE5 6b100mDaniel Coquoz29 November 2024AscentMoroccoLa Scéne du BelvédèrePromenade AventureuseVS 4c330mDaniel Coquoz30 November 2024AscentMoroccoTeapot CragTea, Climb, RepeatE3 5b130mDaniel Coquoz17 January 2025AscentArgentinaEl CoheteApollo 137b+1,250mCaro North, Belen Prados, Julia Cassou, Rocio Guiñazu26 April 2025DescentItalyBecco Della PazienzaNavigando fra le Spine5.3 E4450mMarco Malcangi2 May 2025DescentSwitzerlandCol MaquignazSerac Umgehung5.2 E3750mMarco Malcangi28 June 2025AscentItalyTesta PaiaireUn Ultimo Passo6c415mMarco Malcangi, Diego Margiotta29 June 2025AscentItalyGran BernardéFragile Belleza6c245mMarco Malcangi, Diego Margiotta5 September 2025AscentItalyCorno GrandeEppure Siamo Andati7a A0450mMarco Malcangi18 October 2025AscentIndiaPanpatia CirqueAsha TraverseAD 5aSolo20 October 2025AscentIndiaPanpatia CirqueAnamika TraverseAD 4cSolo8 November 2025AscentJordanNassrani SouthMukatila6a A0405mNicole Berthod4 December 2025AscentMoroccoJebel InslifWin Oumalou7a185mSolenne Piret21 January 2026AscentSwitzerlandTête aux ChamoisElles AussiM7+ A0135mMelanie Grünwald3 March 2026AscentSwitzerlandRoc NoirNostalgie AlpineM8 A0325mMarco Malcangi, Max Kilcoyne28 May 2026DescentPeruNevado RanrapalcaAcceso Momentáneo5.1 E3900mMarco Malcangi15 June 2026AscentSwitzerlandNordendNeue Ära6c ED+1,308mMathilde Badoual27 July 2026AscentSwitzerlandEigerSolar Eclipse7c Prov900mRoger Schäli
References
External links
Fay Manners profile on The North Face official website Fay Manners personal website Embracing the Grim on YouTube Toponeige steep ski rating system