Freda Du Faur
Emmeline Freda Du Faur was a trailblazing Australian mountaineer who shattered Edwardian gender conventions to become the first woman to summit Aoraki / Mount Cook in December 1910. In January 1913, she achieved the historic first Grand Traverse of Mount Cook's triple peaks, establishing herself as one of the preeminent alpine athletes of the 20th century.
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Biographical Record & Archival Chronicle
Emmeline Freda Du Faur was born on September 16, 1882, in Croydon, Sydney, Australia. Drawn to open nature from an early age, she explored the sandstone gorges and cliffs of the Blue Mountains near her home in Ku-ring-gai Chase. In 1906, Du Faur visited the New Zealand International Exhibition in Christchurch, where photographs of the snowcapped Southern Alps ignited a passion that would redefine women's mountaineering.
Traveling to Mount Cook in late 1909, Du Faur engaged chief guide Peter Graham. Graham immediately recognized her exceptional physical fitness, natural agility, and fearless mental composure. On December 3, 1910, Du Faur, accompanied by Peter Graham and Alec Graham, reached the summit of Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,724 m) in a record time of six hours, becoming the first woman to conquer New Zealand's highest peak. Facing intense societal pressure regarding Victorian modesty, Du Faur refused to climb in heavy skirts, designing a functional knee-length skirt over knickerbockers that revolutionized women's alpine attire.
Over the next four seasons, Du Faur accomplished a series of audacious firsts, including the first ascents of Mount Dampier (3,440 m), Mount Nazomi, and the virgin Mount Sefton. Her crowning triumph came on January 3, 1913: together with Peter Graham and David Thomson, Du Faur completed the first-ever Grand Traverse of Aoraki / Mount Cook, traversing Low Peak, Middle Peak, and High Peak in a single day along razor-sharp corniced arêtes. In 1915, she published *The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs*, an international mountaineering classic. She passed away on September 11, 1935, revered globally as a fearless pioneer of female empowerment and high-altitude alpinism.
Notable Milestones & Ascents
- First female ascent of Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,724 m) on December 3, 1910
- First complete Grand Traverse of Mount Cook (Low, Middle, and High peaks) on January 3, 1913
- Maiden first ascent of Mount Dampier (3,440 m), New Zealand's third highest summit
- Authored the celebrated alpine memoir 'The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs' (1915)
- Pioneered functional women's mountaineering clothing that challenged Edwardian dress codes
Key Statistics & Topographic Figures
- Birth / Death
- 1882–1935
- Nationality
- Australia
- Mount Cook First Female Ascent
- December 3, 1910 (Record 6 hrs)
- Grand Traverse
- January 3, 1913 (First in History)
- Classic Book
- The Conquest of Mount Cook (1915)
Archival Primary Source Quotations
“I was told that mountains were not meant for women. I proved that mountains belong to anyone with the will to climb them.”
Defined Alpine Terminology & Concepts
- Women's Alpinism
- The movement pioneered by women in the 19th and early 20th centuries to participate equally in high-altitude technical climbing.
- Triple Traverse
- Traversing all three summits of a multi-peaked mountain in a single continuous climb.
Frequently Asked Questions: Freda Du Faur
Who was Freda Du Faur?
Emmeline Freda Du Faur was a pioneering Australian mountaineer who became the first woman to summit Mount Cook in 1910 and pioneered the 1913 Grand Traverse.
What did Freda Du Faur author?
Du Faur wrote the celebrated mountaineering classic 'The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs', published in 1915.
Which first ascents did Freda Du Faur achieve?
Du Faur made maiden first ascents of Mount Dampier (3,440 m), Mount Nazomi, Mount Sefton, and the first complete Grand Traverse of Mount Cook.
Associated Summits (1)
Aoraki / Mount Cook
Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand at 3,724 meters (12,218 ft). Located in the Southern Alps, it is an ultra-prominent glaciated peak rising dramatically above the Tasman Glacier. It is sacred in Māori mythology as the ancestor Aoraki. The mountain is renowned as the formative training ground where Sir Edmund Hillary developed his high-altitude icecraft. On January 30, 1948, Hillary completed the historic first ascent of the technical South Ridge alongside Harry Ayres. Climbing Aoraki requires expert crampon technique, glacier navigation, and vigilance against severe maritime storms.
Pioneered & Associated Routes (2)
Grand Traverse of Aoraki / Mount Cook
The Grand Traverse of Aoraki / Mount Cook is widely considered the supreme classic high alpine expedition in the Southern Alps. Spanning the entire triple-crowned crest of New Zealand's highest mountain—crossing the Low Peak (3,593 m), Middle Peak (3,717 m), and High Peak (3,724 m)—the route features kilometres of exposed corniced ice ridges, shattered greywacke pinnacles, and dizzying exposure above the Caroline Face and Linda Glacier. First completed on January 3, 1913, by Australian mountaineer Freda Du Faur with guides Peter Graham and David Thomson, it remains a benchmark test of high-altitude speed, crampon confidence, and ridge-walking balance.
South Ridge of Aoraki / Mount Cook
The South Ridge of Aoraki / Mount Cook is a celebrated technical alpine route on New Zealand's highest peak. First climbed on January 30, 1948, by Sir Edmund Hillary, Harry Ayres, and Mick Sullivan, the route established Hillary's reputation as a world-class ice climber. Starting from Gardiner Hut, climbers traverse the Noeline Glacier to access the knife-edge rock and ice crest. The route demands steep mixed rock climbing, delicate step-cutting on exposed ice slopes, and navigation across corniced arêtes to reach the Low Peak and High Peak (3,724m).
Documented Expeditions (2)
1910 Freda Du Faur Historic First Female Ascent of Aoraki / Mount Cook
On December 3, 1910, 28-year-old Australian climber Emmeline Freda Du Faur made history by becoming the first woman to reach the summit of Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,724 m). Guided by Peter and Alec Graham, Du Faur completed the round-trip climb from the Hermitage in a record-breaking fourteen hours, demonstrating peerless endurance and dismantling Victorian misconceptions about female athletic potential.
1913 Freda Du Faur and Peter Graham Historic Maiden Grand Traverse of Aoraki / Mount Cook
On January 3, 1913, Australian mountaineer Freda Du Faur and guides Peter Graham and David Thomson achieved the first complete Grand Traverse of Aoraki / Mount Cook (3,724 m). Traversed south to north across Low Peak, Middle Peak, and High Peak along razor-edge corniced ridges and vertical greywacke gendarmes, the 20-hour expedition stands as the greatest triumph of New Zealand's golden age of mountaineering.
Associated Chronicles & Stories (2)
Skirts on the Summit: Freda Du Faur's 1910 Mount Cook Triumph
How an Australian woman broke Edwardian society's rules and conquered New Zealand's highest peak in record time.
Across the Razor's Edge: The 1913 Mount Cook Grand Traverse
Twenty continuous hours on the knife-edge crest of New Zealand: Freda Du Faur and Peter Graham conquer the triple peaks of Aoraki.
Documented Sources & Archival Citations
- The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs(Freda Du Faur / George Allen & Unwin)
Supporting claim: Autobiographical account of climbing Mount Cook, Grand Traverse, and alpine philosophy
Accessed/Documented: 1915 - Great Southern Alps Explorers: Freda Du Faur(Australian Dictionary of Biography)
Supporting claim: Historical overview of Du Faur's mountaineering triumphs and legacy
Accessed/Documented: 2006