In Iran, a country in which cultural norms often divide public and private spaces along gender lines, the great outdoors offer a space of freedom. Farnaz Esmaeilzadeh began climbing when she was 13. Now 27, she regularly competes in international competitions.
"For me, climbing rocks is part of life, a symbol of overcoming the barriers of life," Esmaeilzadeh told the AP. "What I do is to change things that people think are norms. I feel there is no difference between men and women."
The sport of rock climbing is an apt avenue to pursue this change. While the majority of professional climbers are men, the top female climbers routinely set new records and climb at virtually the same level. Lynn Hill, notably, was the first person to free climb the legendary Yosemite route known as "The Nose" on El Capitan.
In the gyms where Esmaeilzadeh climbs, men and women cannot train together. Men, furthermore, cannot work as women's coaches. While climbers may appear to be more solitary athletes, they universally rely heavily on collaboration.
In the mountains, however, away from the purview of moralists, men and women can climb together.
The Iranian climbing community includes roughly 200 women who compete in national and international events. Esmaeilzadeh has competed in two International Federation of Sport Climbing World Cup events. In 2015, she took first in a Canadian national event held in British Columbia.
Climbing is not the only sport that allows freedom from strict cultural norms. Dizin, a ski area two hours north of Tehran, offers both reliable, high-quality snow from November to May and relaxed social norms.
"The atmosphere is quite different than Tehran itself," Nasin Etemadi said, according to CNN. Etemadi serves as the managing director of Persian Voyages, a U.K.-based tour operator. Life is more relaxed, she says.
