Happy 100th Gwen Moffat!

Gwen Moffat, the star of BMC TV film Operation Moffat, has lived a long life dedicated to climbing and crime fiction writing. We caught up with her to find out what makes her tick, keep on ticking, and how we can all be a little more Gwen.

What is it like climbing barefoot?

You can feel the rock through your feet. With practice the toes become prehensile and can take advantage of the rough surface that’s lost by wearing shoes.

Did you find any resistance to your mountain activities because of being a woman?

It came with the territory and could be dismissed. Only personal hostility was disturbing but that was an advantage when I turned to crime writing. I had a grounding

already, if not in delinquency then in working out what makes people tick.

How did having your daughter in 1949 affect your activities?

I began to calculate risks, to learn my limits. The whole perspective shifts, starting with the atavistic demand to protect, and so to make a home, to settle down. Simply: it’s the change from being carefree overnight to becoming responsible for the life of another person. It’s growing up.

Why was becoming a member of the Pinnacle Club important to you?

They cut me down to size. There were women climbing harder than me, and with a wealth of experience, but all speaking the same language. They were always there, good times and bad, like family.

INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN BMC SUMMIT MAGAZINE