About strong female mountaineers
Mountain sports are no longer a male dominated sport. We have been developing backpacks adapted to the female anatomy since 2005. Because a perfect fit on a mountain is simply essential.
Why our three brand ambassadors, professional climber Mélissa le Nevé, downhiller Veronika Widmann and extreme mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, have never let themselves be beaten down and what drives them, you can find out in the interviews.
Mélissa Le Nevé, professional climber from France
Mélissa started climbing at the age of 15 and since then the sport has been an essential part of her life. After having successfully competed in competitions, she now focuses on projects on the mountain.
Her philosophy: "Believe in yourself and push yourself to the limits!"
Her last achievement:
MÉLISSA IS THE FIRST WOMAN TO CLIMB THE ACTION DIRECTE (9A)
MÉLISSA IS THE FIRST WOMAN TO CLIMB THE ACTION DIRECTE (9A)
What before only the men had managed to do, Mélissa has now achieved: she climbed the Action directe (9a) in the Frankenjura. She had trained for six long years until her dream finally came true.
Melissa about the SL series
"In the SL series the (shoulder) straps are centered/the straps are closer together and are adapted to the female anatomy. Backpacks that are not adapted can easily pinch a nerve. The carrying system is slightly more centred and adapted to my bone structure.
At Deuter, every backpack has its own very special characteristics, which are adapted to the respective sport. The Gravity Motion is very interesting for sport climbing or bouldering, for example, because the closure is centred. This makes it very easy to get hold of your material. On 250-300 meter high walls the Haul Bag allows me to easily get to my stuff. Here the sides are reinforced so that nothing can tear. Or the Guide Lite, with which you can easily explore the surroundings, because it is very light and has very practical pockets - like here for a mobile phone".
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, extreme mountain climber
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is one of the most successful high altitude climbers in the world. She was the third woman to succeed in climbing K2 without additional oxygen - making her the first woman to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders without additional oxygen.
Gerlinde has been in our development team for the SL series since 2005 and supports us with her experience and expertise.
23rd August 2011: K2 summit reached!
K2 WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING MOUNTAIN I have ever climbed
K2 WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING MOUNTAIN I have ever climbed
"It is the eight-thousand-metre peak that has shaped me most over the years. It is also the one that has given me the widest range of experiences. Many wonderful moments, great positive experiences, and also very difficult and sad moments. The K2 is very difficult to climb from all sides and the danger of falling rocks and ice is always considerable. It was only on my seventh attempt that I was able to reach the summit with three of my team colleagues via the very rarely climbed and extremely demanding north pillar, and most importantly, we returned to base camp together again, safe and sound"
Veronika Widmann, professional downhill biker
Vroni does not worry about women being slower in downhill sports. She is an absolute adrenaline junkie and is rarely seen without a bike. For Deuter, she regularly tests the SL bike backpacks and provides valuable feedback.
That's her motto:
Get up again after every crash.
Get up again after every crash.
"Touch wood was the worst crash, I've been so lucky with some big crashes in the past. One of my worst was probably at the finish in Lourdes 2016, I was covered in cuts and bruises for months with a swollen ankle. Fortunately no broken bones."
