To break stereotypes that only men climb mountains, the Cholita Climbers scale Bolivia's highest peaks in skirts

A mountain guide in the Cholita climbers group passes in front of a no trespassing sign.REUTERS/Claudia Morales

• In 2015, a group of 11 Aymara Indigenous women set out to climb the mountains of Bolivia.
• The group, known as Cholita Climbers, make their ascent in traditional Aymaran clothes.

Dressed in bright clothing, a group of Indigenous Aymara women climb the peaks of the Cordillera Real mountain range in Bolivia.

The group of 11 women, all between 40 and 50 years old, are thought to be the first Aymara women to ascend the peaks of the Cordillera Real mountain ranges. Traditionally working in roles as porters and cooks at base camp for visiting mountaineers, the Aymara women have traded their cooking utensils for climbing tools.

Making their first ascent in 2015, the climbers have since made it to the top of five Bolivian peaks — the Acotango, Parinacota, Pomarapi, and Huayna Potosi, as well as Illimani, which has a 5-mile long series of four peaks. All peaks are higher than 19,500 feet above sea level.

In January 2019, the Cholita climbers achieved their long-term goal of summiting Aconcagua, the tallest mountain outside of Asia, with its peak at 22,841 feet.